Saying farewell!

Saturday, August 10, 2013.  
Today, we journeyed by train to the feet of the Alps!  St. Google had informed us that there was an ancient abbey perched atop a mountain that was still in use to this day.   http://www.sacradisanmichele.com/eng/test_display/index/id/46/cat/10

Our trip by train was about 30 minutes, then a short walk through Sant Ambrogio to the base of the over 600 meter ascent by walking trail, called the "mule trail".  The 1.3 km trek taxed everyone to their limits!  The heat and humidity definitely had an extreme effect!  The arduous hike was well worth it as the abbey was amazing!  We spent the afternoon taking in the spectacular views of both the valley and the alps.  


The architecture of the abbey was also very impressive, especially when you thought of the effort that must have been expended in ancient times to construct it and where it was built!   The walk back down the trail was much less grueling, with gravity assisting the descent!  It was a quiet train ride back to Turin!  

Phil decided to be the lone wolf and traveled to a town in the Alps, Aosta, for an overnight stay to contemplate the meaning of WMG!  Trevor spent the day infiltrating the Blues Brothers to learn all of their secrets, the day became night and Trevor, being the team player he is, stuck it out to make sure he had all the facts straight to report back to Hoop2Hoop!  



Sunday, August 11, 2013.  The official closing of the 2013 World Master Games.  The Hoop2Hoop crew met for one last supper together.  We met at the Fratelli Pummaro and had another awesome meal there!  Marta and Maria looked after us like we were their family!  With our hunger tamed and our spirits weighed we strolled down to the Valentino Park to take in the closing ceremonies of the games.  
The evening was a short one, everyone feeling the effects of both the physical efforts of the past 10 days as well as the welling emotions of the inevitable goodbyes to come!  

Monday, August 12, 2013.  The last day, packing done, travel arrangements to the airports made, taxis hailed, and alas, the Hoop2Hoop crew said their goodbyes and headed off, some to one last hurrah before home, others directly back to loved ones awaiting!

My final note: As unofficial scribe of our Turin WMG, I thank all of my teammates and all our families for providing me with the adventures to document and the encouragement to attempt this truly inadequate record of our time here!   Words cannot describe the bonds that have been formed!  Thank you to all!
Johnny. 

The End....or is it??

Wednesday, August 7, 2013.  Believing that our dreams of glory had been crushed with our lack luster performance on Tuesday, Hoop2Hoop, et al, began a campaign to conquer the Italian city of Turin, one museum, one shop, one restaurant at a time.  At the evening gathering (at Phil & Trevor's) the days exploits were discussed (over a few bottles of vino compliments of La Ferrazza Cafe) and plans for a trip into the alps were initialized.  We also had some drama this night, as Becca, attempting to protect her sister from an exploding jar of foundation, threw herself into harms way and received a rather ugly looking wound on her foot.  Dr. Dave attended and using "Breath-rite" nasal strips, sealed up the gash!

Thursday, August 8, 2013, a check of the Games schedule revealed that our court dreams may not be over!  Additional tilts had been added in our bracket!  Dave, Al, Geoff and Johnny, armed with a printed copy of the new draw, went to the Games Center for confirmation that we may still be able to take to the hardwood!  Alas, after much confusion at the center and a bit of a stir created by our presentation of our printed evidence, which many at the center did not know existed, we were told that it was a duplication and to "disregard"!  Another blow to our already deflated egos!    Phil and Trev boldly ventured off with the Blues Bros into the wilds of the hills to visit local vineyards for some vino tastings.  They said that the Bros were some hurting units from their own escapades the night before.  There private tour began dubiously with the first two vineyards closed for the summer!  After a few frantic calls by the tour operator they were able to visit a couple of wineries.  The outing lasted only 1/2 of what was initially planned. Dave, Todd, and Geoff returned to the Panetti venue to watch Kerry's game and ended up at the  La Ferrazza Cafe, surprise surprise!!  Again Marco and Cristianna treated them to a feed of homemade local dishes that, to quote those who par-took, "was to die for!".

Firday, August 9, 2013.  Hoop2Hoop awoke this am and proceeded with a leisurely morning only to discover that we were now again scheduled to play a semi-final game today!  After a few frantic calls and dropping of planned itineraries, the team headed off to the venue!  The skepticism was palatable during the #58 bus ride to the venue.  None really believing that we had been given a reprieve and would actually compete in another session of round ball!  But being the naive romantics that we are, there was still a glimmer of hope!  NOT!!!  The final blow was delivered as we walked into the gym and saw two other teams preparing for the upcoming game, our game!  It was not meant to be and, being the true sportsmen that is the very fiber of the Hoop2Hoop squad, wished the other competitors good luck!  We retired to the 1l Rubino Cafe where our host of our first adventure, Maria, welcomed us with open arms and helped consul us with bierra! 

The Il Rubino Cafe and our Host, Maria!

SnowSnakes?

Tuesday, August 6, 2013.  Hoop2Hoop and our faithful entourage woke up this morning to another gorgeous day.  Knowing the importance of our upcoming match, all spent the day in deep meditation to prepare mentally for the evenings play....or not!  Everyone continued on with site-seeing adventures and explorations.  Dave showed the people of Turin the true mettle of us CanAussies, as he, without regard for his personal safety, rescued an old "nonno" who had a flat tire on his car.  The nonno could not change the tire so Dave stepped in and helped out.  The car, an older Mercedes, was on a hill and the old fellow had no blocked the tire to prevent it from rolling and was attempting to solve the mystery of the jack!  Poor old nonno had no english, poor old Dave could only order beer in Italian!  But in true CanAussie style he overcame the communication barriers and armed with the car's manual (in Italian only! luckily he found the pictures!) he was able to change nonno's tire and send him on his way.  Dave then found a fountain to rejuvenate himself so he could make the trek back to "home" in time for the muster!
At the muster the group was treated to a bit of local excitement as they witnessed some street justice being handed out to an unfortunate fellow who we suspected had attempted to liberate something from one of his compatriots.  The result was a brief skirmish with lots of yelling and liberal, yet short, pummeling of the offender!  It was all over in less than a minute!
So once all arrived at the muster, with Phil and Trev on time!, the Hoop2Hoop group made the march to the #14!  
We played the Canadian Snow Snakes, a team from Edmonton, with two US imports.  Hoop2Hoop took to the floor with brimming confidence that we would preserve and reign victorious when the final buzzer sounded.....ah but our well laid plans and confidence proved to be false as we could not overcome our poor shooting again!  The Snow Snakes were spotted a 21 to 7 first quarter lead!  Hoop2Hoop battled back to within 2 in the final quarter, but could not find that last piece to the puzzle for the win.  A late surge by the Snakes ended Hoop2Hoop's dreams of glory!

This was our final game for the round robin play.  As it turns out it became our final game of the tournament!  The organization of the basketball, and most other sports we have heard, has been quite chaotic!  We would have to check each morning to see if the "schedule" and venue had changed!  Then last night we learned that only the top two teams from each pool would be moving on!
Hoop2Hoop's devoted fans could not bear the shame of our lack luster performance and discretely faded away leaving the team to retire to the La Ferrazza Cafe to drown our sorrows in bierre!  Our consolation was another wonderful pasta meal prepared by Christianna!  
On our #14 ride home we analyzed our games and made plans for 2017!  So intensely rapt were we in our discussions we missed our station!  We discovered this when the bus stopped, the engine shut off and the driver got off!  We had gone two stops too far!  The extra two blocks walk home gave us that much more time to further our plans for the Aukland games!  You see Hoop2Hoop, if given lemons, will make lemoncello! (there is always a silver lining!)
So as old Turin slept, the boys of Hoop2Hoop, holding their heads up high, retired to reflect on life (and old man's BBall!)!  

Touring in Turin!

Monday, August 5, 2013.  After licking our wounds from the drubbing given by the "The Great Russian Bear" we began serious (not!) preparations for our upcoming tilt against the Blues Brothers.  The team branched off into family units to continue our infiltration of the old city of Turin.  The Belots and Stephens attempted a hop on hop off bus tour of the city, unfortunately the bus was full and they had to keep to the walking tours (self guided).  Trev and Phil were MIA pretty much the whole day and the term anti-social was heard whispered at the fringes of conversations.  Their seemingly slight of the group was totally forgiven however as they had slaved away doing the team's laundry.  Which was nicely folded and organized!  
Geoff & Kerry and their two boys (Johnny and Dave!) went for a stroll down to the river.  They happened upon a superior vantage point to watch a ten K bike race for the 55 to 100 age group.  At plus 35C and 3000% humidity those cyclists earned major kudos from the an appreciative crowd.  Especially the portly gray beard who refused to quit even after being lapped almost twice and continued on to cross the finish line (the course volunteers had left by the time he completed his last lap!)  After cheering PGB (portly gray beard) on to his personal victory, Geoff, Karry, Dave and Johnny ended up at Imberto's again.  Had a morsel under the grape vines again.  The Stephens showed up at Imberto's and told us of their bus tour that didn't happen.  Geoff decided to do a lone wolf and vanished into the shadows.  Kerry, Dave and Johnny walked the river paths and came upon the "Midevil Town".  It was quite interesting and Dave was able to sate his urge to photograph the old architecture.
The crew met up at the usual muster point and this was when we learned of Trevor & Phil's completion of the domestic chores for the team!  We all set off for the #1 bus at the Marconi stop and once there discovered that the #1 was not running this day!  The navigator became a bit worried when no buses came by at either of the times "Saint Google" had predicted and he had to go to plan "B", which was a mad rush over to the Umberto stop to catch the #14!  After a few tense moments the steady #14 arrived and we were able to make the venue with 35 minutes to spare!  It should be noted that although some suspected that plan "B" was just a "fly by the seat of your pants" bit of good luck, the navigator does actually always have one in the ready just in case!
The battle ground was again close and sultry, and as both sides prepared for the clash, the effects of the elements could be seen immediately!  At the opening tip it already looked like the players had been competing for hours!  
From the outset it was clear, the die was cast for the poor Blues Brothers, and they could not overcome the "powers of the towers" on the inside.  At the final buzzer, the gallant Hopp2Hoop squad reigned victorious (by a fairly large margin!)!  And being the consummate gentlemen that we are, only rubbed the Brothers noses in it for a short time!

Both sides retired to the La Ferrazza Cafe, where we were treated to the most spectacular gastronomic event so far of our time in Turin!  Our hosts, Marco and Christiana, put on an exclusive feast worthy of royalty!  By nights end, we had ate, drank, lounged and laughed our way beyond the last  #14!  A fleet of cabs were arranged by our hosts and after a much shorter journey by cab than bus, we were back "home", groaning a bit from what some may call the gluttony of the evening!  No one went away hungry and that is a certainty! 

The outdoor patio of the cafe:

Our Hosts!

A Day Off, then,Mother Russia!!

August 3, 2013.  No games scheduled for today for the boys, Kerry had a game at 2:15pm.  Geoff made some good hubby points by biking down to watch.  
A lazy day for all!  Dave, Geoff and Johnny took the bikes out for a little tour.  Along the trails by the river Po "Imburto's was located and the 3 had a local draught while sitting on the river bank under grape vines watching rowers from the boat club train on the Po!  The Belot's had some quality family time walking the old city.  Karen, Becca and Steph also had a relaxing day, Steph was a bit disappointed that she did spend any money!  Al, Trevor, Dave and Phil went back to Imburto's just to make sure it hadn't moved!
Dave stood in the street calling up to the third floor for keys, fortunately for him Karrie heard him.  Geoff tossed down the keys, which Dave was able to make a superb catch with his "Blue Footed Boobie" hat!  
The general plan for the evening was to meet in front of Phil & Trevor's at 7:30pm to walk to the Plazza Castello for the opening ceremonies.  Phil and Trev were late, again!   We did our little "walk-about" to the Plazza and joined the throng for the opening.  Had our first team photo there in the square!  On the walk home, the mornings plans were cast in stone!  Meet at Trev & Phil's at 7:20am, told Trev and Phil 7:15am! 
August 4, 2013, Sunday.  We meet up at the designated muster point, everyone, including Phil and Trev, on time.  We walked to the Marconi station and caught the 101 to the venue.  It was pointed out while waiting for the bus, by Geoff that Todd was the only one not wearing the team warm up shirt.  Todd argued his case with; street clothes for the street, ball gear for the court!
At the venue it was about 35C inside with about 115% humidity!  We had our Stalingrad this day, and were able to finish the game without any injuries, other than our pride for being spanked by 36 points!  Overall the team played well, but our shooting % was about 25!  After the match Al did point out that Johnny had miss spelled his surname, giving him a "v" instead of the correct "ph"!  This negative point was offset by Johnny's 3 fouls, showing he was the "most aggressive" player!  The down under team, Blues Brothers, played after our game and Larry disappoint everyone with a conventional haircut!  He went in "the Book" for that one!
Everyone was pretty gassed after this one and upon arriving back home, everyone got a chance to freshen up and rest up before meeting for the evening meal.  We walked over to the east part of old Turino and had a nice meal seated outside in the Piazza Giambattista Bodoni.
Tomorrow we play the Blues Brothers, same venue, at 5:45pm.  The planned muster is at the usual place at 4pm.  

Veni, vidi, vici!

From around the world we came! Trains, planes, automobiles, carts pulled by yoked oxen! By the evening of July 31, 2013, all had arrived in the wonderful city of Turino.  Many adventures on the road to Turin were met by all.  Some taking the road less traveled, some, not so much!  These are all stories best told by those who experienced them!
Today begins the chronicles of the CanAussies' adventures!

Our first official day as a team was August 1st.  Unofficially Johnny becomes the navigator / scribe for the events.  The "Red Book" comes into existence.  The phrase "its going in the book" is coined.  And thus begins the recording of the good and bad or as officially known, the plus or minus each CanAussie gets for acts or in-actions they may be caught doing!
First in the book, Phil and Trevor both earn a "-" for late arrival at the designated muster point for our journey to the practice/training venue.  This also brings about a fine of 1st shout.  
Our trek to the venue begins with a march to the bus stop and a hop onto bus #58. 23 stops and 32 minutes later (10:15am) we are at the Modigliani gym for our pre-booked practice time of 10:00am! (late as per the "-" awarded to Phil and Trevor!)  Phil and Trevor seek a ruling on their book entry as the venue was not open!  Unfortunately the ink was dry so the entry stood!
Our ten am practice began at eleven am!  It was hot and humid, the practice was so intense that after over an hour of grueling effort, we journeyed across the road to a fine little cafe that served beer!  Phil and Trevor again made the next entries into the book, Trevor for a spill over pour on Phil's glass, and Phil for letting him!  Phil then gets a strike for asking about the rules! Phil was able to gain a "+" shortly after by a catch up chug before the next shout.  Geoff makes it into the book, a "-" for admitting to a sub-standard pour, but it was pointed out that he did give a shirtless performance at the gym that earned him a "+" bringing him back to even for the day.  Johnny has add his own name to the book due to tripping on apparently thin air, but is given a "+" as Al pointed out his daring move of stepping in front of a Brit rugby team to get beer and survived, Al gets a "+" for noting this for the benefit of another!  
Our host at the wonderful little cafe, Maria, make many unofficial points with the team for her constant attention to our needs (beer) as well as the complimentary treats she kept bringing.  It was also noted that she had to make a couple of supply runs as our 7 cleaned them out on the second shout!  Al earned a "-" for dropping a free cheese bread onto the floor, but is able to nulify it with a "+" for getting Dave to eat it!  Dave is awarded a "+" for eating the bread!  Johnny earns another "-" for spilling a beer, but a "+" for catching the glass!  Al gets a "+" for being spilled on!  Todd gets a "+" for a perfect pour (authorized by Phil the unofficial judge!)  Geoff is given a "+" for unofficially finding the bar, this was voted on and carried 6 to 1 (Phil the dissenting vote)  Phil then earns a "+" for being able to keep track of what shout we were at. Geoff is given a "+" for being the last to "break the seal"!  Todd keeps with his winning ways and makes a second perfect pour, but unfortunately a spill on the way to his lips nullifies the point!  Geoff also earns a "-" for a spill.  Todd discovers he has an opener on the sole of his flipflop, why he has it off....?  Phil reckons that he should not be penalized for not knowing about the opener as we didn't need it, but should a time come when we do and he doesn't present the opener, then he goes in the book!  Al gets another entry in the book for breaking a glass, not so much for the glass but because there was still beer in it!  Al, who is our environmentalist because of his constant attention to the local scenery and wildlife earns a "+" for 3 times trying to alert Trevor to a beautiful example of the local fauna that went by, Trevor gets a "-"!  Our journey back to the rooms was not remarkable and no entries were made into the book!

Friday August 2st, 2013.  Game day!  Our first scheduled game, which we discover is not at the venue we practiced at.  Johnny googles the venue and route we will need to take and once everyone arrives at the muster point, we (14 strong) set out on our march to the bus and 30 minute ride to the gym. Upon arrival at the gym we get to see a team in our pool, they looked like an olympic team!  We are in for a challenge with Mother Russia!  
We end up victorious for our first game!  Unfortunately the Venezuela team did not show!  So the W is by forfeit.  So no turnovers, no missed shots, no mistakes, a perfect game!  
We retired to the La Ferrazza Cafe upstairs for an afternoon of fantastic pasta, cold beer, tasty wine and tremendous service!  Our young server, Iradina, originally from Bulgaria, whose english was perfect, took awesome care of us.  Marco, the owner and his wife Christina, the chef, were the consummate hosts.  We spent most of the day there enjoying the food and drink!  We also received an invitation from Marco and Christina to come back Monday evening for an authentic and exlusive Italian pasta meal as their guests.  While there Todd is given a bottle of vino as a gift by Marco, this earns him a "+" in the book!  Geoff wandered off and sat alone, "with all his friends" this was not only a "-" in the book, but was captured by photo!  The memories of 2009 Sydney WMG were tested with Dave getting a "+" for remembering the Choir Boys song Run to Paradise that they played at the closing ceremonies.  Todd gets a "+" for remembering to use the flipflop opener!  Phil earns a negative mark in the book for not recognizing a bloke from the Kiwi team who he knew years ago, he recognized Phil!
Geoff ends up having a run in with a couple of bottles of vino, causing him to miss his glass pouring water, then miss his mouth trying to drink it!  Geoff was able to gain a plus though as he was able to keep his eyes open while watching Kerry's game, and most notably when she looked his way!  
Our trek home that night was long and everyone was ready for and needed a shower once we got back.  We still managed to go out for a walk with the street festival going on, well most of us, Geoff fell down on the sofa and sprained his consciousness so had to remain prone and keeping track of the inside of his eyelids, Al went MIA, probably suffering a similar ailment to Geoff's!  Phil, Trevor, Johnny, Dave, Todd and Kerry stopped for a pizza and a beer.  Others  did some shop walking.  At nearly 1:30am the scribe turned in for a nights rest!
Our adventure to continue tomorrow/today?!