"Wasaga Canadians" take Italy
By Brianna Perry-Schalle
In April, I was lucky enough to be one of 17 female soccer players who travelled to Italy to play in an international soccer tournament.
Our 17-member team, called the Wasaga Canadians, was comprised of 15- and 16-year-old girls from Collingwood Collegiate Institute, Stayner Collegiate Institute, John Vanier Catholic High School and St. Theresa’s Catholic High School.
This amazing trip took place from April 11 to 22. The tournament included teams from all over the world and was held in Agropoli, on the west coast of Italy. Here, we were privileged not only to represent our community – but our country, as well. We proudly wore red and white with the Canadian maple leaf on our uniforms. This was a trip of a lifetime and every day since returning I have wished I could go back.
During our stay, we played four tournament games and eight exhibition games. We even played basketball against a girls’ team from Columbia. We had two wins and two losses in the International Agropoli Tournament, and finished a proud third. The opening ceremonies were an amazing experience as countries from around the world crowded around our Canadian red and white for many photos. We stood for our national anthem and threw red frisbees into the cheering crowd.
Although the main focus of this trip was to experience international soccer, we benefitted and learned from the educational and cultural experience of Italy and its people. We toured Rome and visited many historical and inspiring sites including the Coliseum, Trevi foundation, Spanish Steps, Bridge of Angels and St. Peter’s Basilica. Our tour took us south along the Amalfi coast where we visited Pompei, the Island of Capri, the temples of Paesum, and the towns of Salerno and Sorrento.
After the tournament we continued further south and up into the mountains of Calabria for more soccer and Easter celebrations in the towns of San Giorgese and Cita Nova. Here, we spent Easter Sunday in church, watched the procession of the rebirth of Jesus and participated in Easter celebrations.
We were taken into the homes of local Italians and treated with warm hospitality and great Italian food. We met other girls our age living in this small Italian community, where Internet access had just become available two years before on a handful of computers in a community centre. It was an opportunity for personal growth and a cultural education that many children never experience.
From start to finish, we travelled halfway across Italy! We were greeted in the streets and cheered on for being Canadian. We played great soccer and ate fabulous Italian food. We saw places of great history and met a warm and welcoming people.
It was a gift of education that couldn’t happen in a classroom, and it was an opportunity I will treasure for the rest of my life.
Brianna Perry-Schalle is the Co-Captain of the Wasaga Canadians.
