I had such a great weekend and it's only Saturday! As I believe I told you all, a couple of weeks ago I met the head of marketing for the entire club, whose name is Dario Vaccarrini. This man and his fiance Gabi have like single handedly MADE my thesis. Dario, I suppose, was floored that I knew about his team from 5000 miles away and has just been telling EVERYONE about me: to the point where I had two people say to me today (one who was the former press secretary of the club which was neat), "Oh YOU'RE the American doing the thesis!" And everyone is just enchanted with the fact that I chose this small team to write about. As such.
I got into the stadium this morning to help Dario with the museum preparations. The team's FIRST try at a musuem is set to open by the end of the month. From there, a friend of Dario's took us down to the soccer training complex in a neighborhood called Bajo Flores (like 20 min. car ride) to watch the junior divisions play. I had NEVER seen this complex. I was thinking about hopping on a colectivo and just going down there. Now, I'm glad I didn't. It's in a pretty rough neighbhorhood just a block away from a shanty town.
Ok, so, the reception that I got at this complex. For example. For those of you who haven't been reading the persistent complaints on my Facebook status, I've been having the worst shin splints. I remember asking someone about two years ago what shin splints were. They told me it was when the muscle there begins to slowly separate from the bone. Ok. I took that at face value and tried to explain to Dario why my legs were hurting (a literal translation for shin splints seems to be beyond everyone's grasp). While I was explaining this, one of the many trainers at the complex walked by. Dario stopped him, asked him what it was called when the muscle separted from the leg in the shin. He looked at him puzzled. Dario explained what I was trying to tell him. The man took me into the medical exam room, sat me up on one of the beds, and checked me out right then and there! He asked me where it hurt, felt my shins to see about the muscles, and took a look at the bottoms of my feet. Apparently it's not the tendons in my shin, it's my feet that are the problem. But I was FLOORED that he would do that for someone that was so far from in any way related to anyone of the athletes!
Later we went back for the game, which began at 6PM. Now last Thursday I became a member of Argentinos Juniors (the first American citizen with such an honor, might I add, in the club's HISTORY), so I could have gotten into the popular section for free. Dario, however, had other plans. He and Gabbi gave me a press pass that they normally use for their fan group that they run, and so I got into the plateas with them! Seats were great, and the team played GREAT! So after the game, I figured out that with said press pass, one would be allowed, no questions asked, into the area where the players leave...for after the game commentary. So...I followed Gabbi down the stairs (leaving before everyone else, because with a press pass you can do that), and was right in the central hall when everyone was leaving.
So there was this German tourist who also met Dario at one point. He was with the group. All the sudden I hear him speaking in German with this older man who's nicely dressed (like, not atheletic apparel) but with an Argentinos Juniors shirt. He was also standing outside the press limits. This man got very interested when I pulled out my membership card and told the german man in our group. Turns out...he's the presidents cousin and his name is Carlos Sanchez! Now, I already met Luis Segura, the president of the club, who agreed to be interviewed for my paper. But, it's thanks to his cousin that I owe this great picture with me and mid-fielder Nestor Ortigoza!!! Nestor was SOOO nice. He obliged both me and Carlos in taking pictures.
Oh it was a great day. Got so much useful information!!! WOW
I got into the stadium this morning to help Dario with the museum preparations. The team's FIRST try at a musuem is set to open by the end of the month. From there, a friend of Dario's took us down to the soccer training complex in a neighborhood called Bajo Flores (like 20 min. car ride) to watch the junior divisions play. I had NEVER seen this complex. I was thinking about hopping on a colectivo and just going down there. Now, I'm glad I didn't. It's in a pretty rough neighbhorhood just a block away from a shanty town.
Ok, so, the reception that I got at this complex. For example. For those of you who haven't been reading the persistent complaints on my Facebook status, I've been having the worst shin splints. I remember asking someone about two years ago what shin splints were. They told me it was when the muscle there begins to slowly separate from the bone. Ok. I took that at face value and tried to explain to Dario why my legs were hurting (a literal translation for shin splints seems to be beyond everyone's grasp). While I was explaining this, one of the many trainers at the complex walked by. Dario stopped him, asked him what it was called when the muscle separted from the leg in the shin. He looked at him puzzled. Dario explained what I was trying to tell him. The man took me into the medical exam room, sat me up on one of the beds, and checked me out right then and there! He asked me where it hurt, felt my shins to see about the muscles, and took a look at the bottoms of my feet. Apparently it's not the tendons in my shin, it's my feet that are the problem. But I was FLOORED that he would do that for someone that was so far from in any way related to anyone of the athletes!
Later we went back for the game, which began at 6PM. Now last Thursday I became a member of Argentinos Juniors (the first American citizen with such an honor, might I add, in the club's HISTORY), so I could have gotten into the popular section for free. Dario, however, had other plans. He and Gabbi gave me a press pass that they normally use for their fan group that they run, and so I got into the plateas with them! Seats were great, and the team played GREAT! So after the game, I figured out that with said press pass, one would be allowed, no questions asked, into the area where the players leave...for after the game commentary. So...I followed Gabbi down the stairs (leaving before everyone else, because with a press pass you can do that), and was right in the central hall when everyone was leaving.
So there was this German tourist who also met Dario at one point. He was with the group. All the sudden I hear him speaking in German with this older man who's nicely dressed (like, not atheletic apparel) but with an Argentinos Juniors shirt. He was also standing outside the press limits. This man got very interested when I pulled out my membership card and told the german man in our group. Turns out...he's the presidents cousin and his name is Carlos Sanchez! Now, I already met Luis Segura, the president of the club, who agreed to be interviewed for my paper. But, it's thanks to his cousin that I owe this great picture with me and mid-fielder Nestor Ortigoza!!! Nestor was SOOO nice. He obliged both me and Carlos in taking pictures.
Oh it was a great day. Got so much useful information!!! WOW
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