Coach Flip Naumburg's Journal

Friday, June 4, 2004

TRAVELS WITH FLIP

On Saturday, May 29, 2004 I embarked on a journey. With10 thousand miles already behind me, I have way over 10,000 more to go. The start of it all wasn't exactly the way it had been typed up on the old itinerary, but what else would I ever expect for and from me? As I write this I am in Edogawa, a "borough" of Greater Tokyo. It is Friday night. Somewhere around 10:00. In Fort Collins it is 7:00 this morning.

There is no need for me to embellish the sequence of events that brought me here with hyperbole. The record speaks for itself.

The plan began by having me go way out East for my niece Tahlia's graduation from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine before I would be off to Asia via California, where I would meet up with the USA West Lacrosse Team. First we would fly to Japan, and then later we will move on to China. We are to be gone for a total of more than three weeks.

GET OUTTA DENVER BABY (Bob Seger)

Last Saturday I was to depart from Denver at 1:25 in the afternoon. We loaded up. I was in the very last row, which, of course, does not recline. We headed for the runway where we would end up sitting for two hours with our electronic devices off and our seats and tray tables in more or less their upright and locked positions. Lightning had grounded us. Nobody was taking off at DIA.

ON THE WHOLE I WOULDN'T RATHER BE IN PHILADELPHIA

Eventually we left, and eventually we arrived in Philly. Unfortunately it was 10 minutes after my connecting flight had left for Portland, Maine. It was the last one of the day. The airline didn't hold anyone's connections, including those flying internationally. I try not to bag on airlines (No, wait. Yes I often do like to bag on airlines), but this was only the beginning of my trials and tribulations with a certain airline that uses the same first letters used by the team I am here to coach (USA).

This trip to Maine was logistical lunacy to begin with, but now it was becoming more than that. I was only to be in Maine for less than 48 hours in the original cut it close, but I cannot miss Tahlia's graduation plan. Now I would end up spending the night in Philadelphia at the Ramada Inn at the Ghetto, without my luggage of course, and now the 48 would be down to 24 at best.

SUNDAY, SUNDAY, SUNDAY (drag racing announcer)

Again I was placed in the very back row for the flight to Portland, ME. I arrived on the Bates college campus early Sunday afternoon. My brother in law Stuart came to pick me up in Portland and drive me up to Lewiston. I took in the afternoon Bates Baccalaureate (see dictionary) under crystal clear New England skies. Later we ate and we danced. The DJ was pretty much like something out of Old School, the movie. At one point I was actually doing "The Twist". He played songs that no one has EVER discoed to (Grateful Dead, etc.), but that's okay. Big fun was being had by all. I partied hearty and I almost made it to the almost witching hour of11:00. I had no help. I was on my anti-jet lag diet that includes neither caffeine nor alcohol. I am such a party animal that the only phrase my mother had to say to me was, "I'm ready to go", and we were out of there (party) like we were shot from a gun. She (mother) is 80 years old. What is my excuse?

All the Bates graduates stay up all night the night before graduation and drink beer supplied by the school. I am not clear why they do this, but it is a tradition of some sort. For a school that purposely has no fraternities or sororities this seemed somewhat out of character to me.

AND THEN ALONG CAME MONDAY

After graduation Monday morning (Memorial Day), I packed up and left so I could get back down theyah to Poughtland and get on my 5:20 afternoon flight to San Francisco, where I would meet up with the team and leave the next morning (Tuesday) for Japan.

A FUNNY THING (s) HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE ORIENT

I got to the airport with way more than plenty of time to spare, only to find out within the first half hour that Philadelphia (my connecting point) had been closed because of the inclement weather there. Doesn't this stuff just happen during the winter? Rain in May in Philadelphia doesn't seem like it should be that much of a shock to the system.
I went to whine to the ticket person, but she quickly put me somewhat at ease by placing me in the last seat available (that's right, the BACK ROWWW) on a flight to Pittsburgh, which was to leave within minutes. I would connect to San Francisco from there.

When we got to Pittsburgh I remained in my seat. I had a good view of the conveyor belt taking bags from the belly of the plane. Given that I was going to be in "Baghdad by the Bay" for only about 12 hours before leaving for Japan, I had already gotten a little panicky about the possibilities of my luggage not being in perfect harmony with my movements. Finally the two bags came out of the plane together, like teammates, and once again my heartbeat slowed with a (false) sense of security. I had time to kill. They have a whole mall right there in the airport. I watched a DVD on my Power Book laptop instead. Now this thing (laptop DVD capabilities) makes for a very cool travel companion.

I LEFT MY BAGS IN SAN FRANCISCO

My flight arrived in San Francisco at about 10:00 p.m. P.D.T. My bags did not. I was beside myself. What could have happened? I was off to customer service one more time. What had occurred was that somehow they had been only checked the luggage to Pittsburgh. They would arrive on the first plane in the morning (Kate, my travel agent, is going to get a good yuck out of this). Our USA West team would leave for Tokyo at 11:50 a.m. The bags would arrive just after noon. Timing is everything, eh?

I got on the phone first thing in the morning. I listened to elevator music for 13 minutes. I asked the lady who finally answered how would I get my bags to Japan? Oh, it would be no problem I was informed. They would stick my wayward sons (luggage) on another airline that does fly to Tokyo, and someone would just deliver them to my hotel. Now I was beginning to feel a little less trusting of all that I was seeing and hearing. The first thing that came into my mind was the word, "customs". There was no way it was going to be that simple.

BUSINESS CLASS, THE ONLY WAY TO FLY

The 11-hour flight was nice, maybe even enjoyable, if it weren't for the suitcase thing that gnawed at me. I am nothing without my Super Blue Green Algae, Vioxx, Prevacid, etc. Taking this no vitamin thing was a jagged little pill for me to swallow.
It never got dark during the entire flight, and we arrived in Tokyo during the middle of the day, except that, of course, it was now tomorrow afternoon. We were met at the airport, and warmly greeted by a group from the Japanese Lacrosse Association. It was hot and muggy, just like Philly had been.

I AM TOKYO JOE

To make a long story only slightly shorter I eventually got my stuff late Thursday night. I had been luggage free for almost 5 calendar days (I think it was only 4 actual days). We have Japanese hosts, and Takashi eventually took care of it for me. I had to fill out forms confessing that I somehow messed up, but he got it done. I wasn't sure why exactly it was my fault, but when in Japan… I would have done anything at that point to just see my Omegasan sun algae one more time. I gave Tak a Rock-it Pocket for his efforts.

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