Who doesn’t love a road trip? And when you’re off to watch your team take on some interstate – or international – opposition, it just adds to the sense of adventure.
I was lucky enough to have a road trip fall into my lap 2 days after arriving in Vancouver. A group of 16 guys and girls from Canada, Ireland and Australia all living and working in Vancouver had organised to head down Portland, Oregon to watch the NBA game between the Houston Rockets and the Portland Trailblazers. Fortunately for myself, some people pulled out, so just a day before heading off, I was offered a spot. It had everything – my favourite sport, spontaneity, and a large group of people off to explore a new city and check out some sport – how could I say no and still call myself the Travelling Sports Fan?
While nobody in the group was a fan of either team, it didn’t matter, as the road trip itself, and the spectacle of the game was enough, and sure enough we were treated to a great game with Blazers star Brandon Roy hitting an unlikely game winner. The rest of the trip? Well the old adage, “what happens on the road stays on the road” will be used by some for sure. Needless to say it involved a few drinks, and finished with our group probably not being welcome back at the Hilton, Portland.
The Road Trip is a great tradition in sport, and is probably everyones first experience with the combination of Sport and Travel. I remember my first road trip, with a bus load of Melbourne basketball fans up in Sydney to watch our undermanned team an otherwise fairly meaningless game, but getting that win on the road almost feels like you’re taking on the world.
The best road trips are the ones with a few good mates in car, and while the sport is obviously a big factor, its really just an excuse for a good weekend away.
Possibly the best road trip of my life involved my best mate giving me a call asking if I wanted to join him on a drive to Sydney that night, for a game in two days time, with New Years Eve the following night. While I was a poor student at the time, the offer was too good to refuse.
The best part of being based in North America at the moment, is the chance for many road trips over the next 2 years. With my goal of seeing an NBA game in each of the 29 NBA cities, this weekend will be the first of many road trips.
Has anyone else ever had an any memorable road trips? Good or Bad?
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Well i had some road trips. The last one was from LA to South Dakota and come back to LA,quite nice but a little bit sad cause I did it alone :(
ReplyDeleteYou have no idea how much i feel jealousy about your trips!!!
Seeing all the NBA teams in every city is a big goal. How many do you have left to accomplish it?
Haha, im not gonna lie, its pretty sweet!
ReplyDeleteOk, well so far the list of teams I've seen is 13:
New York, Philadelphia, Toronto, Orlando, Detroit, Chicago, Denver, Milwaukee, Dallas, Golden State, Minnesota, Houston and Portland.
As far as stadiums, I've been to 7:
New York, Toronto, Detroit, Chicago, Milwaukee, Minnesota & Portland.
So yeah I still have a bit of work to do, but its acheivable! 17 more teams and 22 more stadiums. I think if I get to half of the stadiums and get to see all 30 teams I will be happy. Next season, when I'm living back East it will be pretty easy (Boston, NY, New Jersey, Philly, Washington all really close. Even Cleveland and Indiana not too far.
Also when I do my Vegas trip, I might go to some games in Cali (Golden State, Lakers, Clippers, Kings).
Plenty of options!