i-ACT Director/Co-Founder Gabriel Stauring captures our players and their smiles in their 2014 Official DU tees. Go DU!
We’ve been in Chad now for 21 days. Nine more to go. As I write this I’m profusely sweating. The heat has suppressed my hunger, and I can’t seem to quench my thirst. But so goes the Chad experience. As Gabriel likes to say, “We roll with it.”
Our mantra and motto out here is always, “Here and now.” But right now, I need a little pick-me-up, and leaving the present and thinking ahead about successfully leaving Chad with the team, bound for Sweden, is that pick-me-up. Nine more days until we get to hopefully board that flight with the Darfur United team. Nine more days until I hopefully get to let out a giant sigh of relief, and lift this ton of bricks off my shoulders and look around the plane at each player as we all smile and cheer with excitement when the plane takes off.
It’s been a journey. A great one. With many highs and a few lulls. And now, with nine days to go, we must keep working hard. Seeing the players train this morning was a great reminder of that need. We arrived at the field at 6:30 am to find the team playing a small sided scrimmage. They were intense, focused, pushing each other, and showing great teamwork. Gabriel and I stood on the sidelines, impressed with their passes, footwork and work ethic.
As we continue to get the team and all the logistics ready for travel, so too is our team back in the U.S. working tirelessly to continue to get support for the team’s travel gear, medical supplies, ice, water and sports drinks (or what the players call, “medicine water”) for the games. There’s always more to do and more needed, so stay with us, follow our journey, share our journey and help us get some medicine water here! Know that receiving support for Darfur United from you all is also a constant pick-me-up and source of inspiration for us out here.
[new_royalslider id=”36″]