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DiAndre Atwater Wraps Up Spring Football Trip To Japan In Final Blog Post
April 01, 2015 | Football
Junior All-Ivy running back DiAndre Atwater kept a blog throughout Princeton's spring break week in Japan, and you can now read each of his four entries below. You can also read a recap of Princeton's 36-7 victory over the Kwansei Gakuin University Fighters here.
Later this spring, head coach Bob Surace will hold his annual Spring Chat with GoPrincetonTigers.TV, where he will talk both about his team's performance in the spring and the incoming Class of 2019.
ATWATER BLOG #4: After a week of traveling, touring, and cultural immersion, one might imagine it difficult to transition into the mindset necessary to play a high-intensity football game in just one day. Fortunately, this wasn't the case for us, as there was no question about the seriousness of the task at hand as we exited the hotel on Saturday morning in route to Kincho Stadium. Though our warmup routine had to be altered to preserve the sanctity of the stadium's sacred grass, everyone was in top form when the whistle blew for the first kickoff of the Legacy Bowl.
After a quick defensive stand on the first possession of the game, quarterback Chad Kanoff spearheaded a methodical drive down the field that was capped off by a short touchdown run by AJ Glass. The following few possessions had a similar tune, and we quickly found ourselves up 19-0 thanks to touchdowns from Isaiah Barnes and AJ Glass. The KG Fighters were able to put together a decent drive in the second quarter and would've seen their efforts rewarded had it not been for Dorian Williams blocking their field goal attempt. The defense remained stout throughout the entire first half, thanks to great pursuit and tackling by Rohan Hylton, Matt Arends, and Kurt Holuba. We finished the half with a late touchdown from Joey Rhattigan and went into the break winning 26-0.
The second half was very similar to the first, even as we started to diversify our personnel. Quarterbacks John Lovett and Kedric Bostic both saw significant time throughout the game, and performed especially well when they were on the field at the same time as Kanoff. Lavondre Nelson led the ground attack with a number of explosive runs, while Barnes and James Frusciante led the receiving corps. The defensive backfield was rarely tested throughout the game due to our overwhelming pass-rush, but Marcus Phox did manage to intercept a KG pass after the ball was generously tipped to him by Matt Arends. Sam Huffman also had an acrobatic interception towards the end of the game that caused our sidelines to erupt with excitement. Nolan Bieck converted a mid-range field goal and James Frusciante scored a walk-in touchdown late in the half, before the KG Fighters scored a touchdown of their own towards the end of the 4th quarter. The final score of the game was 36-7, and the game's MVP was our very own Chad Kanoff.
The game was followed by a farewell party with the KG Fighters' team and staff, as well as everyone else who made the trip possible. Upon leaving the party, we returned to the hotel and received an extra hour at the end of our curfew to explore the nightlife of Kobe and celebrate the victory. The next morning we packed our bags, loaded the buses, and began the long journey back to the United States. While some players slept on the bus ride to the airport, many took the time to reflect on the great memories and friendships created that we knew would last a lifetime. After a 1 hour flight from Osaka to Tokyo, and 11 of the 12 hours of the second flight from Tokyo to New York completed, I am sitting on this plane feeling incredibly thankful and blessed to have been a part of this experience. With that in mind, I hope you all have enjoyed this blog, as I'm signing off for good. Cheers!
ATWATER BLOG #3: After some much needed extra rest, we began the day on Thursday around noon with a trip to the Awaji Earthquake memorial in Kobe. The Japanese, being continuously affected by earthquakes, erected a memorial to honor those that lost their lives and increase awareness of the destruction to their lands. The memorial was beautifully put together, and quite informational as well. We then headed to Osaka to preview the Kincho Stadium that we will be playing our game in on Saturday. The players explored every inch of the facility, in anticipation of the action that would take place 48 hours in the future.
After leaving the stadium, we took a fifteen minute drive to the event that everyone had been awaiting since our arrival to Japan - the Sumo tournament. The tournament, set in Osaka, was one of six major Sumo wrestling tournaments that take place in Japan every year. These wrestlers came from all over the world to bring honor to their respective nations and families. Each match, typically lasting between five and fifteen seconds, was a test of skill, strength, and mental fortitude at the same time. The objective was simple: knock your opponent out of the 4.5 meter (in diameter) circle, or take him to the ground. Each wrestler, while varying in height, tipped the scales at a minimum of 300 pounds, and would have even made Britt Colcolough look slim and toned. Every wrestler attempted a different technique to accomplish the objective, and every match was wonderful chaos. When the tournament ended for the day, we dined at a buffet in Osaka and returned to the hotel to rest before another morning practice.
Friday morning we began our day with a typical day-before-game practice at 9:30, and had ample free time afterwards for lunch and to explore the city of Kobe more. While some players scoured the streets for authentic ramen and sushi restaurants, others returned to those oh-so-familiar Golden Arches of McDonald's yet again. After lunch and some down time, the players and their respective position coaches left the hotel for dinner. As expected, large groups of burly Americans attempting to figure out the Japanese subway system was quite the spectacle, and many of the locals did not attempt to disguise their enjoyment of our confusion whatsoever. When we did finally crack the Da Vinci code that was their subway system however, we were all delighted to be able to enjoy more fantastic Japanese cuisine. When dinner ended, we returned to the hotel once again for meetings and more rest before the game. With the game tomorrow, anticipation is higher than ever, and everyone is excited to finally do exactly what we came here for - play football. With that in mind, I'm signing off for now. I'll post one more time in the near future!
ATWATER BLOG #2: If the KG Fighters set up our itinerary intending to exhaust us, that goal was met without a doubt on Tuesday. We loaded the buses at 10 am and proceeded to the city of Kyoto for lunch and shopping for authentic Japanese novelties. The lunch buffet was an eclectic pairing of Japanese noodle and rice based dishes, with "American" classics like pizza and French Fries. We then drove into a mountainous area to a historic Zen Temple to attempt to master the art of the zazen. The Zen Master graciously permitted our entire team to enter the temple, and once all 110 of us were seated barefoot on the Temple floor, he began the lesson. To get into the mode of perfect Zen concentration, we had to cross our legs (which some of us haven't been able to do in 10+ years) and relax our minds. We then had the option of letting the Zen Master strike us 4 times with his wooden paddle, to aid in our quest to perfect concentration. In hindsight, we probably shouldn't have let this man practice his wood chopping techniques on our upper vertebrae, but it was all part of the experience.
After leaving the temple and walking back down the mountain, we were taken to another area to shop before dinner. Players and coaches bought more souvenirs for their families and sampled the Japanese's form of gelato. For dinner, many of us got to check another experience off of our bucket lists, as we dined at a traditional Japanese homestyle restaurant. This meal was a complete cultural experience, as we were shoeless, sitting on pillows on the floor, and cooking food ourselves in an Asian-spiced broth. After dinner, we got back to the hotel around 9pm, and many of us were asleep before our heads even touched our pillows.
On Wednesday, we began our day with a crisp practice in a beautiful Japanese stadium. The stadium had a turf-field, ample bleacher-style seating, and Van-Gogh-esque mountain backdrop. After practice, the players had some time to eat lunch on our own in the city of Kobe. We dined on authentic sushi, ramen, and rice dishes that would make even the most avid Panda Express fan smile. After meetings, film, and a little more free time, we got a chance to eat dinner with the KG players and explore with them. The KG players used their knowledge of the area and took us to local classics including Japanese bbq and hibachi restaurants. After dinner, many players retired back to the hotel for some much needed rest before another big day. We're halfway through the trip, and not even Gary has had enough yet! That's all for now, I'll post again soon.
ATWATER BLOG #1: The first few days of Princeton Football's journey to Japan have been exciting to say the least. The trip itself consisted of a thirteen-and-a-half hour flight from JFK to Tokyo, another hour connecting flight to Osaka, and a forty-five minute bus ride to our hotel in Kobe. Upon arrival to our hotel, many players were surprisingly eager to get out and explore the city. While the city of Kobe had a lot of culture to offer on the humid Sunday night, some of us preferred to take refuge under the familiar Golden Arches of a local McDonald's.
On our first full day in Japan, we proceeded to the Kwansei Gakuin University for a tour and practice. The campus scenery was reminiscent of many universities on the west coast of the United States. With the student body of KGU consisting of over 23,000 students, the campus had an array of different buildings and structures that would even make Princeton architecture majors take a moment to appreciate them and their majesty.
Due to the fact that the university was founded by Christian missionaries, the campus had many Christian structures as well. After a crisp practice in the KG stadium, we received a handsome greeting by the KG team at our welcome party. We got a chance to dine with the KG players at our respective positions, and learn about these players' different lifestyles.
Needless to say, these first few days have been fantastic. With 5 days to go, we're looking forward to more great food, culture, and incredible culmination in the Legacy Bowl on Saturday. That's all for now, be on the lookout for another post in a few days!
