| qeklshzxp | Date: Saturday, 06 Jul 2013, 11:45:49 | Message # 1 |
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| Curious Cubans soak up Football 101
What the boys were doing, though, stumped the locals. After all, Monday's workout marked the first time anyone in Varadero has seen American football played right before their eyes.
In the life of a high school football player, few rituals can be more mundane than practice. But for the people who live near the lush green field where the high school teams of Bonita Vista and La Jolla have held their practices this week, it has become a sight to behold.
At any given time, 20 to 30 Cubans line either side of <a href=http://www.fingerlakestrivia.com/handbags.html>www.fingerlakestrivia.com/handbags.html</a> the field, watching the teams prepare for Friday's game in Havana, the first American football game played in Cuba since 1958.
can be distracting, said La Jolla senior Donald Sewell, who added that he's often torn between waving to passersby and focusing on practicing in temperatures that climbed into the 90s yesterday as the humidity remained high.
it's a good distraction, said teammate Chris Jones.
The onlookers are young and old, female and male, and from all walks of life. They park their tractors and sit on a nearby rock. They watch from inside their taxi, their tour bus, even their ambulance. They lean on bicycles and motorcycles. Or they <a href=http://www.osuwrfc.com/only.html>www.osuwrfc.com/only.html</a> just stand there, like the two police officers who watched Monday's practice intently.
Most keep their distance. Some, though, waste little time getting involved. That included a group of youngsters who referred to the players as number grew from four on Monday to nine yesterday, giving Bonita Vista junior varsity coach Dan Kray enough bodies to put together an impromptu skills clinic.
asked them <a href=http://www.centurionsmc.org/time.html>www.centurionsmc.org/time.html</a> if they wanted to throw the football (on Monday) and it just went on from there, said Kray.
On Monday, Kray taught 19yearold Leonardo Rodriguez and his friends the basics of throwing a football, while Barons junior Derek Soro taught them how to kick it.
seemed like they had never seen a football before, said Soro, who let Rodriguez try on his shoulder pads. picked it up really fast. the end of the day, Kray had all nine lined up in offensive formation. They were running plays, setting up pass routes and even coaching each other.
was amazed by the athleticism of these kids, said Kray, who added that working with the young Cubans, who ranged in age from 1219, has been the highlight of his trip. are so eager to learn. youths weren't the only ones learning the basics of the game.
While <a href=http://www.leffs.com/best.html>www.leffs.com/best.html</a> Leyba was at the Barons' practice as a spectator, he relished the opportunity to pass on football pointers to the coaches of basketball, swimming, rowing and golf.
them, I am an expert, Leyba joked afterward.
Leyba was also kept busy as an ambassador, greeting the mayor and deputy mayor of the city. The two were so enamored with the game, they wanted an exhibition of their own in Varadero.
Across the field, Sewell was getting to know more about a group of children who had gathered near the Vikings.
A fluent Spanish speaker, Sewell spoke to a young boy who walked to the practice on Monday with his cousins, a pair of little girls. Only 7 years old, the boy told Sewell that school started Monday and he loved baseball. He also told him his feet were bare because he didn't have shoes and his family was unable to own a car.
Although Sewell wanted nothing more than to buy the boy shoes to wear, he had to settle with giving the boy a football and candy when he saw him again yesterday.
For Sewell, seeing what life was like through the little boy's eyes was the chance to see a glimpse into the Cuba that exists outside the confines of Las Arenas Blancas Hotel, where the team has stayed the first half of this week.
is totally different, Sewell said. at a resort, we haven't seen the real Cuba yet. But I think we'll see it in Havana (where the team will stay starting today). echoed Sewell, saying spending just a few minutes sharing his love for football showed him something he had yet to see on his trip.
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