Honduran National High School Soccer Tournament

Over the past four and a half days, I had the opportunity to travel with the Juvenil (aka Varsity) boys and girls soccer teams to the second biggest city in Honduras, San Pedro Sula, for the national high school soccer tournament. After about a four hour bus ride, we checked into our nice hotel, attended the opening ceremony, and ate dinner. The next couple of days included many trips to the mall food court, bus rides back and forth to the host schools, and of course, several exciting soccer games. The girls team lost, won, and tied  their pool games, which was not enough for them to move on to the next round. The boys team won and tied in their games, which was enough to put them in first place in their pool. One of their best offensive players got a red card and would be unable to play in the next game. A coin toss that did not go in their favor required them to play an additional game in order to move on to the semi-finals. Even though they were exhausted from a tough, physical game that morning against the only team who finished ahead of them in the qualifying rounds for this tournament, they were able to secure a victory in their second game of the day.

On Saturday, the team remained undefeated when they won their semi-finals game. Unfortunately, the team captain injured his ankle and would be unable to play in the final game of the tournament. Later that afternoon was the final game. Our team was exhausted from the four grueling games they had played over 3 days. They would have to face the host school with their home crowd, and they would need to win without their captain. It was a hard fought game with several of the substitute players stepping up when they were needed. Unfortunately, they lost the game 1-0 to receive second place in the tournament. It was tough enough losing the final game, but what made it more difficult was that three players were injured, including two who were transported to the hospital by ambulance. They'll be heading home with a dislocated knee cap (full leg cast), a swollen black eye, and a broken nose as battle scars. It was heartbreaking to see the disappointment of the players and the sadness of the seniors who had just played in their last game. During the closing ceremony, it was clear that our school had the support of all of the other schools in the tournament. We got a standing ovation as the players accepted their trophy on stage led by two of the three injured players. Although we did not get first place, seeing their tears and sadness turned to joy and hearing them chant and sing about being "campeones" (champions) on the bus was a great way to end the trip.

I am so ridiculously proud of our teams and all they accomplished this weekend. They represented our school and themselves well. I love seeing them doing something they are so passionate about. I am glad they let me be a part of the experience, spending time with them and building relationships. I am grateful for the opportunity to know them outside the classroom. They are some of the most interesting, hilarious, wonderful people I know. It's the beginning of the end for this senior class, and I'm just not ready for it to end yet!

Highlights from the trip:

• Quality time with senior girls: talking about relationships, sharing meals, bus rides, Dutch Blitz, American Idol, and more.
• Seeing the seniors step up into their leadership positions at various points by encouraging, motivating, and guiding their teammates.
• Laughing so much during the 4 day trip that my abs were sore on the bus ride home. I can't begin to describe to you how much fun I have with these senior boys. Everything they say and do is entertaining to say the least.
• The support of the other teams at the closing ceremony. One of our biggest rivals lined the path to the entrance of the school and applauded as we entered. We may have lost the final game, but we won the respect of all the other teams. Second place never tasted so sweet.