10. The "Wide Mouth Frog" Joke, told by none other than Mac Brandon.
Thank you Mac for making me laugh day in and day out on this trip.9. Tim Putz.
We will never forget Tim's trash bag dance on Day 2 of the tournament --nor will any of our opponents. Here's to Tim Putz, who kept us busting at the seams with his hilarious punch lines the whole trip -- except for that stressful moment when he swapped bags with some stranger at the shuttle stop.
8. The "Dance"
I'll never forget dancing like a fool and singing "Sweet Caroline" at the top of my lungs with Ken Peterson, Win Brandon, and Bill Ezell. That band Rocked! Who else can bust out Neil Diamond, Bob Marley, and all those traditional Icelandic folk songs. I trust Win has deleted all incriminating photos from his digital camera!
7. Sunburn
That's right…sunburn. Erin and I put the fear of Mother Nature into our fellow travelers with warnings of rain, wind, rain, and more wind, and more rain. After all the drama, it turns out we get nothing but beautiful sunshine.
6. Jack's Cheerleading
There's nothing better than starting a game with loud "U.S.A." chants in the background. Jack's lead with all the marching cheers and Rush songs was awesome. All the boys got into the spirit!
The success of this trip really had little to do with soccer and a whole lot to do with becoming closer friends with our group and experiencing all the sites and sounds of Iceland together. We were blessed to travel with such a fun and caring group of parents and siblings. Thank you to the entire group for pitching in and sharing all of the responsibilities along the way.
4. Charlie's First Goal
The first goal of the tournament was scored by Charlie, just a few minutes into Game 1. As he ran back to midfield with his shirt over his head you could sense the relief felt by all of our players and spectators. We had broken the ice and now we could move forward and enjoy playing and watching the game we love.
3. The Ambassador
Win Brandon could make friends with Helen Keller. This guy talks to everyone, everywhere, and it was great. Through Win's relationship building we became very well know to many of the other teams and chaperones across the island. My favorite quote from Win: "I love Soccer!" shouted at the top of his lungs at the dance. I've sworn not to mention anything else he said at that place....
2. Macy
Want to make trip planning look easy? Have Macy do it. Each time we had a tour, or a bus pick-up, or a new activity, Erin made sure that everything moved along like clock work. My biggest fear heading into this trip was not being able to enjoy it due to the day-to-day management of everything involved. Macy made it easy and enjoyable for everyone.
1. Playing with Character
On the championship day (day 3), I didn't give my usual pep talk. I spoke to the boys about how much I have enjoyed coaching them for the last 2 1/2 years and what a privilege and honor it has been to coach such a positive, passionate, and talented group. I presented the challenge for the day as striving to be the team that ends each game playing with the most character and confidence. They knew that everyone would be looking on at the U.S. games and I wanted them to think about how wonderful it would be if they played with the most class, and the most confidence, no matter the score. It was time to show off what they could do. What I witnessed in the next four games was more than I could ever have asked for. Thank you boys for giving everything you had and for playing fearless, attacking soccer. You are my Champions!
Thanks for letting us join in on the great trip! Greg, I think the team really showed their class and never give up attitude on the final day of play and it was a pleasure to watch. P.s. The Iron Maiden air conditioning was working on the way back to London....but maybe that was just a lucky row....or a hole in the fuselage.
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