Curiosity
The history of MATT AGROPOLI 2011

Matt’s Story

 

On Friday April 15, 2011 I was up at 6am to finish packing and begin what was going to be a very exciting day. My mom asked me if I was most excited about the plane or the journey ahead, I Told her That I was just excited to go and play soccer. My dad drove me to the airport and at about 5pm I boarded my flight for Rome with the other members of the Caledon Canadians. This is my first time on an air plane. Of course it was not as intense as most big roller coasters, but it is still pretty cool. I was mayoritariamente unable to sleep in the plane, maybe about 20 minutes or so. We landed in Rome at about 2am, 8am but it was there. We Launched straight into a big day of sight seeing.

We boarded the bus to go into the city of Rome and then went on the foot for what Issie Told us was about 30km of walking. Our first stop was Saint Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. This church was totally amazing and worth the hour and a half wait to go inside. Although I was only inside for about 10 minutes I managed to shoot about 150 photos. I Looked every where there was statues, paintings, marble columns and floors. After this we Walked to the Trevi Fountain, Colosseum and other famous landmarks in Rome, such as The Victor Emmanuel Monument Which is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I tried to take alot of photos for my family, but my battery ran out and I had no place to charge it. Luckily I managed about 370 before I could recharge it at the hotel. It was cool to see That the streets and sidewalks were very old looking and the stone was very smooth. In Rome there were a lot of Vespas. We arrived at our first hotel right before dinner and we ate dinner in the hotel. I shared a room with Phillip and Gabriel. By the time I went to bed at about 11pm, I Had Been awake for about 35 hours and only about 30 minutes of sleep during That Time. Most of my teammates and my coach found some sleep on the ground in Saint Peter’s square.

My room mate Phil knocked our phone off the holder while sleeping and Therefore we missed our wake up call. On my way to breakfast “late”, I bumped into Giuseppe (our goalie). He was coming back from breakfast and Told me the food was gross and That he had some cookies in his room, so we went back there to share them. We packed our bags and went back to Saint Peter’s square for the mass blessing from the Pope. After That We got some ice cream and then stopped in some local shop and I bought a soccer ball and baseball cap at Manchester United. Then we boarded the bus for a long 4 hour bus ride south to Agropoli. We stopped on route for food. We had really good pizza. During the entire bus ride there were mountains on Both Sides of the road. Our next hotel in Agropoli was on the Mediterranean Sea, but it was too cold to swim, Although two of my teammates did. I played some soccer outside of the hotel with my new ball and some friends until midnight When I went to bed. In this hotel we had bunk beds, I took the top and Phil took the bottom and Gabe had a normal bed.

Phil and I woke up early and had some breakfast together. We had a practice on the beach and one of our players cut His foot on a rock. Then we played some soccer out front of the hotel until it was time to leave for our first cup game. Our first game was in the big tournament stadium, it was a grass field. I was in the starting line up and played right forward. Fatto che game the game ball was the one I bought for myself in Rome. I was subbed off, but not before I got our first and only goal That Game. We won 1-0. One of the Dad’s from the team had an international phone plan, I was incendio call my mom and dad and tell them about my goals. They were very proud of me. We ate dinner back at the hotel.

The next day I had eggs for breakfast and we boarded the bus to go to a game on artificial turf field in up in the mountains. That game we won 2-1. We went back down to Agropoli for a dinner of pizza and ice cream. That night I played cards with some friends.

After we grabbed a quick breakfast, we played cards, had ice cream and more soccer outside of the hotel. Then we went to our third game, Which we lost 4-1. That game was played just outside the stadium on another artificial turf field. After our game we had a pizza party, there we were entertained by Issie playing guitar and singing for us. He is very talented. After That We watched a magic show. Then back to the hotel for a good nights sleep.

That day we got to sleep in for the first time and I actually woke up at 11am. I skipped breakfast and just had lunch at the hotel. More soccer outside of the hotel before leaving for the opening ceremonies. That day it was very hot, but we needed to wear our track suits for the ceremonies. As a team we DECIDED to trade our jackets. That’s when it got a little crazy, as everyone wanted to trade for the Canada jackets. I traded with a boy from Rome. The jacket is burgundy in color. That evening we went shopping in Salerno. The shops sold all brand name things and very expensive. I did Manage to get a few gifts for my family, but not all in Salerno. I got a t-shirt for my brother, a hoodie and stuffed caterpillar for my sister, a necklace for my mom and shot glasses for my dad. Cards and then bed around 24:30 am.

We had to practice the next morning, we did a hard run through Agropoli. We did a little shopping Opinions more in Agropoli and then off to another game. We lost 2-0 and I was injured during a hard shoulder to shoulder tackle. My arm was swollen for about 5 days. That night we were really hungry so we ate at the hotel and then went to a pizzeria. We ate our pizzas out on the side walk. More ice cream and more cards. That night the group I played with cards were gifted with two chocolate soccer cleats. We could not save them, so we ate most of them. Then off to bed.

Quick breakfast and then we had to pack our bags and leave for a game against Ghana. The fields That we were to play on the fields That are trains on the national team. Ghana was stuck at the border and could not make it to the tournament. We played two friendly games against single half That two teams were waiting there to play also. Both games we won and I Scored another goal and got a couple of assists. We boarded the bus and headed farther south to Calabria. It was a 5 hour bus ride. We stopped on the way and got to see more ancient ruins. The ruins were of the places were the gladiators fought and you could still see the holes were the tigers came out of. We also saw a theater area and where Their homes were. Once in Calabria we had dinner at the hotel and then to bed.

Easter Sunday we went into town early for the Easter Celebrations. This town has a customs That are very old, in cui the town members run through the streets with statues. We then went to visit a friend of Issie’s. He was rich and had a big home. His son made wooden cutting boards for everyone from the olive trees in Their yard. I gave mine to my mom, she loves it. He anche carved many beautiful things in Their home, including neat designs on the floors. Then we went to the Calabria home field and we played the team That had come here last summer. That game ended with a tie of 2-2. That night, Which was our last in Italy we had a huge feast. Lasted dinner from 8pm to midnight and more food than we could possibly eat. We got back to the hotel around 1am, we packed and played cards until 4am. Boarded the bus and headed for the airport. Most of us came home That Day and a few people stayed on to tour the area blackberries. We had a 1 hour flight to Rome and then Transferred to the flight That would bring us back to Canada. I was so tired I actually slept through the take off on the first flight and woke only minutes before landing. We arrived home in Toronto Airport at 3pm on Monday April 25, 2011. We were welcomed by family members waving Canadian flags and cheering for us.

I feel very lucky to have gone on this trip and I have many wonderful memories. My most memorable moments in Italy are of That When We played soccer out on the streets. Everywhere we went people always asked for us to kick them the ball and they would do to keep few ups and then kick it back to us. It was great being around so many people who love soccer as much as I do. I will always be grateful to the people who made this trip possible for me and anche to Issie (our guide), Tony (my coach), Netherlands (our assistant coach and trainer), Mary (the team manager) and all of the Caledon Canadians and their families. Thank you,

Matthew Sinikivi

History of Matt

On Friday, April 15, 2011 I was up at 6 am to finish packing and begin what would be a very emotional day. My mom asked me if I was more excited about the plane or the journey ahead, I told her that I was just happy to go play football. My father drove me to the airport and about 5:00 I went for my flight to Rome with other members of the Canadian Caledon. This is my first time on a plane flies. Of course it was not as intense as the biggest roller coaster, but it’s still pretty cool. I was for the most part can not sleep on the plane, maybe about 20 minutes or so. We landed in Rome, at about 2:00, 8:00 but it was there. We launched directly in a great day of sightseeing.
We boarded the bus to go in the city of Rome and then the foot on Issie for what it said was about 30 km walk. Our first stop was the Basilica of St. Peter. This church was absolutely amazing and worth waiting an hour and a half to go in. Even though I was only in for about 10 minutes I was able to take about 150 photos. I looked everywhere there statues, paintings, marble columns and floors. After this we went to the Trevi Fountain, the Colosseum and other famous monuments of Rome, such as the Monument Vittorio Emanuele, which is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I tried to take a lot of photos for my family, but my battery ran out and I had no place to charge it. Luckily I managed about 370 before you can recharge at the hotel. E ‘was great to see that the streets and sidewalks were very old and looking for the stone was very fast. In Rome there were a lot of Vespa. We arrived at our first hotel right before dinner and we ate dinner at the hotel. I shared a room with Phillip and Gabriel. By the time I went to bed around 11:00, I had been awake for 35 hours and only about 30 minutes of sleep during that time. Most of my teammates and my coach found sleeping on the floor in St Peter’s Square.
My roommate Phil wrought by our phone support during sleep, so we missed our wake up call. On my way to breakfast “late”, I came across Joseph (our goalkeeper). He was returning from lunch and told me that the food was gross and had cookies in her room, so we went back there to share it. We packed our bags and went to St. Peter’s Square for the blessing of mass by the pope. After that we had some ice cream and then stopped at a local store and bought a football and a baseball cap Manchester United. Then we boarded the bus for a long trip by bus 4 hours south of Agropoli. We stopped on the way to the food. We had a really good pizza. During the bus ride around were mountains on both sides of the road. Our hotel near Agropoli was the Mediterranean Sea, but it was too cold to swim, even though two of my teammates did. I played some football outside of ‘hotel with my new ball and some friends until midnight when I went to bed. In this hotel we had a bunk bed, I took the top and Phil took the bottom and Gabe had a normal bed.
Phil and I woke up early and had some breakfast together. We had a practice on the beach and one of our players cut my foot on a rock. Then we played some football out in front of the hotel until the time we left for our first cup game. Our first game was at the stadium big tournament, was a grass field. I was in the starting line and played right forward. In that game, the ball game was the one I bought for me in Rome. I was subbed off, but not before I had our first goal and only that game. We won 1-0.È one of the father of the team had an international phone, I was able to call my mom and dad and tell them about my goal. They were very proud of me.Abbiamo had dinner back at the hotel.
The next day I had eggs for breakfast and we boarded the bus to go to a game on an artificial turf pitch in the mountains. We won that game 2-1. We returned to Agropoli for a dinner of pizza and ice cream. That night I played cards with some friends.
After grabbing a quick breakfast, we played cards, had ice cream and more football outside of the structure. Then we went to our third game, we lost 4-1. This game has been played just outside the stadium on another artificial turf pitch. After our game we had a pizza party, we were entertained by Issie playing guitar and singing for us. It ‘s very talented. After that we saw a magic show. Then back to the hotel for a good nights sleep.
That day we got to sleep for the first time and I actually woke up at 11.Ho skipped breakfast and just had lunch at the hotel. More calcium out of the property before the opening ceremony. It was very hot that day, but we needed to wear our suits for ceremonies. As a team we decided to trade our jackets. That’s when he got a bit ‘crazy as everyone wanted to trade for jackets Canada. I traded with a guy from Rome. The jacket is colored burgundy. That evening we went shopping in Salerno. The shops sold everything brand and very expensive. I managed to get a few gifts for my family, but not everyone in Salerno. I had a t-shirt for my brother, a hooded sweatshirt and stuffed caterpillar for my sister, a necklace for my mom and shorts for my father. Cards and then to bed at 12:30 am.
We had a practice in the morning, we had a difficult race for Agropoli. We shopped a bit ‘more of Agropoli and then off for another game. We lost 2-0 and I was injured during a lane to address shoulder. My arm was swollen for about 5 days. That night we were really hungry so we ate in the hotel and then went to a pizzeria.Abbiamo ate our pizza on the sidewalk. Gelato more and more cards. That night the group I played cards with have been equipped with two chocolate football cleats. We could not save them, so we ate most of them. Then to bed.
Quick breakfast and then we had to pack up and leave for a game against Ghana. Fields that were at play are the fields that trains the national team. Ghana has been blocked at the border and could not do in the tournament. We played two singles matches means friendly against two teams that were waiting there to play too. We won both games and have scored another goal and a pair of assists. We boarded the bus and headed further south to Calabria. It ‘was a bus ride 5 hours. We stopped on the way and got to see the ruins of the oldest. The ruins were the places were gladiators fought and you could still see the holes were tigers left. We also saw a space theater and where their homes were. Once in Calabria we had dinner at the hotel and then to bed.
Easter Sunday we went into town early for the Easter celebrations. This city has a customs that are very old, where members run through the city streets with statues. We then went to visit a friend of Issie is. He was rich and had a big house. His son wooden cutting boards for everyone, from the olive trees in the courtyard. I gave mine to my mother, she loves it. He also carved many beautiful things in their home, including the drawings on the floor clean. Then we went to the home field of the Calabria and we played the team that came here last summer. That game ended with a tie of 2-2.Quella night, that was our last in Italy we had a big party. The dinner lasted from 20:00 to midnight and more food than you could eat. We returned to the hotel around 1:00, we packed and played cards until 4.Saliti aboard the bus and headed for the airport. Most of us came home that day and a few people stayed to visit the area again. We had a 1 hour flight to Rome and then transferred to the flight that would bring us back in Canada. I was so tired I actually slept during takeoff of the first flight and woke up a few minutes before landing. We arrived home to Toronto Airport at 15:00 on Monday 25 April, 2011. We were greeted by relatives waving Canadian flags and cheering for us.
I feel very lucky to have done this trip and I have so many wonderful memories. My most memorable moments in Italy have to when we played football in the street. Everywhere we went people always asked for us to kick the ball and they would do some hold ups and then kick back in noi.E ‘was great to be around so many people who love football as much as I do. I will always be grateful to those who made this trip possible for me and also for Issie (our guide), Tony (my coach), Netherlands (our assistant coach and trainer), Mary (team manager) and all Caledon Canadians and their families. Thanks,
Matthew Sinikivi
 

Not suitable for European football

Samon Rondon and Rosales participated in the Tournament of Agropoli in 2005 with the company’s Gulima (Venezuela). The two players were viewed by some observers of a team professional bell and were not considered suitable for the Italian and European football. But, ironically, both made their debut in the Venezuelan national. Those two guys, they play now in Malaga (Rondon), Series A Spagnalo and Twente (Rosales). These are views that are … wrong!

 

Revenge of Kamil

Italy – Slovakia, the third day of Group F of the World Cup in South Africa. Italy has two goals signed by both Vittek 25 ‘of the first half and 74’ of the second half of the race. 80 ‘Di Natale, Udinese striker and top scorer in the Italian league, scored in shortening distances and bringing back the enthusiasm of the Blues if acciuffassero a draw would be qualified for the knockout stages. The training coached by Marcello Lippi sticks, looking in vain for the goal. 87 ‘the c.t. Slovakia Weiss sent on Kamil Kopunek. Many think the classic replacement to spend the minutes as Slovakia, the first participation in the World, was about to caress the dream of access to the second round. In a few could imagine instead that their Kamil Kopunek could, two minutes after entering the green rectangle, throw that ball in the network which effectively eliminated Italy from the World Cup in South Africa. But who is Kamil Kopunek and because we are affecting him? Before you better provide some data: born May 18, 1984 Kamil is 1 meter high and 83 and its target weight is 78 kilograms. Spartak Trnava plays in the formation of the medium-high ranking of the Slovakian top division. The last championship won in the ’72 -’73 season when Czechoslovakia still existed. After the division, the team of Trnava has won only 2 cups of Slovakia (the last in 1998) and a Super Cup in Slovakia. Despite the relatively poor palmares if we consider only the trophies won after the division of Czechoslovakia, Spartak Trnava boasts a large youth that every year does not fail to reap success and churning out players who are then to thicken the first team. But to return to the question that we made at the start, because we are interested in and Kamil Kopunek Spartak Trnava? Easter week 1998. For Agropoli kicks off the XII edition of the International Tournament of Agropoli. At the start there is a young team of Slovakia, Spartak Trnava, among whose ranks (in the category “A Very Young”) plays a kid like many others that a few days ago did talk about Italy, Slovakia and the entire world of football for a goal that eliminated the greatest football competition, the national champion of the world. His name was and is right Kamil Kopunek then not yet 14 years old. His team in that tournament shows excellent qualities and great individuals that give beat formations far more listed as the Germans then the Rosenheim who finished third along with Sicilian Paternò. The Slovak team instead failed to qualify for the final. He found himself in front of the asceoti Pro Velia. The result was obvious: on the one hand a youth training of a professional team that in 1998 won the Cup and Super Cup in Slovakia and the other one of the many youth ensembles of the Cilento. Making a comparison with the present day seems to recreate the conditions of the encounter between the listed Italian, and the weak Slovakia. The result of this challenge, we know it well and to Spartak Trnava – Pro Velia? After 90 ‘minutes certainly not stingy with emotions, both teams landed on penalties. During the lottery of penalty, took the lead diskette Kamil Kopunek. The Slovak team was aiming at him to bring home the victory. And ‘the decisive penalty. Inverso Antonio organizer of the event, is already to mark the name of Spartak Trnava on the board of the winners. “Do not fail,” he thought. Kopunek as expected, with safety, it carries on the disc and is preparing to kick. His team is ready to cheer but the champion fails the decisive allowing the Pro Velia to celebrate the first place! Who would have guessed 12 years ago that Kamil Kopunek, that that little boy who missed a penalty against the Pro Velia, it would shake Italy from the World Cup? Probably no, but certainly in the next edition of the International Tournament City of Agropoli, we will be more careful to observe those little champions who enjoy kicking a ball. Perhaps one day one of them exult as Kamil Kopunek or Andrej Shevchenko (who was also passing Agropoli) to have reached a great milestone but also for making the dream cultivated since childhood. É.R.