St. Stephen’s of 2000 and 2024
Not From These Parts
The guys had diligently prepared for this basketball tournament for the last 4.5 months. They trained with focus with a clear goal. Five games over two days and winning the tournament, like any, would not be easy, but still possible. The weekend had arrived, but first we had to get to the host school, in Vienna, Austria.
International school sports tournaments are true to the name. This weekend included teams from Austria, Belgium, Egypt, England, Greece, Holland, and Israel. And this was only the boys high school basketball tournament. The girls were in Athens, Greece while swimming, and my daughter, were in Brussels, Belgium.
These athletic clashes bring competition, but they also transport you quickly to new continents, foods, climates, and the past.
Welcome to Vienna Boys
Vienna State Opera, I vaguely remember your exterior
Once Upon A Time
As a middle aged man, like myself, reaching different milestones in life aren’t unusual. But revisiting a country I haven’t visited since 2000 is new. And oddly enough my memories don’t match my current reality.
Upon graduation from the University of Tulsa, the Peppers, Gonzo, Scuba Steve, and myself backpacked Europe for six weeks. One stop was Austria. And when I reflect on the Vienna from 24 years ago, I simply recall standing outside the Vienna Opera House, men randomly dressed as Mozart playing violins drawing attention to their stalls, and staying at one of the most luxurious hotels in Europe, Hotel Imperial Vienna, dressed like the young, naive college grads we were with large backpacks hulked across our shoulders.
That was 2000. This was March 2024. The Opera House didn’t strike a chord. Didn’t see anyone dressed like Mozart. And I sure as heck didn’t remember the wide, massive, busy Kärntner Straße pedestrian promenade that I walked with our players. The one spot I did remember, good job memory, was St. Stephen’s Cathedral. This Vienna was hipper than I recalled. This Vienna also introduced me to the home to the original Weiner schnitzel at Figlmüller.
Back to Business
The first day of the tournament did not go as planned. London, Athens, and Vienna beat us in all three games. Day two did see CAC beat Vienna and Hillingdon to finish fifth place.
In one year, there should be another fun adventure, and let’s hope our vision on the court is sharper than my recollection of past visits that time.
Coaching Them Up
