With Steamboat landing at 5th at nationals, we ended up receiving a bid to the Pan American Ultimate Club Championships (PAUCC), which happened to be hosted in Argentina. We landed in Buenos Aires surprisingly well rested after a 10 hour flight, and after dropping our bags off we began taking in the landmarks, architecture, and always enjoyable street art.
After a couple days exploring the area, we took two trains from Buenos Aires to the dusty stop outside of Canuelas, walking with a herd of other ultimate players into the “compound”. Even with occasional logistical issues, timing regarding food, access and quality of ongoing nutrients to sustain our bodies for 5 days of play, and slightly cramped sleeping quarters, Steamboat still performed at this tournament (as did @Nkolakovic) with some great photos!
Going into the tournament, I had the preference of having all our games in a row and knocking them out as quickly as possible. But again, 5 days of games definitely created a shift in my mind that was not upset with additional time between rounds.
15-3 over Panama
15 -7 over Comunidad del Viento (Colombia)
15-1 over Jauria
15-4 over Local 613 (Canada)
13-15 loss Drag’n Thrust
14-13 over DoubleDown
8-15 loss Mischief
15-6 over Local 613
15-4 over Espartanos (Argentina)
15 -7 over Comunidad del Viento (Colombia)
15-1 over Jauria
15-4 over Local 613 (Canada)
13-15 loss Drag’n Thrust
14-13 over DoubleDown
8-15 loss Mischief
15-6 over Local 613
15-4 over Espartanos (Argentina)
Boat took home 5th here as well as the spirit prize at the tournament. All in all a lovely experience, and just a few more thoughts on the areas we visited, since I don’t believe this tends to be a common perception.
1. Safety - there were no times I felt myself questioning whether or not we would be safe. I probably clutched my wallet a little too tightly starting the trip, but that grip eased throughout the duration of our stay.
2. Happy, Helpful People - on multiple occasions, locals perceived us needing something (other than the check) and went out of their way to help us out.
3. Willing to work with my terrible Spanish - this kind of clings to the coat tails of the prior point, but I would struggle thru trying to respond to a question, and they would take their time, and on two occasions they smiled, and let me know they spoke English, and that I needn’t struggle more.
2. Happy, Helpful People - on multiple occasions, locals perceived us needing something (other than the check) and went out of their way to help us out.
3. Willing to work with my terrible Spanish - this kind of clings to the coat tails of the prior point, but I would struggle thru trying to respond to a question, and they would take their time, and on two occasions they smiled, and let me know they spoke English, and that I needn’t struggle more.
