Students studying at the Arcadia Center in Rome have been engaging with the community this semester in a very fun and interesting way: through sport. It’s an unfortunate fact that athletes often have difficulty studying abroad due to scheduling conflicts with their respective sports seasons, but a number of students aren’t letting that stand in their way. Several are taking it upon themselves to branch off on their own and get involved with sports teams in Italy.
Two students in particular, Morgan Paese and Alexander Martin, both members of their school’s teams, have each found a home on Italian teams of their respective sport. Morgan, an Arcadia University field hockey player, has been spending her semester abroad playing for HR Tevere, which represents Central Italy in the nation’s Serie A Field Hockey League. She will be traveling with the team and playing in national tournaments.
Similarly, Alexander, a soccer player for Alvernia University, has an opportunity to hone his soccer skills since making the Roma Tre team. And it’s not just the students who are athletes at their home universities that are getting involved with Italian teams, either. AJ DiStefano, who hails from Villanova, will join Alexander on Roma Tre’s soccer team, while another Villanova student, Andrew Jones, is playing for Rome’s oldest rugby team, RR Roma Olimpia.
In addition, several students participated in a basketball tournament organized by Roma Tre for all students, including study abroad and Erasmus students. Arcadia was represented for the first time by three teams (out of ten total). The teams were The Arcadia Penguins, Team Arcadia and Arcadia SPQR-USA.
The tournament took place on March 11 and although no Arcadia team won, they put up an impressive showing nonetheless. Despite the fact that team Arcadia was eliminated in the second stage of the tournament, Arcadia SPQR-USA and the Arcadia Penguins faced each other in the quarterfinals, where the latter team defeated the former. The Penguins ultimately placed 4th in the tournament.
The Arcadia in Rome Center is keen on encouraging this kind of exposure to Italian sport culture, evidenced by the fact that an orientation day is devoted to visiting sporting facilities and being active. They also have an invaluable resource in Student Life Assistant Chiara Baldussi, who has an excellent rapport with Roma Tre Sport and is an athlete in her own right, as she plays in a competitive volleyball league.
Sports are an excellent way for students to engage in their host country’s culture by exposing them to people and places they might otherwise not encounter. The decision for these students to take their study abroad experience above and beyond is truly inspiring.