Planning Monday

SWISS FACT-OF-THE-DAY

A Swiss company, Dr. Lauber, Neher & Cie., Emmishofen invented aluminum foil and in 1910 opened the world's first aluminum foil roiling facility in Kreuzlingen near Constance. Chocolate bars and leftover food were never the same again. 

Thun Tigers Report

We are now enjoying a much needed BYE week during which we have decided to forego Senior team practices. We will still hold our usual U-16 practices on tonight and Wednesday and our 5-0 U-19 squad will be at it both tonight and Friday as they prepare for their game next Sunday at home against the 0-6 Neuchâtel Knights.

While I am not at all pleased with our 2-4 record, I do see some rays of hope on the Tigers' horizon.

First, I think that the U-16 squad that begins playing 9-man football in August is going to be very good. We have been at it since I got here in February and the turnouts have been both good and growing weekly. There are some very good athletes in this group, many that are old enough to start and contribute to our currently undefeated U-19 team. This group of quality young athletes are very ably coached by Daniel Gygax and Cyril Imadjane who are both players on our Senior team. Both of these coaches possess the perfect personality to work with this age group.

The U-19s are, as stated, 5-0. They are well coached by Stephan Pulver, Toni Capozzolo and Arne Denecke who all play for the Seniors as well. In truth, they have only been tested in one game to date but they have blown out their four weak opponents as their talent should.

As for our Seniors, I was looking at our opening day 44 man roster from our April 1st game at Basel. To date 25 of these Tigers have missed one or more games. Of those, 14 are out for the season due to one with a broken arm, two with broken legs, one with a blown out ankle, one with a hip injury, two with shoulder injuries and, finally, seven who were kidnapped by the gypsies/Roma when the circus came to town never to be heard or seen from again!

So we continue with 30 players still raring to fight for the Purple and Silver.

Our last four games are:

June 3 LUCAF Owls (5-0)   They won the first game 23-7 on April 29th

June 10 at Geneva Seahawks (1-5)   We won the first game 20-6 on May 13th

June 17 Fribourg Cardinals (0-6)

June 23 at Fribourg Cardinals (0-6)

After a 1-9 2011 season, our 2-4 Tigers have a chance to finish 2012 very strongly.

CHANGE IN PLANS

During our long bus ride to and from Luzern yesterday on the Tiger team bus, I had a chance to talk with our Center/U-19 Head Coach Stephan Pulver who works for SkyWorks Airlines. They are my carrier for my trip to Barcelona, Spain tomorrow. Upon further review, my trip planning was a bit slipshod to say the least.

Barcelona Spanish Civil War Walking Tour

While I was happy with Barcelona, especially this tour I booked for Wednesday afternoon, one of my goals this season was to see a bullfight in Spain. I'm all about a good bloodsport, I will listen to complaints from vegetarians only. That is a big part of why Laurie and I planned to spend a week touring Spain in July.

This is where things got tough, through the internet I found out that other than Pamplona, bullfights are not held in the hot months of July and August.

I also found out that the biggest bullfighting festival in the biggest bullfight arena in the world was taking place this very week in . . .

MADRID!

So, using Stephan's advice, I hastily paid the money to change my return flight from Barcelona to Bern from Thursday to Friday with plenty of time to arrive back in Thun in time for the Friday night U-19 practice.


Then in succesion, I hit the net to get a cheap round trip flight from Barcelona to Madrid on Thursday-Friday, a Madrid hotel reservation for Thursday night and a single, very expensive front row ticket to the 7:00 p.m., Thursday evening Feria de San Isidro bullfight in Madrid's Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas del Espíritu Santo which opened in 1931.

What the Hell . . .

Like the Bull, you only live once!

Las Ventas can still seat another

23,999 aficionados Thursday night

I'm excited to see six Spanish bulls in action

I have only seen bullfights in Tijuana, Mexico where I've always been told the bulls are much smaller than their Iberian cousins. It should be colorful.


I'll be thinking about American bullfight author Barney Conrad for a few hours Thursday evening I'm quite certain. I love his wonderful 1953 bullfighting book, "La Fiesta Brava: The Art of the Bull Ring," that I grew up reading as my bible on introductory bullfighting.

Toro . . . Toro . . .

I've got two practices tonight and still have packing to do. I better get started.