Men's Soccer: Day 1 In Olathe, By (Goalie) Matthew Nuttall
November 14, 2007
Olathe, KS- The alarms sounded throughout the rooms of the Graceland University Men’s Soccer team. Tired eyes met legendary coach Ivan Joseph and his coaching staff as we boarded the two Graceland buses. Our stomachs filled with waffles, fruit and the juices of apples and oranges. Our destination was Indian Creek Elementary School, where we were greeted by 400 children who were searching for direction in their lives.
Ivan introduced our team and the myriad of countries in which we hail from. We all said a simple “good morning” in our various mother tongues. My mother tongue, being from Hong Kong, is Cantonese. The crowd of elementary students fell silent when they found out I was from Hong Kong. They then broke out in laughter.
Our leadership team, including Ruben Ruelas, Brett Porter, Kevin Souter, Fil Prostran, Matt Klaus and Brian Loving then gave a very memorable speech on the different aspects of being a champion. This experience was very fulfilling for the team. We really felt like we shaped, even sculpted these children’s lives.
We were then trucked off to practice, where we were allotted 1 short hour to prepare for the National Tournament. We got right to the point, perfecting secret plays in order to best prepare ourselves for the grueling competition yet to come.
The days activities however, were not close to being done. We were kindly given 2 hours to unwind and relax before the next phase of our day began. Our destination this time was the soccer pitch where the national tournament will commence. The National Tournaments parade included our team being introduced to the crowd.
I know what you are thinking, the day must be over. It was still not over for us. We watched the first half of the Covenant vs. Mid America Nazarene, seeing what competition we might be facing. The cold, cold wind met our freezing faces as we watched on.
After seeing all that we needed to see, it was wing time for the team. A well deserved “wing time”. We sat eagerly at the tables of “Buffalo Wild Wings”, awaiting chicken goodness to come. My table ordered 100 of the finest chicken wings they had to offer, however we did not give the chicken the respect it deserved. It was a struggle, but we conquered 100 spicy wings among 5 team members.
Dinner was proceeded by us coming back to our hotel, and resting. After a long day, our team deserved an early night to recharge our engines for tomorrow. What is waiting for us tomorrow?
I don’t know. But whatever it is, the Graceland University Soccer team can accomplish it…………….you’ll hear from us tomorrow on day two!
For More Information on Graceland University Athletics Contact:
Matt Shelton, Sports Information Director
(641) 784-5318
mshelton@graceland.edu
