The last day of Gopher Italia started this morning by parting ways with several members of our "Big Family" as they were staying on for an extended tour. I trust those members of the crew will enjoy their respective jaunts through Europe. As a side note, we registered our first official celebrity sighting, in the Newark airport of all places. Archie and Eli Manning along with their wives, waited patiently for a plane to Indianapolis two rows away from us, while we were waiting to board our plane to Minneapolis.
This trip has certainly been an adventure in many senses from language to cultural to academic to sporting endeavors. From an academic perspective, this group is enrolled in various sub-disciplines of Kinesiology including: Physical Therapy, Sport Management, Sport Sociology as well as in programs outside the KIN department such as Finance. This amalgamation of viewpoints generated interesting presentations and group discussions that followed. The diverse perspectives were evident during the hockey/basketball globalization wrap up that touched on NHL/NBA expansion into Europe. While many of us agreed that the leagues have a strong fan base in Europe, the group was not necessarily sure that NHL/NBA expansion franchises in Europe are a viable option at the present time. In contrast, the dialogue surrounding Brandon Jennings leap from HS to Euro League basketball contained more divergent opinions on the importance of education, the role of sport as upward mobility and the impact this precedent might set for future student athletes with dreams of professional stardom. This example illustrates some of the formal discussions that took place during the course of our two week trip. We also ended up engaging in many informal conversations on sport, culture and globalization while walking the streets or over dinner.
In terms of sport, the Swiss women's soccer match turned into one of the most intriguing parts of our voyage. As Lindsey's blog indicates, the match was intense and more exciting than anyone could have anticipated. The way in which the majority of our group embraced the game and players was quite awesome. Here we were in the middle of Switzerland, watching a random club match of two teams that we had no connection with, yet people were cheering, jumping up and down and out on the field after the match to congratulate the winning team. The genuine enthusiasm people showed during/following that match was brilliant!
As the trip wore on our Spitalian steadily improved but we were thrown a curveball when we arrived in Switzerland to find that French and German are spoken more frequently than Italian. Fortunately, "pizza" is a universal word. Some of us, maybe just me rediscovered French phrases learned in HS. The ever important phrase, "No parlez-vous francais" came in handy a couple of times when people tried to ask me directions. Overall, this aspect of the trip reinforced the idea that I need to learn a foreign language, beyond some phrases that I miraculously remembered despite being a long time removed from 10th grade french class.
The previous paragraphs are designed to give a glimpse of the major themes we touched upon during the entire semester. Finally, I want recognize Dr. Buysse's efforts and thank her for organizing this class. Our trip flowed quite smoothly. I would like to leave you with lyrics from our trip song Empire of the Sun: Walking on a Dream, "We are always running for the thrill of it thrill of it, Always pushing up the hill searching for the thrill of it, On and on and on we are calling out and out again, Never looking down I’m just in awe of what’s in front of me..."
Emily Houghton
PhD student in Sport Sociology
sabato 6 giugno 2009
giovedì 4 giugno 2009
June 4th, last full day in Europe.
We are almost done with our fabulous journey, America,
Our day started around 9:30am when our class went to find a place for Alli and me to give our presentation. Bender and Lovrien saw big fish through the crystal clear water of Lake Geneva. Alli and I gave our presentation on Sport Nutrition. We really appreciated everyone`s attention and great comments during our discussion. After the presentation we took a ten minute break and then Bria gave her presentation on Dance and cultural identity. This presentation was very interesting because we learned about the different styles of dance and what identities were connected with them. The best part of the presentation was when Bria taught the group a Rennaissance Dance. We learned 15, 8-counts of the dance and performed for the locals on their lunch breaks. It was very fun for the whole group to get involved with the presentation.
After the presentations we had a free day until our farewell dinner at Pizza Alfredo. Before dinner most of the group went shopping in the unique stores around Lake Geneva. We spent dinner talking about the cultural differences between Europe and the United States. We each shared one main take home point from the trip that related to Sport Management. It was interesting to hear how much each person has learned through this two week study abroad class. It has been brief, but we have all experienced so much. Most of the group will depart for Minnesota tomorrow morning, but Alli and I are looking forward to our 5 day exploration of Paris, France.
This has been a fantastic and memorable trip. Thanks for following our progress over the past couple of weeks.
Ciao Tutti!
Jamie Bullock,
Kinesiology major, pre-Physicians Assistant emphasis.
Our day started around 9:30am when our class went to find a place for Alli and me to give our presentation. Bender and Lovrien saw big fish through the crystal clear water of Lake Geneva. Alli and I gave our presentation on Sport Nutrition. We really appreciated everyone`s attention and great comments during our discussion. After the presentation we took a ten minute break and then Bria gave her presentation on Dance and cultural identity. This presentation was very interesting because we learned about the different styles of dance and what identities were connected with them. The best part of the presentation was when Bria taught the group a Rennaissance Dance. We learned 15, 8-counts of the dance and performed for the locals on their lunch breaks. It was very fun for the whole group to get involved with the presentation.
After the presentations we had a free day until our farewell dinner at Pizza Alfredo. Before dinner most of the group went shopping in the unique stores around Lake Geneva. We spent dinner talking about the cultural differences between Europe and the United States. We each shared one main take home point from the trip that related to Sport Management. It was interesting to hear how much each person has learned through this two week study abroad class. It has been brief, but we have all experienced so much. Most of the group will depart for Minnesota tomorrow morning, but Alli and I are looking forward to our 5 day exploration of Paris, France.
This has been a fantastic and memorable trip. Thanks for following our progress over the past couple of weeks.
Ciao Tutti!
Jamie Bullock,
Kinesiology major, pre-Physicians Assistant emphasis.
martedì 2 giugno 2009
Lausanne!
Ciao,
Today was not filled with information, history, or site visits; however, full of picturesque views as we drove through and scaled the Alps. We snapped many photographs of the beautiful mountain slopes and quaint villages. The bus ride was only supposed to take 3 hours, but since we had to scale the mountain side several times, stop at the border, and stop for lunch, the trip ended up taking 5 hours! Thankfully, we were able to pass the time with napping and gazing out the window. Once we finally arrived in Lausanne, it took us some time to find our way to the hotel, as it was our bus driver's first time in the city as well. Lausanne is a beautiful city built on the mountain side starting at the shore of Lake Geneva. We walked down to the base of the mountain to finish two group projects and discussions. Thankfully, the lake was at the group's back so they weren't overly distracted with scenery. We had a gorgeous view of the lake and a mountain back drop, which happened to be the country of France. So we can basically say we were in France as well. Even though we did not do anything as a group for sport we did see a number of soccer games going in the small villages. Also, we saw a rowing team practicing out on Lake Geneva. The amazing part was that even though we were passing through small villages the soccer fields were still lined with with advertisements!That was just an interesting observation. Hope all is well back in the states. We will be back in three short days and we would all appreciate a hearty American meal when we return :)!
Ciao Tutti,
Tony Lucia, CSOM Finance major
Today was not filled with information, history, or site visits; however, full of picturesque views as we drove through and scaled the Alps. We snapped many photographs of the beautiful mountain slopes and quaint villages. The bus ride was only supposed to take 3 hours, but since we had to scale the mountain side several times, stop at the border, and stop for lunch, the trip ended up taking 5 hours! Thankfully, we were able to pass the time with napping and gazing out the window. Once we finally arrived in Lausanne, it took us some time to find our way to the hotel, as it was our bus driver's first time in the city as well. Lausanne is a beautiful city built on the mountain side starting at the shore of Lake Geneva. We walked down to the base of the mountain to finish two group projects and discussions. Thankfully, the lake was at the group's back so they weren't overly distracted with scenery. We had a gorgeous view of the lake and a mountain back drop, which happened to be the country of France. So we can basically say we were in France as well. Even though we did not do anything as a group for sport we did see a number of soccer games going in the small villages. Also, we saw a rowing team practicing out on Lake Geneva. The amazing part was that even though we were passing through small villages the soccer fields were still lined with with advertisements!That was just an interesting observation. Hope all is well back in the states. We will be back in three short days and we would all appreciate a hearty American meal when we return :)!
Ciao Tutti,
Tony Lucia, CSOM Finance major
lunedì 1 giugno 2009
Day 11 - Milano
Today we meet up at 9am and took the metro over to San Siro Soccer Stadium, the home stadium to AC Milan and Inter Milan. We got a tour of the stadium, which included both locker rooms and the VIP area. I even got to sit in David Beckham’s locker room chair! After the tour we were able to walk around the museum there. It was really cool to see all the old artifacts, jerseys, pictures, and even trophies the teams have won. After the tour, the group broke up and went their separate ways. A few people went and saw the Duomo, some grabbed lunch, and some headed back to the hotel.
We all met up at 2pm in the lobby of the hotel to hear Tony and my presentation on the globalization of hockey. We also heard from guest Brad Doshan, the directing manager ofEuro Sport Tours and also U of M hockey alumni, who now lives and coaches in Italy. He gave us great insight to the world of European hockey, especially Switzerland and Italy along with giving us a detailed overview of Euro Sport Tours. Specifically he was able to answer many of the questions we had about the structure of hockey in Europe within the professional leagues as well as the youth development of Swiss and Italian hockey players. One of the things I thought was incredibly interesting was that the youth players in Switzerland receive professional coaching starting at a young age all the way up to their professional years if they are lucky enough to make it. Also, I was shocked to hear that youth hockey programs are sponsored and privately subsidized, therefore the parents have to pay only a small amount for great quality coaches compared to the U.S. where you can pay thousands of dollars for hockey and professional coaching.
Following the presentation, a few of us headed to Corso Buoenos Aires to do some shopping in the great fashion area of Milan. Tomorrow we are finally saying goodbye to the beautiful country of Italy and heading to Lausanne, Switzerland.
-Ali Carlston, Undergraduate Kinesiology Student
We all met up at 2pm in the lobby of the hotel to hear Tony and my presentation on the globalization of hockey. We also heard from guest Brad Doshan, the directing manager ofEuro Sport Tours and also U of M hockey alumni, who now lives and coaches in Italy. He gave us great insight to the world of European hockey, especially Switzerland and Italy along with giving us a detailed overview of Euro Sport Tours. Specifically he was able to answer many of the questions we had about the structure of hockey in Europe within the professional leagues as well as the youth development of Swiss and Italian hockey players. One of the things I thought was incredibly interesting was that the youth players in Switzerland receive professional coaching starting at a young age all the way up to their professional years if they are lucky enough to make it. Also, I was shocked to hear that youth hockey programs are sponsored and privately subsidized, therefore the parents have to pay only a small amount for great quality coaches compared to the U.S. where you can pay thousands of dollars for hockey and professional coaching.
Following the presentation, a few of us headed to Corso Buoenos Aires to do some shopping in the great fashion area of Milan. Tomorrow we are finally saying goodbye to the beautiful country of Italy and heading to Lausanne, Switzerland.
-Ali Carlston, Undergraduate Kinesiology Student
domenica 31 maggio 2009
First Day in Milan
Ciao Tutti!
Today we said goodbye to Treviso and headed to the fashion capital of the world- Milan! After we checked into our hotel, a small group took off on a train for Lugano, Switzerland, to teach a basketball clinic for young girls there. They were interested in learning about the structure of youth basketball in Europe and told us that it was a very unique cultural experience. We will be hearing more about the trip in their upcoming presentation.
The rest of us explored Milan on our own today. We visited two beautiful parks and observed several different kinds of sport and play including casual games of soccer and volleyball. There were a few bikers and runners, but for the most part people were just lounging in the grass with their friends and families. We had the opportunity to visit a 15th century castle as well before we headed to McDonalds for some American comfort food! Milan was somewhat of a ghost town today, presumably because it is Sunday, so we look forward to seeing the more energetic side of the city tomorrow!
Alli Smith
Today we said goodbye to Treviso and headed to the fashion capital of the world- Milan! After we checked into our hotel, a small group took off on a train for Lugano, Switzerland, to teach a basketball clinic for young girls there. They were interested in learning about the structure of youth basketball in Europe and told us that it was a very unique cultural experience. We will be hearing more about the trip in their upcoming presentation.
The rest of us explored Milan on our own today. We visited two beautiful parks and observed several different kinds of sport and play including casual games of soccer and volleyball. There were a few bikers and runners, but for the most part people were just lounging in the grass with their friends and families. We had the opportunity to visit a 15th century castle as well before we headed to McDonalds for some American comfort food! Milan was somewhat of a ghost town today, presumably because it is Sunday, so we look forward to seeing the more energetic side of the city tomorrow!
Alli Smith
sabato 30 maggio 2009
Day 9 Treviso and more
Today was a free day for the group. Many members of our group went to Venice to see the canals and experience all that this tourist city had to offer, including smaller boutique shops as well as larger shops. We were lucky enough to find sports stores, which included Nike, Puma and others. Almost half of the group went together and a few others went by themselves to enjoy a day alone. Other members returned to La Ghirada to play basketball and other sports with locals from Treviso.
Piazza San Marco was larger than many of us expected and extremely busy. The unfortunate afterthought of visiting a major tourist city on a Saturday afternoon. I was surprised to find a Bar Americano in the piazza. We did not visit it, but it seemed like a welcome place to find a true American burger and fries. Instead we had lunch over looking the Adriatic Sea and we were still able to eat burgers for lunch. (Unfortunately, we had to stop at a Burger King on the way back to the train station to have a "real" American burger and our faith in the American standby was reaffirmed.)
After visiting the souvenir shops along the Adriatic our large group of eight split into three and five. Three of us walked back to the train station for the ride back to Treviso, and the five remaining girls found themselves a lovely gondola ride.
While looking for the time of a basketball game with the hotel host, Dr. Buysse and I were surprised and pleased to discover that our group had made one of the local newspapers, La Tribuna for our visit to La Ghirada. The short story was accompanied by a photo of our group and one of guest speakers.
The group minus myself and Dr. Buysse went back to the city center to have dinner for the evening. While I stayed near the hotel I spoke with our host at length about American rock and roll music. We also spoke of Italian music and how it is very behind the times. We exchanged several bands to look up on the Internet. Although he won out in this department, while I received seven bands to look up, he (Robert) received 20-30. I think we are both excited to discover new music.
All in all I would say the day was a success for everybody. Whether finding souvenirs for loved ones back in the States, or getting lost in the world of sports, or lost in Treviso, we all enjoyed another sunny, beautiful day in Italy.
Ciao for now! We move on to Milano bright and early tomorrow morning.
Kitrick Myers
M.Ed. Applied Kinesiology - Sport Management
Piazza San Marco was larger than many of us expected and extremely busy. The unfortunate afterthought of visiting a major tourist city on a Saturday afternoon. I was surprised to find a Bar Americano in the piazza. We did not visit it, but it seemed like a welcome place to find a true American burger and fries. Instead we had lunch over looking the Adriatic Sea and we were still able to eat burgers for lunch. (Unfortunately, we had to stop at a Burger King on the way back to the train station to have a "real" American burger and our faith in the American standby was reaffirmed.)
After visiting the souvenir shops along the Adriatic our large group of eight split into three and five. Three of us walked back to the train station for the ride back to Treviso, and the five remaining girls found themselves a lovely gondola ride.
While looking for the time of a basketball game with the hotel host, Dr. Buysse and I were surprised and pleased to discover that our group had made one of the local newspapers, La Tribuna for our visit to La Ghirada. The short story was accompanied by a photo of our group and one of guest speakers.
The group minus myself and Dr. Buysse went back to the city center to have dinner for the evening. While I stayed near the hotel I spoke with our host at length about American rock and roll music. We also spoke of Italian music and how it is very behind the times. We exchanged several bands to look up on the Internet. Although he won out in this department, while I received seven bands to look up, he (Robert) received 20-30. I think we are both excited to discover new music.
All in all I would say the day was a success for everybody. Whether finding souvenirs for loved ones back in the States, or getting lost in the world of sports, or lost in Treviso, we all enjoyed another sunny, beautiful day in Italy.
Ciao for now! We move on to Milano bright and early tomorrow morning.
Kitrick Myers
M.Ed. Applied Kinesiology - Sport Management
venerdì 29 maggio 2009
Day 8 La Ghirada
Today we visited La Ghirada Sports Complex run by the four brothers (actually three brothers and one sister) of the Benetton family. It started in 1985 as a gift to the community. La Ghirada is unique because it is owned and operated privately, but it is open to the community for public use. Anyone can use the facilities any day of the year without having to pay a membership fee. Facilities include rugby fields, a swimming pool, basketball courts, volleyball courts, a gym, and a weight room. It also offers people the ability to participate in classes like dance or karate.
The Benetton family values the ability to give back to the community. This is the main reason the facilities are open for public use. La Ghirada also hosts several tournaments for children throughout the year. One example is a 3 v. 3 basketball tournament called Join the Game. This tournament is open to children all throughout Italy that are fourteen years old or younger. Each year over 35,000 children participate in this tournament.
Throughout the course of our visit, we got the chance to listen to several different presentations, which emphasized mainly on the basketball club, soccer club, and marketing in sport. Two of the presenters were from the Univeristy of Venice. The basketball component of the presentation was especially interesting to us being that our group presentation focuses on the Italian basketball clubs. We learned about the many opportunities that are given to youth basketball participants by the different camps offered. For example, La Ghirada has a youth program for children ages 6-16 that teaches and prepares them for future success in the game. This is a college type setting, in the fact that they are provided a dormatory type lifestyle while participating in the program in addition to attending school.
The Benetton group has several professional teams: a men’s basketball team, a men’s volleyball team (the most famous in the world), a men’s rugby team, and a women’s rugby team. In 2003 all four teams won the championship for their respective sport, the first to ever accomplish this feat. This placed Treviso as the sport capital of the country. It is interesting to note that they do not have a soccer team, being that soccer is the most popular sport in Italy. This was intentional because none of the Benetton brothers played soccer, and it allowed people in the community with other sports interests to become involved in the complex.
It was extremely interesting to visit the facilities. It was also a wonderful privilege to listen to the presenters and have conversations with them about some problems in sports, i.e. the lack of attendance at live games, the increasing sedentary lifestyle of Italians, and the lack of female participation in sport. We are very greatful to La Ghirada for allowing us to do this.
Tomorrow is a free day, and many members of our group are planning on visiting Venice. We plan on taking in the sites and sounds of this wonderful city!
Lisa Schramm and Jenna Traeger
B.S. in Kinesiology, Pre-Physical Therapy
The Benetton family values the ability to give back to the community. This is the main reason the facilities are open for public use. La Ghirada also hosts several tournaments for children throughout the year. One example is a 3 v. 3 basketball tournament called Join the Game. This tournament is open to children all throughout Italy that are fourteen years old or younger. Each year over 35,000 children participate in this tournament.
Throughout the course of our visit, we got the chance to listen to several different presentations, which emphasized mainly on the basketball club, soccer club, and marketing in sport. Two of the presenters were from the Univeristy of Venice. The basketball component of the presentation was especially interesting to us being that our group presentation focuses on the Italian basketball clubs. We learned about the many opportunities that are given to youth basketball participants by the different camps offered. For example, La Ghirada has a youth program for children ages 6-16 that teaches and prepares them for future success in the game. This is a college type setting, in the fact that they are provided a dormatory type lifestyle while participating in the program in addition to attending school.
The Benetton group has several professional teams: a men’s basketball team, a men’s volleyball team (the most famous in the world), a men’s rugby team, and a women’s rugby team. In 2003 all four teams won the championship for their respective sport, the first to ever accomplish this feat. This placed Treviso as the sport capital of the country. It is interesting to note that they do not have a soccer team, being that soccer is the most popular sport in Italy. This was intentional because none of the Benetton brothers played soccer, and it allowed people in the community with other sports interests to become involved in the complex.
It was extremely interesting to visit the facilities. It was also a wonderful privilege to listen to the presenters and have conversations with them about some problems in sports, i.e. the lack of attendance at live games, the increasing sedentary lifestyle of Italians, and the lack of female participation in sport. We are very greatful to La Ghirada for allowing us to do this.
Tomorrow is a free day, and many members of our group are planning on visiting Venice. We plan on taking in the sites and sounds of this wonderful city!
Lisa Schramm and Jenna Traeger
B.S. in Kinesiology, Pre-Physical Therapy
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