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Confession: I don’t book hotels in advance on my road trips. I feel like it’s bad luck. If you book a hotel, you might not make it to that city (the one stop I was going to book ahead was the one we broke down, so there you go). I’ve only gotten caught by my lack of planning twice, once in France during the World Cup (when we needed a hotel last minute due to travel plans changing) and once last night.
Due to road construction in Kansas, we were driving all the way across Oklahoma, instead of our original plan to just nick the pan handle. It was my first time in Oklahoma, and I was excited to pick up a new state and check it out. But at every gas stop, people would stare at my Iowa plates and New Jersey stickers with looks that were neither amused or friendly, growing my sense of unease at every stop. In addition, there were no big chain hotels as we went, but by 2 AM, I was ready to take any shady no-name motel I could find. Trouble is, some big oil rig had booked every hotel and motel for hours.
The highlight of my night was stopping in Alva at 2:30 AM to call my husband to enlist his help and internet connection in finding a hotel (I’m pretty sure communist countries have better WIFI than Oklahoma). As I was backing out of a gas station parking lot, there was a guy staring at my car’s front bumper, I thought at my plate, but when he flagged me down, I thought maybe I had a light out. But no, this 20-something oil splattered guy said “Hey, is there anything going on in this town? I’m shipping out to Iraq tomorrow and I’m just looking for some fun.”
WOW. Really? My 40 year old mom of two, t-shirt and yoga pants “look” is really doing it for you? My response may have been stating the obvious, but what else can you say: “I’m just passing through, but seeing as my husband is on the phone (shakes lit smart phone) and my two kids are asleep in the back, I’m probably not your girl.” And then I left that town, because even there was a hotel room in that town (there wasn’t) I did not want to stay there. Two hours of driving and several “No Vacancy” signs later, we crossed into Kansas and found a room.
So Oklahoma, it’s been real, and it’s been fun (I stopped in Hooker, OK and took a photo of their welcome sign….that was fun) but it definitely was not real fun. Next time, I’d stick to the pan handle and face construction traffic. The good news is, we are in Kansas, got 7 hours sleep, and have only 3.5 hours drive to Livestrong Park. An easy (sheesh…I hope!) trip to our first Sporting KC game, the Open Cup Final vs Seattle Sounders, our last stop on MLS Road Trip 2012.
Can’t wait to meet you, KC Cauldron supporters!
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I took my car to the Jiffy Lube on Lincoln Avenue in Cypress, CA because after 3400 miles in the last 10 days, I wanted to make sure everything was in good working order before venturing across the desert. I told the guy that I was taking the car back to Iowa, and I wanted everything to be checking, then I told him again when he asked me what kind of oil I wanted to use. You’d think they would have taken a little extra care to make sure it was done right, but that’s not what happened.
I got about 2 hours outside the LA area when my oil light started to flicker. Luckily, I was about 1 mile from Barstow, CA, because after that exit, I would have been stranded in the desert for a long, long time. I checked my oil level and it was dry. I don’t know much about cars, but I know that’s REALLY bad. I poured a quart of oil in and went across the street to the truck stop where they could get it up on blocks. The guy there said it was leaking really bad, but only having truck tools, he couldn’t tell exactly what was wrong. I poured another quart of oil in and drove to the Hampton Inn Barstow and waited for Monday morning to arrive.
I had my car towed to Barstow Midas, who called a few hours later with good news! It wasn’t the oil filter casing, but the O ring that you’re supposed to change when you change the oil, but he said that many quick lube places don’t and mine was damaged, which was causing the oil leak. Lesson learned….don’t get your oil changed at Jiffy Lube, use the better trained techs at Midas or the dealership!
Hopefully, me pulling off the highway right away will keep this from being a catastrophic engine failure, but rest assured Jiffy Lube, my bill for your crappy oil change, quarts of wasted oil, repeat oil change, hotel, dinner, and compensation for the 3 hour massage I will need to de-stress from this experience will be in the mail. Oh yeah, and you should make a donation to an environmental charity for the oil you just caused me to spill on the ground.
Our leisurely drive to KC just got a little more stressful, but I’m still hoping we can make the game. Wish us luck!
Full disclosure: I am the Chapter Leader for American Outlaws Des Moines. I didn’t campaign for this job, I was just the first person from Iowa to express interest in a chapter, and I continue to do it because I believe passionately in the soccer supporter movement in the US, and American Outlaws are doing it best right now in my neck of the corn field. I’ve been a member of Sam’s Army too, before AO started, so if you have a local Sam’s Army chapter that’s really making it work in your town, knock yourself out. This blog is about why you should support your local supporters group (SG).
This rant was started by a discussion on the Chapter Leader’s board for AO on a thread talking about members who didn’t want to pay to renew their AO membership. Let’s look at the member benefits, in addition to the T-shirt and bandana you get every year. The membership page of American Outlaws lists this:
“Benefits
- Discounts on Tickets to the supporters section of each US game
- Membership benefits at events such as tailgates, viewing parties, etc.
- 10% Discounts at http://shop.bigsoccer.com/
- Free gifts from great companies such as NIKE, FSC, and more… (varies based on events)
- Flight Discounts from Continental Airlines to any US Soccer game, anywhere in the world. http://www.continental.com
Supporting the next generation of US Soccer diehards”
Apparently, there are people out there that look at that list and think “well, I don’t go to games, so I’m not getting the full value of my membership, and therefore, it’s not worth it.” So let me tell you why I not only pay for membership for myself, but for every member of my family, including our kids who could get supporter tickets and travel discounts through our membership. It all has to do with that last line.
Supporting the next generation of US Soccer diehards. That one line should be worth $24 a year to you if you love US Soccer. Maybe you weren’t around before AO. Before SGs, there was very little organization at games, no big meetups of fans at games, or in Vegas. There was no way for me to look up in any town where I might be traveling and find where I could watch a US game or the Euros. Maybe you don’t use that stuff today, but it should be worth $2 a month to make sure it’s around in the future.
Doesn’t it make you happy to see a group of psycho US supporters behind the goal? That costs money. The banners, the capos leading the cheers. The tailgate with enough social lubricant to get all those people singing. So even if you don’t get to games, your membership helps support building soccer culture in the US and on the road.
Look, I know we’re all looking for ways to cut expenses, but please….support the work that American Outlaws is doing to build US Soccer. They’ll even send you a free T-shirt.
Filed under: Family Fun, Major League Soccer, Supporter Culture | Tags: MLS, Portland, Portland Timbers, Soccer, Timbers Army
Oh Portland….how I love you! Somehow we made it safely to Portland in under 20 hours from Salt Lake City with two young kids and one driver (Mapquest it….it’s impressive). We stopped along the way to check out the Columbia River and a fish hatchery, but mainly, it was a long day of driving. By the time I got to Portland, I really wasn’t mentally prepared to learn a new city’s parking system, particularly one as, shall we say, bike/walk encouraging, as Portland. But from the moment we arrived, Timbers Army members were nothing but amazing. We got parking help from one fan, who helped us find the line for early entry wristbands. Then other fans pointed us to the Timbers Army merch van, where we glutted ourselves on scarves, stickers, and shirts. As if this lovely lady welcoming us wasn’t enough, things were about to get even better.
My goal for taking my kids to Portland was to show them the height of supporters clubs. I wanted them to see a club that sings the whole way through with tradition and wonderful stuff the whole way through. We’ve taken them to some great games with fantastic supporters, but I’ve never had an experience like the one I had in Portland in 2005 when they were playing on a baseball field and still in the A-League. I had to see for myself how they’d developed, and wanted to share with my kids what I consider to be the best supporters group I’ve ever seen.
Phyllis and the kids, Timbers pre-game
Enter Phyllis, previously a stranger, and our initial seatmate. Phyllis took to our little group right away. When she heard we’d traveled from Des Moines mainly for this game, she became our Timbers Army concierge. She got us song sheets and started teaching the kids the various Timbers Army traditions, such as changing the last line of the national anthem to “home of the Timbers.” She helped them tear up confetti for the end of the anthem. She taught them about all the things they should do as supporters. It was amazing. My kids have been to dozens of soccer games, but I’ve never seen them so engaged as they were after Timbers 101 with Phyllis.
The game was exciting. Portland had so many chances, 20 shots by the end of the game, and after every one, I had to turn around to and count off the near misses to Phyllis, who had moved a few rows back to be with her injured husband. We got to learn the Timbers two new songs as well as their old favorites, including Tetris. The Timbers Army sings through the entire game, including a call and response with the entire stadium. When Chivas scored the game winner in the 69th minute, the Army put their scarves up and kept right on singing. It was a beautiful show of support for their team, and I loved it almost as much as their show of discontent with their current coach, recently installed rather bluntly by management, after the game.
As I walked out after the game, I turned to my daughter and said “You know what we just did?”
“What?” she replied.
“We just drove 2500 miles to see our team lose.” She smiled at me halfheartedly. Then I said, “You know what that means? …..We’re going to have to come back.” The Timbers Army showed us such great hospitality, we barely noticed the loss. I’d gladly do this drive all over again (or maybe we’ll fly next time…) to come back for more. Thanks Timbers Army. I waited seven years to rejoin your ranks, and it was absolutely worth the wait.
We rolled into Salt Lake City later than we wanted, only to find out the game was an hour later than I thought (yay time zone change!) We got the info on the tailgate from Twitter via @RSLRoyalArmy and got waved into parking by the attendant impressed that we’d driven from Iowa for the game. We ended up parking next to a group of supporters that were having “LDS Singles Night” which entailed green jello shots (complete with carrot shreds!) and funeral potatoes with braiding each other’s hair replacing the usual kick around.
The tailgate ranged from that group, to Royal Army members, some Salt City Outlaws, to Salt City United, a group of tattooed group of supporters that seemed less than excited to talk with a not tattooed mom of two innocent looking blond children (little did they know…but more on that in another post). We found tickets, joined the Royal Army (because the answer to do you want a scarf for $25, or a scarf, patch, and RA membership for $25 is heck yes I’ll join the Army).
We went into the stadium, and the supporters section was divided up with the stage for Neil Diamond’s concert the next day. We started out sitting to the left of the stage with a group of season ticket holders that seemed nice…..too nice for us. As game time approached, we heard drums and trumpets from the other side of the stage, which was the only invitation my son needed to march on over and join La Barra, the Latino supporters.
The kids loved the atmosphere at Real Salt Lake. Between the two levels in the supporters section, there’s a terrace where kids from all over could run around and play. Both my kids found children to chase around or make confetti with, in between dancing to the constant music from Barra and spinning through the smoke bombs.
While the kids were excited to participate in the festivities, I was excited to have two USMNT players on the pitch, Jay DeMerit for Whitecaps and Kyle Beckerman for Real, or as the kids know them, “that guy from the movie (Rise and Shine)” and “the Jewish player.” I do appreciate having players for the kids to look up to, and since they live in a smaller city soccer-wise and they’re Jewish, we couldn’t have picked a better match to kick off the MLS Roadtrip, role model wise. Cap off the night with a 2-1 win for the home squad and I would call this an entirely successful trip.
The only downside is in order to make Portland in time for the next day game, we had to drive on right after the match. If there’s one thing we’ve learned at this point in the road trip, it’s that we could spend way more time than we have meeting up with all the great soccer fans along the road. Next up: Portland (or bust).
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We made it to Grand Junction, Colorado, well within shooting distance of our planned game at Salt Lake City Friday evening. The kids and I have driven about 950 miles, 283 to go and we get to cross off Real Salt Lake on our list of MLS venues, our first game on our MLS Roadtrip schedule.
Today I was sure that we wouldn’t make it. Kid 2 was doing an excellent impression of an appendicitis, and was doing his “I’m a 4 year old determined to break a bone” routine. (Kids, what did I tell you about no injuries or illnesses until after the Timbers game?) But we survived. Then I thought my car was dying, but it turns out that cars have just as much trouble “breathing” in the Rockies as we do. The Rockies, by the way, may be one of the most beautiful things America has to offer…you really should drive them sometime.
So…hopefully, we’ll be able to get to Salt Lake City in time to tailgate (they tailgate…..right?) Planning’s been a little on the light side, but I’m assuming I can google where the stadium is, correct? Hey, I’m raising a couple soccer supporters here….help a mama out!
Once I figure that out, I just have to work on our invite to Kyle Beckerman’s for post-game Shabbat. Then we’ll be set. At least, if he plays, I’ll be able to explain to the kids why it’s OK to miss Temple this week.
Time for blogging will be short this weekend, but look for updates at Twitter.com/TanyaKeith.
Filed under: Family Fun, Major League Soccer, Supporter Culture | Tags: LA Galaxy, MLS, Portland Timbers, Real Salt Lake, Sporting KC
This guy wants to meet your supporters! This year, the kids and I decided to do an MLS Road Trip instead of roadtripping to Grandma and Grandpa’s (I know, I was surprised they were into it too!) So here we go! We leave this week for Real Salt Lake’s Friday game, then will have one insane night into day of driving to Portland Timber’s Saturday game. We’ll make our way back via California, where we might hit the LA Galaxy World Football Challenge game, if I can see fit to part with $110 a ticket (not looking good right now…but we’ll wave while we’re in town!) Then it’s across the desert to see Sporting KC in the Open Cup final!
Two kids, one mom, 3 (or 4) MLS games, 5000 miles. Stay tuned, soccer fans…and remember…it’s not nice to wager on our survival, but you can Dwolla.com your support to @TanyaKeith Dwolla ID #812-460-2944 yeah, I’m talking to you, LA front office!
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A couple things blew me away about our experiences at Chicago Fire. First of all, a huge thanks to Section 8, who saw a tweet about my son coming to the game with us and not only had a gift for him at the merch table, but allowed him to help hold the player banners before the game. As you can see from the photo, he was pretty stoked about it. (This was the Fire vs Crew game…if anyone has photos of the kids from field side, please send them!)
Second, just yesterday, my husband got a call from the Fire, saying they knew he’d been to a game recently and wanted to encourage him to come to another match. In the “it’s nice to feel wanted” department, Chicago Fire and their supporters have blown us away. It may be a long 5 hour drive to get there, but we will be back! Thanks for the love, Fire. Right back atcha.
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Life got away from me for a while there, so in the “Better Late Than Never” department, I’m updating from our Chicago Fire Trip. I’ve been working on the trip planning and on my book, and kinda forgot to blog all this up! As the kids and I prepare for our own #MLSRoadtrip, I thought I’d give a shout out to one of my big influences for taking this trip. The stories from www.mlsroadtrip.com are really fantastic (that will link to the one that tells one of our family soccer stories). Hopefully we’ll have some equally great stories, even if they aren’t updated as fast as Evan’s. But then, his travel buddies get their own breakfast!
Truth is, I thought Chicago Fire had one supporter’s group: Section 8. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Section 8 is an association of supporter groups, that are all awesome and unique in their own right. I had a great chat with one of the founders of Whiskey Brothers about the history of their group and the Fire supporters in general. Some groups formed out of ethnic groups, Hispanic or Polish, and some were born out of a group of guys drinking and starting a supporters group as a bit of a joke and had it take off unexpectedly, a story the certainly rings familiar as the somewhat accidental founder of American Outlaws Des Moines.
If you go to a Fire game, take some time to tailgate and meet the various groups. They have their own personality and are full of great people. We hit it off with Husaria, the Polish supporters group. My husband is mostly Polish, and I’m part Polish too, but more importantly, when you buy their merch, you get to drink shots of some crazy Polish drink that is serious business, even thinned. Plus, their shirt with the supporter holding a lit flare over his head and the Chicago stars looks really good on my husband. Great booze, great merch…yeah…I’m home with Husaria. 
As if that wasn’t enough, they had a great anti-racism tifo complete with flares. I think I’m in love. 
Soccer....Family Style 