The Last Trip: Youth Soccer Exchange, June 28–July 3

The exchange was a cooperative effort between Lake Country Youth Soccer, the Springfield Greene County Park Board and Springfield Sister Cities Association. The team was led by volunteer coaches Jan Stahle, Dr. Jim Cook, David Cheek and Bryan Murray.

Araceli Hanks, chair of the Tlaquepaque Interest Group of SSCA, assisted with organizing the trip and with translation. Park Board Assistant Director Bob Belote assisted in planning for the trip, and I represented SSCA. The team was accompanied by parents and others, for a total of 34 people.

Tour highlights included:

• a welcoming luncheon at El Refugio, Tlaquepaque’s historic cultural center;

• a walking tour of the city;

• a visit to Tlaquepaque City Hall to meet with Dr. Adrian Carrera, president of the Tlaquepaque Sister Cities Association; Armando Gonzales, city manager, and other government and sport officials;

• a gift exchange – Spring-field Lasers tennis equipment was given to help introduce tennis to Tlaquepaque’s youth; and

• a tour of the professional soccer facility in Guadalajara.

As for the soccer games, the Springfield team won two of the four against Tlaquepaque’s Club Atlas. A traveling trophy was presented to the Springfield team and is on display at the Lake Country Soccer facility.

The goal for the trip was to provide the players with an educational experience, to build on the established strong relationship with our sister city and to help identify opportunities for future cultural and sports exchanges. The trip exceeded expectations and set a very high standard for future exchanges.