The Bill Drew Tournament in Victoria BC

 The Mojos have made the journey up to British Columbia to play in the Bill Drew Memorial tourney for several years.  For many a stopover in Port Angeles and dinner at Michaels has been the standard.   For others the tournament has been more spartan--drive like a bat out of hell to Port Angeles on the Friday and make the ferry crossing with or without your car.  Hustle off to the Mojos' lodging property and then play four matches in two days.  Insert a very sumptuous dinner out on Sooke Bay courtesy of Gary Warman's family and friends.  Drive like mad to get back to Portland in time for work on Monday.   


Sometimes it pays to take a deep breath and spend a tranquil thirty minutes at Murchies for coffee and scone.  The best in western North America.  Oh..and they have tea as well.

Ultimately, though,  we're in Victoria to play soccer and so at an early hour we're out on the pitch which in our case seems more of a bog or morass than a soccer field.   We're undaunted though because we've played most of our lives in Oregon on suchlike pitches and have little fear of wobbly ankles in the mud.  The weather is persistently chill and rainy.   Like Spartans, we press on.   And the match goes well until we are afflicted with a PK which ends up deciding the match. Frustrating since we felt we dominated, particularly in the second half.


The second match of the day is more uplifting.  We win 2-1 with the difference also being a PK.  We could have had more goals but we're content with the win.

Saturday nights at the tournament have become legendary and sumptuous feasts.  Gary Warman's family's hosting of a feast fit for kings and quees on Sooke Bay are clearly part of the reason that the Mojos journeys have become so popular.   The drive out by bus is long, but the reward is great.   Excellent food, a pristine setting on the edge of Vancouver Island, and the high energy Mojo vibe and hospitality.  It's like nothing you've ever done before.  On top of the camaraderie, there's music and hijinks.   All of it ends too soon as the revelers head back to Victoria to sleep and prepare for Day Two of the tournament.  After all, this is really about playing soccer, N'est ce Pas?  

 The Sunday morning arrives very early for those who have reveled.   We journey out to the fields and find that there is a field house with showers, hot water, dressing rooms, toilets and all the amenities.   We've never in our lives had such luxury at a pitch.  We know we're in the right place because the icon on the wall is of a white-haired old boy running.  Must be our quarters.

 On the Sunday,  the weather improves toward midday.
Increasing numbers of Mojos gather in the beer garden, either to lick their wounds or to do their best to chug caffeine.   When all is said and done, the best story is that there are few injuries among the four teams,  that some of the guys from Ballyhoo came and made some peace with Roddy Coles regarding the horrorshow incident from Snohomish last July,  and that we'd by and large had another wonderful tournament experience.   Not defined by the won loss tally on the tote board.

The O60s team captained by Terry Shumaker. We lost one on a sorry PK.   We won another with a solid performance.  We lost to an O55 team with some bad luck.   And we did our best against a team who were down for their first match on the biggest field on he planet.   We did good.  And thanks to the entire crew for their patience and hard work on the pitch.  I was honored to be there.