Writing gig with Poole Town

5/2 - Sometimes, the best adventures are ones you go on alone and on short notice. I took the bus to Studland today with the intention of seeing Old Harry Rocks. What unfolded was a hike that took me up the coastline, over the hill in the distance and through small villages, sometimes getting a bit lost.

And I found my favorite place in the United Kingdom. This has replaced Central London:

Remember that scene in The Shawshank Redemption where Red goes to Buxton and finds Andy's letter to him under that oak tree along the stone wall? He was completely alone there. It was silent. That's how it was lying in the grass on the hill overlooking Swanage. The only sound was the occasional gust of wind across my face. It was surreal, looking over a completely silent city under an iron-gray sky, through which rays of sun poked through the floating clouds like a child touching a surface with a curious finger. The city sat next to the pale turquoise ocean, which was like a smooth ice skating rink that extended into infinity. And there were moments when the sun, like a defender shedding a block in football, was able to peek out from behind a pesky cloud and warm my face just a fraction.

There I ate my lunch and then took a short nap. It's the kind of thing I imagine Huckleberry Finn would do, with not a care in the world. And that's the thing; nothing else mattered then on the side of that hill. My mind was completely free of everything that wasn't related to that space in the present. Essentially, that hill was like a drug, wiping everything from your mind and body. And there, another line from the movie came to mind:

Get busy livin', or get busy dyin'.

As for Old Harry Rocks, I had a similar feeling of ecstasy as I did when I saw Shell Bay or when I went to Central London in November. I was like a little kid, running around and warily peering over cliff edges. You feel so small when stepping out onto a narrow outcrop to see more of the lower parts of the cliff.

7/2 - Josh, Naomi and I visited Brownsea Island today; it's another one of those places I can see from my window. It's definitely a place I'd like to explore more, but considering I caught a glimpse of one of just 200 red squirrels on the island, I'd say this short visit was a success. There are eight miles of trail on the island, so you can spend a long time there.

I had to leave early because I wanted to see Poole Town take on Weymouth in what is known as the "Jurassico," which refers to the fact the two clubs are from the Jurassic coast. PTFC won the game 4-0 in front of more than 1,200 fans, which is four times as many people I've seen there before. But it turns out football fans of either side aren't too particularly bright when it comes to creative songs or originality, or even singing ability.

8/2 - Negativity is useless. It benefits no one and serves only to drag a person down. So I'm going to choose to be positive; it makes days so much better. And instead of being resentful of teammates who are playing well, I'm going to (already started) be happy for them. I'll revel in their success. It makes games and training that much better. My goal is to be the best teammate I can be. And speaking of practice, the weather today was fantastic. It felt like Spring in that it was sunny with not a cloud in the sky or a gust of wind. Team attendance over the past two days has been pathetic, so I got a lot of run today at weakside linebacker and strong safety. I think I like strong safety more.

10/2 - Since I'm studying sport management, I thought I'd do it right and take matters into my own hands. I emailed Poole Town to see if they do temporary placements. After a bit of convincing, saying I thought the club's situation was interesting to look at from my point of view, they invited me to tonight's game where I met some players, the manager, the commercial director and the vice chairman.

I learned a lot about the club from Mark, the commercial director, as we watched the second half of the game, such as how the team was forced to relocate from Poole Stadium after 60 years because the racing track was widened. And a few years ago the club sold a player named Charlie Austin for about £2 million, which helped the club develop its current home at Tatnam Ground, which has been its base for about 14 years (Tatnam Grond is on the property of the local middle school). I also learned the club is looking to move and build a new pitch somewhere on the outskirts of the city, but it will be difficult because the price tag is said to be between £2 million to £3.2 million. I learned about how gate ticket sales can't completely pay for player wages and that's why advertising, donations, player funds, merchandise sales and other fundraisers are used to supplement that.

I also landed a writing gig for the team website where I'll be asked to write game previews, team news stories and anything else I come up with. It's unpaid, but I expect I'll get fed at least. After the game I was invited into the boardroom where board members of both teams and the referee team eat a post-game meal of a sausage, overcooked peas and unseasoned chips along with a drink. But I appreciated getting fed all the same. And it turns out one of the players from Poole Town, Max, came from Oakland, CA where he went to school at Cal Berkeley. The strange thing about him is the fact he's British but has an American accent.

But as I sat there in that shabby boardroom at a scratched wooden table with mismatched chairs, surrounded by faded newspaper clippings, club pennants and unpolished trophies from past victories, I once again marveled at the fact I was there. I somehow found myself, an American student in a very British setting, in the middle of a room with high-ranking members of both football clubs. I want to say it was a bit wacky, though I was of course a bit shy since I hardly knew any of these people. But this all stemmed from the fact I sent out an exploratory email asking a simple question. And like I told Tim earlier today when I was helping him find DJ work, the worst they can say is no.

So if this were high school, I'd be tempted to ask for extra credit for a better grade. But now it's for my own gain; being a student just gives me a good reason and excuse to get in contact with these organizations.