Sylvie Paillard
[email protected]
Aboriginal leader and soccer player Deanna Lewis said she's still on a high since returning from a team trip to the world's soccer Mecca, Brazil.
Lewis joined two Native Indian Football Association (NIFA) teams on a two-week trip to Argentina and Brazil, and she said it was everything she hoped for.
The teams - one under 18 and one aged 18 to 35 - were on an exhibition tour from Jan. 14 to 28. Lewis's team played five games and soon found out how the nations' soccer players got their reputation.
"We played Santos in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and in Sao Paulo we played Petro Blas," she said. "Both of those teams were just beautiful soccer players. To watch them was like artwork."
The women lost all but one game, but not surprisingly, made friends along the way. Some of the opposing teams' players were unable to get adequate soccer boots for competition, relying on running or turf shoes instead, but still were "kicking our butts," said Lewis. Although many of the team members struggled to raise and save the $4,000 trip fee, they vowed to send proper equipment when they returned to Canada.
"I want to send all my soccer stuff back to Brazil for the soccer clubs to use," said Lewis.
The teams also had a chance to play tourist at several of the countries' most famous attractions. In Buenos Aires, the women took a tour of the city, a boat trip of the Rio de la Plata and visited the Iguassu Falls.
"That was the most beautiful place I have ever went in my whole life," said Lewis. "There were 273 waterfalls all in the same area. Wow it was amazing."
In Rio de Janeiro the team took a cogwheel train up to 2,300 feet above sea level to the famous statue of Christ and toured the Tijuca rainforest. They also watched the world's best soccer players compete in a stadium surrounded by 135,000 fans. Most of the excursions were schedule for half the day so the team could play a game in the afternoon. Before each game the team sang the Chief Dan George Coast Salish Anthem, also known as a prayer song, taught to them by Lewis when she first joined the team 10 years ago.
"We were making sure our ancestors are with us," she said.
Lewis said she wanted to take the trip not only for herself, but to show her kids and other aboriginal youth that dreams can come true.
"The best thing about this whole trip was learning other styles of soccer to bring those skills back to B.C. and teach our youth better skills, raise the quality level of players and to make our programs as coaches and players more successful," said Lewis. "I will share this with all the people and youth I can. Our youth are our future."
