Eight student-athletes spent more than a week in Chile in May with a professor and an athletics staff member. The theme of the trip was sports, social justice, and human rights.
They began in Santiago, the country’s capital. One stop there was the national stadium, part of which is preserved to commemorate victims who suffered during its use as a detention center after a 1973 coup d’etat. Another notable moment was a cable car ride that took them to panoramic views of the city and the Andes Mountains. The ride was “a slightly scary experience for those of us frightened by heights,” wrote cross country runner Jason Raffel, ’29.
In Valparaíso, they visited the home of Nobel Prize-winning Chilean poet and diplomat Pablo Neruda. “He clearly valued the simple pleasures: good company, detailed drinkware, and just beautiful items throughout his house,” wrote soccer player Veronica Rrapi, ’28.
On the fifth day, they visited with an Indigenous community that is part of the Mapuche tribe. There, they played a game called palin, which is similar to field hockey. “A couple of us fully immersed into their culture by playing barefoot in the pouring rain,” wrote football player Matthew Martin, ’29.
In the city of Temuco, they got an in-depth look at the local sports culture with a visit to a professional soccer club. The club runs more than 220 sports programs, all of which are free to players. “It was very clear how passionate the city is [about] staying active,” wrote basketball player Ava Persichetti, ’29.