Airplanes are made for people of average stature going on average trips to average places. Fourteen hours is a long time to be seated, cramped and unable to get the temperature just right. As I made my way to seat 26A, I was glad to see there were only two seats in my row. The middle row had five seats and all I could think of was how many times I would have to get up for someone going to the bathroom would annoy me. I was a window seat. Sweet. I stashed my snazzy new shoulder bag under the seat in front of me and plopped down. The only question left was who would be in 26B. I was hoping for a really quiet, really sleepy person. Along came sport flops guy: his head basically scrapping the roof and his shoulders basically closing off all light from behind him.
Yup. He is 26B. He contorts into the seat and flashes a winning smile. I am immediately reminded of watching my son, Curtis, on the flights to and from Hawaii and how uncomfortable he looked. I know what this is going to be like for him. We exchange hellos. His name is Chris Barnes, no relations to my future daughter in law I believe. He is on his way to China for some basketball thing. I try not to tip my hand as I ask the name of his team. He says, “some Australian sneaker company, my agent arranged it.” Bam. The bar is raised. If Chris is on my team, what will the other foreign team be loaded with and what will the Chinese teams be bringing to the party. I let the cat out of the bag and tell Chris that I too am going to the basketball thing, by the Australian sneaker company and that in fact I am the coach.
A couple movies, a couple sitcoms, a mystery novel my daughter, Michelle, gave me for Christmas some time ago, and the site of Chris twisted into that seat created enough entertainment for the ride. The plane had a nice feature where I could watch the path of the plane on the video monitor. It took a surprising arcing route following the Alaskan coastline, across the international dateline and down the coast of Asia. Not the way I would have gone, but we got there. I was glad to be out of the plane and walking around
As the crowd meandered out of the plane and toward the luggage area, a guy introduced himself to me as the coach of the Canadian team. He was traveling with several guys who appeared to be Canadian ringers. He was very helpful with the connection to the hotel and away we went. He had obviously been here before.
Chris and I were the first of the Australian team to arrive at our hotel. So now, we are roomies. He had just come from Lithuania and was originally from Miami. His family moved to Atlanta when he was a kid and he attended the University of Georgia. While he was there, the Bulldogs won three games in two days to advance to the NCAA tournament. I told him about my coaching experience, which didn’t seem as exciting as being SEC champions. We took a walk around the area of the hotel. I love to do that. I want to feel the city. See people at work. Get the vibe of what a place is like. We stopped at a noodle place and got some food. The folks in the street did not try to be subtle as they stared or pointed at Chris. It cannot be comfortable to stand out everywhere you go.
A nap after a brisk walk is always a good idea. The rest of the team arrived about 10:00pm and we had a team meeting at 10:45pm. I was introduced, the plan for tomorrow started with breakfast at 6:45 am. Everyone was told to wear a certain group of gear and we called it a night.
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