This year’s Atlantic Cup was a joyful two days spent on the football fields around Biarritz, on the beach and in a family vacation center with a pool, ping-pong, Pelota Basque and mini golf. The clean halls of the sleeping quarters had a feeling of a retirement home. It made sense by the end of the two days of football as we waddled by in pain and waved at each other like we will live here forever.
The tournaments duration was cut down a little do to the pains endured during the tournament’s previous 3-day version. But, sprangs, twists, bruises and burns were still something to deal with, Tiger Balm is still your best friend and sea salt and beer heals everything here at the Atlantic.
Each team brings their own style and flavor. The French bring the fury. The Spanish bring precision and amazing goalie action. The Basques bringing the heat. The Germans are always consistent. Finland is full of persistence. No one can beat the UK’s camaraderie. The Surfer’s team had the endurance. And our team, the Media, we lost everything, including some knees and toes.
The tournament was intense but the final face-off of the tournament was the veterans from France vs. the fresh lungs of the new Surfer team. But in the end, PJ, Crepel & Guilhem was a front line too fierce and they left the Surfer’s net flying as they filled it with enough goals to send them back to the waves. So after all the matches, the French hold the king’s spot on the mountain for this winter year but after next snow melt they will have to fight off a new onslaught of mediocre international football invasion from all sides of the globe.