Tour Report: Vuelto Por Espana 2000

by David Cook

The Spain Tour 2000, masterminded by tour coordinator Tim Crowley, brought a large contingent of UNC ruggers to Spain for a several days of rugby, fiestas, and culture. UNC Rugby brought three sides to Spain; an A-side, a B-Side, and the Women’s team. Overall, all sides fared reasonably well with the men winning one and loosing one, while the women had one victory and two defeats. However, this tour was much more than just rugby. It enabled everyone to spend their spring break relaxing in the south of Spain while growing closer to their teammates and experiencing a new culture.

With all the fundraising and organization finished, the UNC Rugby Club was set to embark on their journey from Charlotte Douglas International Airport on Friday March 10, 2000. For myself and the rest of the freshman, we arrived at the airport not knowing what to expect from a “rugby tour.” However, we quickly learned. Upon arrival at the airport we all met at a bar outside of our gate. Craig McDonald quickly introduced tour traditions as he displayed a green wig and rubber gloves while explaining that the only rule for the tour was that we all must have a good time. From there, we boarded British Airway’s Flight 2007 to London and began our tour.

This overnight flight landed us at London Gatwick early the following morning where we were set to have an 8 hour lay over before preceding on to Madrid. Through the efforts of Alister Cooper, who arranged a bus into London, we were able to spend the layover in central London. Upon arrival into London, we dispersed into smaller groups and headed off to see the sights. Many ruggers were able to stroll past Parliament, view the Millennium Wheel, see Big Ben, walk through Westminster Abbey, and attend the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. Following our trip into London we returned to Gatwick and caught our plane to Madrid.

Upon arrival to Madrid, we made our way to Hotel Moderno, our home for the following night. Situated in the Puerta del Sol, the hotel put us right in the middle of Madrid’s nightlife. This being the case, what choice did UNC have but to hit the city hard. And that they did.

The following morning, March 12, the men learned that their match scheduled for that afternoon had been canceled. Disappointed, the men decided to attend the women’s match. . . and what a match it was. To multiple renditions of “Go Grease Lightening,” Madrid’s women (#1 in the nation) ran up the score on the Lady Heels, defeating them 120-0. Not content with ending the day watching a brutal rugby match, the rugby team decided to attend a bullfight that evening. Afterwards, everyone grabbed a bite to eat and proceeded to board the chartered bus to Seville, where the tour would be continued.

Arriving in the early morning of March 13, the ruggers had a free day to spend roaming the streets of Seville. After checking into the hotel, we headed for the tourist attractions. First stop, La plaza de Espana which was built for the 1928 world’s fair hosted in Seville. Here, several ruggers rented paddle boats and reenacted the battles that had been fought on the Mediterranean years before. That afternoon, everyone headed back to the hotel to catch up on some sleep before going out hard again that night. The evening festivities were abundant, however by the end of the evening Flo Iking had had the most fun, and had the stories to prove it.

With a couple hours of sleep under their belt, we all awoke and continued our visit to the tourist attractions. We attended the cathedral (the 3rd largest in the world) as well as Seville’s famous Alcazar before heading to the rugby pitch for our match against La Universidad de Sevilla. The women opened the night by winning their match, and the A-side was prepared to do the same. However, it was not to be. The organized scrum, quick wingers and physical play of La Universidad de Sevilla proved to be too much for a tired UNC side. The final scored was 41 to 7 with Larry Braithwaite scoring UNC’s only try. Following the match UNC was hosted by the home squad at a local bar, however the party was short lived as many UNC ruggers’ gear disappeared.

Wednesday, March 14, UNC was set to face “Geografia y Historia,” the Geography and history departments of the university. This was a B-side match with several A-siders playing due to our lack of depth at some positions. UNC dominated the match, having put the previous night’s loss behind them. As the final whistle sounded, the B-Siders had won 36-0. The game marked the first try scored by Corey Ford since breaking his leg in the first game of the season against Clemson. He finished the game with three try’s. Rob Leichner scored his first ever try during the match and performed his “Zulu” in order to become “Man of the Match.” Flyhalf David Cook finished out the scoring with a try, a penalty and four conversions. Following the match we all headed across town and spent the majority of the night being hosted by Geografia y Historia.

Next up for the ruggers was a trip to Granada, where both the men and women were set to play their final matches of the tour. Once again, miscommunication led to the cancellation of the men’s match while the women fell to the Universidad de Granada. That night, both teams went out together as these matches marked the end of the scheduled activities for the tour.

The last three days, March 17-19, were left open for everyone to get away from each other and relax. This being the case, we dispersed to destinations that included staying in Granada, Seville, Cadiz, Marbella, Cordoba and Lethos, Portugal.

On the evening of the 19th, we all reconvened in Seville and took the chartered bus back to Madrid so that we could catch our flights home. With the “Vuelto por Espana” over, the flight home gave us an opportunity to reflect on the tour, catch up on sleep and brainstorm possibilities for next year’s tour. Overall, the tour will be remembered for mediocre rugby, cultural enrichment and good times. Furthermore, the freshman all learned what a rugby tour was meant to be: one last opportunity for all the seniors to go all out and have the time of their life with each other one last time.

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Created Jan 03, 2006. 09:00 am
Modified Jan 03, 2006. 09:00 am