On August 26, I met Team USA at the Westin Hotel in Los Angeles. The U.S. had over 300 athletes representing 13 different sports and everyone was packed into the ballroom trying on their new gear, anticipating the journey to Taipei and waiting patiently for dinner to be served. We were all booked on a red-eye Malaysia Airlines flight so we had a lot of down time before we were shuttled to the airport that evening. The flight to Taipei was about 14 hours long and it was definitely the largest aircraft I have ever been on complete with an “upper deck.” I was impressed to see that the majority of the flight crew used sign language with the athletes and the coaches. I was able to pick up a few more signs just by being a spectator.
When we arrived in Taipei around 6 a.m. (a full day ahead of home), we breezed through customs and were greeted by cheering locals waiving American flags. The six charter buses (with police escort) drove us three hours south to the city of Chia-yi where our training camps would take place over the next week. The town sits on the flat lowlands in the middle of the island, about 155 miles south of the capital, and is bordered by mountains to the east. Our 14-story 5-star accommodation was the Nice Prince Hotel which was attached to a large shopping mall where I could get a daily dose of Starbucks coffee (instead of my daily cup of green tea). Our two-a-day sessions were held at National Cheng Chung University about 20 minutes from the hotel. Being the rainy season in Taiwan, the temps were between 85-95 degrees Fahrenheit and we were guaranteed a daily afternoon shower.
One evening after dinner, Ken, Terri, George and I were trying to stay awake at a Team USA coaches meeting in the dining area. Who walks in and surprises me? My father-in-law, Dad Kinzer, who was in Taiwan on business. He was only able to stay for a day, but we found some adventure in an international food court with no English menus and a small arcade where I whipped him at air hockey and basketball (I’m sure there will be a re-match over Christmas break). The following day, we took the high speed train back into Taipei to pick up one of my student-athletes from the International School of Curacao. Nikki is a senior who plays soccer for me and basketball for Dan. She is also part of the I.B. program which requires her to write an extended essay/senior thesis and she chose to research and write about deaf athletes. Nikki arrived via a layover in her home country of Holland and Mr. Kinzer departed to get on with his business meetings. Both teams welcomed Nikki with open arms and were eager to help with her paper and teach her the basics of American Sign Language.
On September 2, we ended training camp and departed Chia-yi. We checked into the Miramar Gardens Hotel in Taipei and received excellent service for our entire stay. The men ended up with a 1-5-1 record, but with the highlight of knocking out Great Britain - the former #1 deaf men's team in the world. The women had wins over Germany, Denmark, South Africa (forfeit), Great Britain and Germany again in the gold-medal game 4-0. Katie Romano, Virginia Keeler, Betsy Hoerner, Reagan Anders and Megan Johnston were the five veterans from the 2005 Deaflympics U.S. team.
Opening and closing ceremonies at the sold-out Taipei Stadium were amazing. The Deaflympics had over 9,000 volunteers to entertain us and ensure that things ran smoothly. Light shows, fireworks, instrumentals, singing, dancing, speeches from prominent officials and the passing of the torch were all a part of these events. The athletes traded pins, jerseys and friendly conversation on both evenings showing off their exemplory sportsmanship.
Everyday, I was humbled and inspired by my colleagues and the men and women players.
My tactical knowledge of the game of soccer was expanded by working with Head Coach Ken McDonald. His beautiful wife Terri continued to amaze everyone with the countless hours she put in as both teams' manager. The men's assistant coach George provided us not only with 35 years of coaching experience, but with many laughs and brutal honesty! Our trainers Robyn and Charlie worked overtime to aid our athletes with their nagging injuries and give them the treatments they needed to keep them healthy. We were joined by Ken's brother Paul who flew in from England to share his vast soccer knowledge, to support our teams and get in on the adventures.
In Taipei, we were able to visit: Taipei 101 - one of the tallest buildings in the world; Sun Yat Sen and Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Halls to witness enormous statues, immaculate gardens and the changing of the guard; the amusing Modern Toilet restaurant (where you drank out of glasses that looked like urinals and bowls that were shaped like toilets); Shilin Night Market-great deals and strange foods to try (stay away from stinky tofu); the impressive Jade collection at the National Palace Museum; and the colors, architecture, incense and peace of a Buddhist temple.
(Below) Clockwise from top left:
Paul, me, George, Ken, Nikki and Terri enjoying the atmosphere of the Jurassic restaurant in walking distance of our hotel. This group shared a lot of laughs and have many stories to tell.
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Watching the U.S. women beat Germany for a second time to capture the gold medal provoked several intense emotions from me. These 16 women ranging from ages 15-35 all contributed to the success of the team. When the final whistle blew, I witnessed Terri and Ken embrace - all of the sleepless nights and hard work had paid off; our players circling the field taking turns carrying the American flag while waving to family and friends in the stands; George and Paul hustling down to the field to celebrate; Felicia, Megan and Kelly limping off the field having played through groin, knee and ankle injuries; the U.S. Deaf Women's national team on the podium, hands over their hearts, while the national anthem was played. Though they couldn't hear the anthem, several of the women told me later, they could feel it! I was so proud and honored to be a part of something so special and unique. My life has changed for the better and I look forward to the future of U.S. Deaf Soccer. For more details and pictures, check out:
http://www.usdeafsoccer.com/ and http://www.usdeaflympics.org/.
Stay tuned for details of our October trip to Costa Rica!
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