Football players, spirit lines ready for trip of lifetime
June 2, 2011 by Don Ketchum, AZPreps365
By Don Ketchum
Several Arizona senior high school football players from the 2010-11 school year are getting the experience of a lifetime when they play against a team from Australia in the “Australian Gridiron Tour’’ in Beenleigh, just south of Brisbane on the country’s Gold Coast.
The team, led by coaches Doug Shaffer (formerly of Phoenix Horizon) and Gary Venturo (recently retired from Tempe Corona del Sol) and trip director Bob Brain, was set to depart Phoenix on Friday (June 3). The traveling party, which includes spirit line members and trainers, will stop in Hawaii for two days and then move on to Australia for eight days.
“You meet a lot of great people. It is a great experience, one that the kids will remember for the rest of their lives,’’ said Venturo, who has been a part of these annual trips for about 20 years.
The series began as a trip to New Zealand in 1989, but the Australians took over shortly thereafter and the relationship has been good.
The Arizonans will stay with families of Australian players for four days and be housed at a hotel for the other four.
There are 14 players and 10 spirit line members. During the June 11 game, Australian players will help to supplement those from Arizona. Those on the trip raised most of their own funds.
In addition to the game, there will be a number of activities, including a visit to a theme park, whale watching, a visit to a ranch to view shearing of sheep, a rodeo, learning to throw a boomarang and studying and interacting with kangaroos and koala bears.
The players are . . .
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