American Gladiators

Aside from losing most of our matches, Paganello is not a tournament that disappoints.

Spanning four days on the white sand beaches of Rimini, Italy on the Adriatic Sea, Paga is the World Championship of Beach Ultimate. A tournament whose reputation precedes it in every way, it is as well known for the world-class level of play as for the ridiculous parties that start as soon as the games finish.

I was invited to play with a Chicago pick-up team, humorously named the American Gladiators. Composed of mostly beginners and having never played together, I felt like perhaps we didn’t deserve to be among some of the greatest players in the world, but we were determined to make the most of the weekend.

Our first two days were chilly but mostly sunny. However, luck did not shine our way on Sunday and cold wind and rain made playing miserable all day long. To make matters worse, while trying to warm up in the big circus tent, I placed my jacket next to the food-stand stove and while warming my hands, almost burned several holes in my new Patagonia fleece.

We finished playing Monday morning, stayed to watch some of the finals and then caught the train to Bologna with Matt and Kevin to catch our flight back to Casa.

Exhausted and cold, I was glad to return the pays du soleil. Who knows if I’ll ever make again to Paganello, but I’ll certainly keep fabulous memories from my first time.