Cookouts, games, ruins and Uno

Our weekend kicked off with our first cookout. Typically on Fridays we will give the students and their teachers a shopping list and send them to the market to buy all the fixins for a cookout. This
week we had carne asada, chorizo, chicken, longaniza and hot dogs. We added some pappas and cebollas and a few other things for good measure and a good time was had by all.

Saturday was a bit of a free day. The students were able to sleep in and explore Xela, although knowing them like we do, we suspect

that most of them were hanging out at the Internet cafe. There was also some Uno playing in the team room.

 That night while both the women and the mixed guys team were supposed to play against teams from Xela (their women's selection team and a mixed team on the guys side), only the guys ended up playing because the women just weren't really feeling it (fatigue, bubbly guts, etc.).

The game included the debut of Bryan and Diggs on the court and they both played the full 40 minutes with Diggs hitting the game-winning three! The other three positions were a rotation of almost all of our players.

It was a fast-paced game with Hoops Sagrado leading by as many as 15 points at one time. Xela rallied though and evened things up with just a few minutes to play. While this wasn't the official Xela team it was still great to beat our friends and rivals for the first game in town.

Because it was a more casual game than the official Xela game, there was no one there to run the clock. Never fear though because Mackenzie, Hector and Malaika were there to take charge and run
the scoreboard and keep fouls for the officials.

Hoops Sagrado Mixto 75 vs. Xela Mixto 74 
Bryan (6P/12A/6R), Diggs (14P/8R), Demani (15P/11A/3R), Kevin (23P/3R), Renard (11P/2A/6R), Zion (3P/2R), Los (1A/1R), Dejeder (1A), Ronnie (1R) and Xander (1P/1R)

On Sunday, after a leisurely morning and lunch with their families, we loaded up the bus and headed to Huehuetenango for a visit to the ruins there and two more basketball games.

Zaculeu was inhabited by the Mam people from about 250-600 AD. The Mam were eventually conquered by the Quiche who then of course were conquered by the Spaniards and then of course Dole Fruit...sort of but not really. The ruins look the way they do because in the 1940s, the United Fruit Company "restored" them, which
basically means they covered the ancient ruins with plaster to make them look like they once did (sigh)...but on a positive note, it means that the kids got to take lots of awesome photos.

After a bit of time at the ruins we headed into the town of Huehuetenango (pronounced Way-Way-tenango and usually just referred to as Huehue) for two games. A women's game and another game of the mixed team of young and older (NOT OLD) guys.

So the ladies were less than enthusiastic about playing a game, but four of them were convinced to play and Zion a willing, ready and able fifth player. We really appreciate him stepping up and playing with the women's team.

It was a surprisingly close came all the way up until the end with the final score being Huehue 49 vs. Hoops Sagrado 41. (KayKay 6P/6A/5R, Tevanah 15P/8R, Mackenzie 1A/4R, Tee 15P/1A/11R, Zion 5P/1A/3R).

The men's mixed team played the final game of the night against the local team from Huehuetenango.

Chalk it up to a long week, aging knees, banged up fingers and the lateness of the hour, but the final score was Huehue 85 vs. Hoops Sagrado 52. (Bryan 1R, Diggs, 6P/1R, Demani 5P/2A, Kevin 9P/3R, Renard 4P/5R, Alec 2A/2R, Manny 1P/3A/2R, Ronnie 6P/1R, Christian 2P/5R, Los 6P/2A/4R, Djeder 9P, Xander 2P, Zion 2P/1A).

Then it was back on the bus for sandwiches and the long ride home. We've got a busy week ahead with classes, camps, a birthday celebration and our little group will finally be complete when Jesse and Malik arrive on Wednesday. Check back each day for more updates!

First class, first camps

It was a day of first. First classes and first camps.

Bright and early (9 a.m. is apparently bright and early for a high school student on summer break) all the students gathered to meet their new teachers and get started on those Spanish lessons. Most of the students are working two-on-one with a teacher. We did our best to pair up students who had generally the same level of Spanish. Part of the first day of lessons, was taking a tour of Xela with the teachers.

Colegio Maya is our newest camp

 We over heard one student remark that he learned more Spanish in three hours of class yesterday than he did in two years of Spanish at school...while we doubt that's entirely true, we'll keep the info about which school the student attends in D.C. to ourselves! :)

While we think it's very important to learn basic verbs, conjugation and phrases we also think it's super important for the students to get out of the classroom and put what they are learning to use. For example, we're having a cook out tonight and heaven help us, we'll be sending the teachers and students to the market with money and list. Shopping in the market is a great way to learn the language and a bit more about the culture.

The walk to camps

After class and lunch the students met with the directors of each village and headed on their way via bus or pick up to meet the children they will be working with this summer. By all accounts things went very well (well, minus a minor communication hiccup with one camp).

The first day is always a bit chaotic because there are typically so many children at the camps who are super excited to see the D.C. students, but it was great to hear so many of the D.C. kids talk about what a great experience.

Manny with his Chuisuic boys

The returning students were especially excited to see many of the children from their villages returning. 

This year we have the luxury of making sure that each camp has a returning student (except for our
newest camp of course), each camp has one fluent (more or less) Spanish speaker and each camp has one female student from D.C.

All-in-all a great first day and now we're getting into a groove. Not sure what's on tap for the weekend (our game got canceled) besides some sleep for the students, but we'll figure out an adventure and keep you posted!

Finally home!

We finally arrived in Xela late yesterday afternoon just as the rain was starting (former Hoopsters will appreciate this).

But before we got to Xela, we stopped at Iximche along the way for a bit of a history lesson, a bit of getting to know and a chance to stretch our legs. Iximche is essentially where the Mayans made their last stand against the Spaniards and while the ruins aren't as grand as those in Tikal, they are certainly no less historically significant.

While Spanish class and working with the young children in the villages is a HUGE part of our time in Guatemala, so too is learning about the culture of the Mayans. It's important for the students to learn that while the Mayan culture is ancient, there are many living, breathing Mayans today, including our teachers, the children we work with and some of the basketball teams we play.

We had to cut our visit to Iximche a bit short because the storm clouds were brewing on the horizons,

but as we were leaving, one of our students Zion noticed some of the guides playing chess. They reset the board and invited him to play, which he did. It was great. It's really great when students are willing to do things like, to break out of their shyness or nervousness about a new culture and meet new people or try new things.

After we arrived in Xela, the students were all paired up and met their host families for the month. The evening was spent eating, relaxing and getting to know their new families. Early morning reports indicate that while there are some language barriers, things are going well.

Today (Thursday 7/16) is the first day of classes and camps. We'll have a full report tomorrow.

We're here!

Hoops Sagrado arrived in Guatemala on Tuesday on time and in fairly good spirits (thanks to United Airlines, but not thanks to the 5:45 a.m. flight). We almost lost two before we even left D.C. but fortunately they made it to the airport, checked in and through security with just moments to spare. Not that we are suggesting you risk it, but it does prove that whole two-three hour rule wrong!

We wasted no time getting right down to business with a first-ever for Hoops Sagrado set of games against one of the premier Catholic high schools in the country, Don Basco. For those of you who
have traveled with us before, wowzers was this school nice.

The Hoops Sagrado Young Guns were the first up and while it's clear that there they still need to work together on playing as a team--this was really the first time they had all played as on team--they did a great job, especially considering that most of them had been up for pushing 20 hours at this point. It was touch and go, but in the Young Guns prevailed 43-38.


Demani (4P/2A/1R), Renard (5P/1A/11R), Kevin (13P/11R), Manny (2P/3R), Djeder (2P/1A, one black eye), Max (1R), Ronnie (1P/3R), Carlos (1A/2R), Alec (11P/9R), Christian (1A, 3R), Zion (5P), and Xander (1R).

Next up were the women and let me just say for a group that has a) never played together and b) has some members who CLAIM they aren't basketball players, they really came together and played an incredibly tough game against the national high school champions...yes, the national high school champions! Kudos to all of them for playing well, working together and doing it with a smile on their face. While they didn't win in the end (52-34), it was a great first start!

KayKay (8P/2A/6R), Tee (15P/1A/13R), Tevanah (6P/8R), Mackenzie (1A/5R), Malaika, "I don't play basketball" Coleman (5P/10R) and they were joined by our dear friend Maria Salanic who plays on a team here in Guatemala.

After a late, but quick dinner at Pollo Campero, everyone headed to their rooms at the hotel in Antigua and it was lights out and even quiet by 11pm!

Today we head to the home of our heart Xela where everyone will meet their families and get settled in. On the way we'll make a stop at Ximche and do a bit of orientation. It will be a long day, but it will be good to be home in Xela.

For the parents out there (and everyone else too), the group so far seems to be doing really well adjusting to their new environment and each other. There will be bumps, but considering some of the stuff that was thrown at them yesterday, I'm confident they will handle it well.

We'll do our best to keep the blog updated as much as possible, but you'll understand if it's not every day. We're super excited to be here and we hope you'll enjoy following along on our trip.

Adventure is out there!

Hoops Sagrado 2015

In just a few days we'll be boarding our first flight to Guatemala for Hoops Sagrado 2015. We are so excited about this year's trip and group of students. Let's meet them!

Waiting to get into the White House.

Returning students include Demani (EL Haynes), Alec (Chelsea School), Carlos (Chelsea School), Manny (Richard Wright), Ronnie (Richard Wright), and Max (Wilson).

New students are: Hector (Bowie), Renard (EL Haynes), Kevin (EL Haynes), Christian (DC Basis), Xander (Wilson), Djeder (Banneker), Zion (Sankofa Homeschool Collective), Jesse (Washington Waldorf), Ty (HD Woodson), Mackenzie (School Without Walls), and Malaika (McKinley Tech).  

It's a great and diverse group of young people. We really think that not only will they bring a lot of great excitement and knowledge to their young charges in Guatemala, but we really think this group can learn a lot from each other.

Adults on the trip include Bryan (por supuesto), Mindy, Deon, Malik, Kaybria (a 2009 Hoops alum), Tevanah, and Will; and Josh and Alex will be joining us halfway through the trip. Sebas is back again this year too! 

In the days leading up to the trip we've been busy with many things including a screening at The

So many basketballs.

White House of a documentary about climbing Mt. Denali, deflating 100+ basketballs and packing all the supplies for the trip, and playing a lot of basketball.

We pick up our last passport at 11 a.m. Monday (THANK YOU ANGELA) and leave before the sunrises on Tuesday.

Thank you so much to all of our friends, family and colleagues for buying t-shirts, making cash donations or purchasing things off our Wishlist. Special thanks to our corporate sponsors this year which include All Souls Church, The National Basketball Association, McDonald's, Jack Rose Dining Saloon, Toro Mata and Solly's.

We'll do our best to post as often as possible here, so check back frequently. You can also follow our adventures on Facebook (like us, really, really like us) and Twitter.

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” Mark Twain

Adventure is out there! 

Last days at the lake

One last blog post for 2014! We spent our last two and half days at the Lake Attitlan in the town of Panajachel. We like to end our trip here because it gives the students (and more to the point the adults) a chance to unwind and especially to buy some gifts for those at home.

This year we were able to schedule a game in the lakeside town of San Pedro so on Sunday morning we all took a 45-minute boat ride across the lake for the game. It's not a bad way to get to a game! :) The gym in San Pedro is probably one of the nicest that we have played in in Guatemala. The Young Guns had a great game, but it was really the Old Heads (with a big assist from a lot of the Young Guns) who had the best game. We like to call this the Jamal Coates, Keepin' it 100 Memorial Game. Stats below at the end of the blog.


After the game, we all boarded the boat and headed to Santiago de Attitlan where the Hoops students were able to do some shopping and visit the historic church at the center of town. We then took the boat back to Pana for a bit of down time before we all met up to celebrate Carlos' birthday! According to our waiter at the Sunset Cafe, it is a tradition to crack an egg on the head of the birthday celebrant and then put flour on it. I'm not sure where this is a tradition except for maybe in the mind of the waiter, but Carlos took it all in stride.

On Monday, which was our last full day in Guatemala the students spent their time trading clothes and lord only knows what for trinkets. We also got together for our last group meal. Everyone seemed super excited to get home, but also sad to be leaving Guatemala.

On Tuesday morning it was an early morning (like 1 a.m. early morning) bus ride to the capitol and the airport and then the flight home. With only a minor delay in Houston due to crazy weather in D.C. we were home and reunited with our families (or dogs) in time for the evening news.

It was a great trip and we are already looking forward to next year.

Young Guns vs. San Pedro
Daniel 2P/2R/2A
Sanu 15P/5R/4A
Demani 9P/1R/1A
Carlton 2P/2R/2A
Alec 2P/7R/3A
Carlos 17P/4R
Ronnie 4P/7R/1A
Manny 6P/5R/1A
Miguel 2P/2R/1A
Nigel 10P/2R

Old Heads vs. San Pedro
Bryan 17P/5R/7A
Diggs 18P/2A
Alex 17P/10R/8A
Malik 25P/17R/1A
Carlos 5P/1R
Demani 10P/4R/5A
Daniel 8P/1R/1A

Everybody eats...the food version

One of the great experiences about visiting a foreign country is being to taste all the new and different foods available.While the traditional food in Guatemala may not have the flair or panache of say the food in Spain or Mexico, it is still wonderful, hearty fair.

Demani and Manny dig into some of Dona Thelma's wonderful tortillas.

 Getting the students to eat with their host families and try new things while we are traveling about is often one of the most difficult tasks on the trip, but this year's group was pretty good about eating with their families and trying new things.

What better to eat at the beach than a fish, head and all?

 Because taking photos of food is what all the cool kids seem to be doing these days, Hoops Sagrado thought we'd provide you with a blog post of some of the things we've eaten along the way. This is just a snapshot (pun fully intended) of many of the wonderful meals and treats we've had in the last three weeks. 

Chicharonn and carnitas in a banana leaf? Yes please! Sorry Breezy!

The power sometimes goes out in Xela so you have to learn to cook by candlelight and headlamp.

People think I'm joking when I say the best Italian restaurant in the world is in Xela. But one look at this happy face should convince you that I am not lying.

Baking cookies is always an adventure (high altitude, questionable stoves, no cookie sheets, etc.). They aren't quite like the ones I make at home, but the kids seem to like them so that's all that matters.

For many years and special occasions, Hoops Sagrado ate at a restaurant owned by our good friend Don Otto. We were sad to learn of his passing when we returned to Xela so we made a Don Otto platter in his honor.

The Guatemalans love their bread and they make some of the best stuff around. Everyone quickly learns about Xelapan and it's gluteny goodness. This is a loaf of bread in the shape of an alligator.

While the kids have all been great about eating, they are all talking about going to Chipotle as soon as they get home. Sorry, but in my opinion, Chipotle ain't got nothing on a homemade tortilla, black beans, quac, salsa and queso fresco.

And finally, I give you Sebastian who has embraced his Guatemala side while staying true to his love for pasta. Who says you can't put your spaghetti on your tortilla?! I wasn't going to stop him.