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Track & Field Blog from Cuba - Day 3
June 20, 2015 | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field
Day 3 Video
Day 3
We woke up early to have a 7:30 practice at a track not far from the hotel. We returned to the hotel to have breakfast and pack before we left for Matanzas at 10:15. It was great to see more of the country as we made the hour plus drive to the province of Matanzas.After lunch we went to the home of the Cuban baseball team Matanzas Cocodrilos (Crocodiles). There we spoke with the member of the sports institute and four former sports stars that are natives of Matanzas: Leondro Penalver (sprinter), Mercedes Mesa (hurdler), Damaso Alfonso Reyes (decathlete) and Yuniel Labre Hernandez (multiple events in Para Olympics)
Damaso Alfonso Reyes was a decathlete in the 1977 Olympics with Coach Fred Samara. It was a really special moment to see the two of them shake hands and embrace – 40 years later. Fred said he did recognize his face when he saw him and remarked on how excellent their 4x100 relay was that year. When we heard their accomplishments and times/marks we were stunned. They were amazing! It was really special to be able to speak with them and ask them questions.
We had a tour of the stadium, before we headed to an Afro Cuba performance in the “City of Bridges.” They performed with chanting, music and dance and at the end some of us joined them on stage to dance along with them.
We finished off the day with our second leg of the trip to Varadero. Varadero is the largest resort area of Cuba with many Canadians and Europeans vacationing here. We check in to our all-inclusive hotel, where we will be spending the next three days. A buffet dinner at the hotel followed, and many of us had eyes as big as saucers when we saw the vegetables and fruit. The rice and beans has been fantastic but some of us were pumped to have an “American” salad and some pasta.
We closed out the day with a team meeting on the events for tomorrow. It's our first track meet, beginning at 8:45 am. So we got the list of who is competing in what events, when breakfast is and what time the buses were leaving. With the first bus heading out (distances races first before the sun is at its strongest) departs at 6:30, we headed to bed early.
Q & A with Mike Mazzaccaro and Ashley Forte
What was your favorite part of today?Ashley: Today it was really awesome to see the Afro Cuban performance. It was also really interesting to meet with the former Cuban track athletes and hear about the experiences running for Cuba.
Mike: I like the Afro Cuban performance as well. I got to get on stage and shake my stuff so that was fun.
What was the best thing you ate today?
Ashley: Today at dinner they had so many awesome things. There was a skewer with shrimp and mahi mahi that was really, really good.
Mike: At lunch there was this coconut puree spread on parmesan cheese and that was really, really delicious.
What was something interesting you learned about Cuba today that you didn't know prior to today?
Ashley: I didn't know the large African influence. I knew there were a lot of African people in Cuba, but I didn't know all about the culture, which we learned through the dance today.
Mike: That Fidel Castro is a huge baseball fan. We saw him plastered all over the stadium we were at today, and that was the most we've seen of him all trip. So I'm guessing he's a pretty big baseball fan.
What are you most excited for tomorrow?
Ashley: Tomorrow it will be really cool to see the Cuban team and be able to race against them and everything and then hang out at the beach.
Mike: The competition. To see the differences and see two teams to run. That's why we came down here in my mind, so it will be cool to see them run together and maybe exchange some stuff after.
What are you competing in tomorrow?
Ashley: I'm racing in the 400.
Mike: I'm a professional cheerer. I have an Achilles injury.