We just got back from Argentina, and it was so incredible! Twenty-three guys from our rugby team, including our coach and his grandson, went and all of our experiences were absolutely amazing. We left on March 1 for a ten hour flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina. When we arrived, the scenery was instantly breathtaking. We got to our hotel and settled in to the greatest weather ever, especially compared to the seemingly frigid Mount St. Mary's campus.
We also visited Colonia, Uruguay and Mar del Plata, Argentina. Mar del Plata was arguably the most beautiful beach I have ever seen and I am content with dropping out of school and moving there right now!. We played three premier rugby clubs over the trip, one at each destination: Centro Naval, La Olla Florida, and Sporting Club RFC. As I write for the university newspaper, I've included the article I wrote on the trip, so please check that out.
My story from The Mountain Echo :
The Mount Rugby Team returned early Sunday morning from their South American tour of Argentina and Uruguay. The team left on Wednesday afternoon, March 1 from Dulles Airport for a ten hour plane ride to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Upon arriving in Buenos Aires, the team, led and supervised by head coach Don Briggs, met up with their tour guide Agustin "Auggie" Oulton. Oulton spent three years playing rugby in the states for many clubs in and around the Washington DC area. Now he works for the Argentine Sports Connection (ASC), a program meant to give visitors a complete cultural and sports experience like none other.
Three games were played in down south, the first on day three, Saturday. After an interesting mass at San Patricio Church in downtown Buenos Aires where the players sang requested hymns such as Don Mclean's American Pie and The Righteous Brothers' hit You've Lost That Loving Feeling, the team headed to face Centro Naval. An experienced club, all within the same age range as the Mount, Centro Naval was not a team of weight, but that of speed. MSMRFC learned this first hand as their Argentine Rivals capitalized on their different style of play quickly. The Mount was able to adjust according and gave it a good run, but Centro Naval had gone up too early to fast as the Mount faced their first loss. The rest of the style of play throughout the tour was no different. The game was fast paced and nonstop. The opposition was not necessarily comparable in size, but overbearing in speed and agility. The Mount’s constant drills practice back in the states came in quite handy, especially channeling, spreading out wide to cover the entire field on defense, and conceding in rucks, getting back on your feet fast to get back into the play.
The second game called for a three hour ferryboat ride to the country of Uruguay, and what a beautiful country it was. One can never blame a game on a ref or the opposition, because ultimately it is in the hands of the players, but those factors certainly did not help. On the bright side, the stadium, yes stadium, the Mount played in was top of the line. The final game was played in Mar Del Plata back in Argentina. The breathtaking site right off the Atlantic set a perfect atmosphere for a great day of rugby. The competition was Sporting RFC, the 20th ranked club in all of South America. Clearly, the odds were stacked against the Mount. All in all, there was no major pressure. The team was there to play rugby, and that is what they did. They played their butts off and had a hell of a time doing it.
"It was an unforgettable experience", junior President and eight man Chris Arnsberger said. "It is a different kind of game down here, and we had to adapt to that. It was great to learn from our competition and become better players doing so". After each game came a team social for everyone to meet, exchange stories, jerseys, and make new friends. The coaches exchanged greetings and gifts, which included plaques and banners representing the teams played. Coach Briggs, along with Captain Jake Belmonte and President Chris Arnsberger, presented Mount St. Mary’s ties and plaques for each team. "The trip was one of the most incredible experiences of my life", said sophomore flanker Rob Hardy. "In addition to spending a week and a half with my best friends, it was interesting to see an entirely different culture that I had never experienced before. As far as rugby goes, the people we played against became our teachers on the field and friends off of it".
The trip was not all rugby though; there were plenty of other events planned for the men of Mount Rugby. Throughout the week, the team took city tours of Buenos Aires, Colonia, and Mar Del Plata. The men even were given the experience of a South American professional soccer match as River Plate faced off against the LP Estudiantes. It was nothing any of them had ever seen before. The crowd had to be controlled by a riot squad because how intense it got, and the game was not even sold out.
While in Mar Del Plata, the ruggers relaxed their aching bodies and healed their wounds until the Argentine sun on the beach all day. Not to mention that the exchange rate of about three pesos to one US dollar made for a cost-friendly spending experience.
Twenty-three men went down to South America in search of great rugby, beautiful women, and a little sun. All came back alive and unharmed learning and experiencing more than they ever imagined. "We are better men and better rugby players for having experienced this", sophomore hooker Kevin Reidy said. "I absolutely had the time of my life". Many thanks goes out to Coach Don Briggs and Auggie Oulton for all of there help and support over those ten unforgettable days, not to mention the countless hours that were put into the planning of the trip. For more information on Oulton and the Argentine Sports Connection visit www.argsports.com. There are countless memories taken in and enumerable stories to be told for years to come, but as it goes, "What happens in Argentina, stays in Argentina".
