COMPETITION AND FRIENDSHIP HIGHLIGHT INTERNATIONAL EVENT continued from page 7
interact and learn from each other. It was an incredible adventure, one that exceeded our expectations.” While in the Kansai region, Cooper and Alm met with friends,
alumni, and dignitaries, YMCAs and universities, in an effort to promote Springfield College's international relations while seeking new opportunities for global partnerships and joint programming. The two then continued their expedition to Tokyo and then China, again meeting with dignitaries, alumni, and YMCA leaders. “The trip provided an opportunity for Deborah and I to visit with some of our existing partners in global education,” said Cooper. “It is my hope that we leverage these partnerships to expand our offerings of study abroad and internship opportunities for our students, as well as establish more perma- nent summer offerings for high school and college students to come to Springfield for intensive English language instruction and additional content area courses.” During the basketball games, the Springfield College players were
given celebrity status. After the contests, fans waited in lines for autographs or for a selfie with their favorite player. “There were so many amazing experiences from this trip but signing backpacks and shirts and shoes and exchanging jerseys with the Japanese players was most memorable when I think about this trip,” said senior Sean Martin. “It was all the more meaningful because we did it all as a team. Watching all of my teammates being treated like rock stars was just as rewarding for me as the treatment I was given by the fans.” As is the case for so many
Americans travelling to a foreign country, the playing of the national anthem before the games moved Nick Sienkiewicz, a senior physical therapy major. “We see it all the time on campus. Springfield College flags are everywhere,” said Sienkiewicz. “Standing on the basketball courts in front of large, passionate crowds, we looked up to the rafters to see our Springfield College flag hanging next to the American and Japanese flags and it was incredible. As our national anthem played harmonically in the background and our hands were placed over our hearts, the site was beautiful. It will be imprinted in my mind forever. We were repre- senting not only our school, but our country. This was the most
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meaningful part of the trip for me.” The trip was made possible mostly through the efforts of long-time
Springfield College friend, Professor Yutaka Mizutani, who has held numerous roles, including dean and interim president, at several Japanese universities over the years. He recently established a graduate program in physical education at Mukogawa Women’s University in Nishinomiya. He was instrumental in convincing the Japan Basketball Association that Springfield College was the team needed to play in the tournament to make it a success. In a speech to the
Springfield College basketball players on the eve of their return to the states, Mizutani told them to remember one thing. “Basketball is everywhere, but there is only one college in the world that can claim that it is the birthplace of basketball and that is Springfield College. Don’t forget that.” The College’s basket-
ball teams have traveled internationally
“The take home message ... is that although you may be worlds apart, there are always similarities that can enlighten you and connect you to other cultures.”
in the past. In 1991, the team went to Ireland to participate in the Limerick Treaty 300 International Basketball Tournament as part of the “100th Anniversary of Basketball” at Springfield College. And, in 1965, legendary coach Ed Steitz brought his team on 62-day world tour to France, Italy, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), India, Pakistan, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Japan to promote understanding of the game and to foster international goodwill. “The value of an international experience is hard to quantify,” added Cooper. “Even this brief trip to Japan provided our students an incredible window to the very rich traditions of Japanese culture, and an opportunity such as this adds to the outstanding experience they receive in Springfield.” The 2014 trip will prove to only
strengthen the Springfield College mission and its initiative to promote diversity and inclusion around the world as the players served as quintessential ambassadors. “The players truly immersed themselves in the Japanese culture,” said Jimmy Mack ’06, G’14, assis- tant coach. “Their enthusiasm and smiles were contagious to everyone who came in contact with them. As an alumnus of the College and a current employee, I could not be more proud of how they represented Springfield College.”1
TRIANGLE 1 Vol . 85, No.2
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