After about a year of preparation, the Eagles are going to fly south for the winter - or at least eight days of it.
The Weyburn Comprehensive School's Sr. Girls basketball team will be in Havana, Cuba next month from Feb. 17-24 for a long-awaited trip involving cultural exchanges, athletic competition and a unique travel experience.
"I think travel is an educational experience," said Eagles coach Len Williams, who will be accompanying nine of his players and four of their parents on the trip. Among their scheduled activities are visits to local high schools, practice sessions and games with Cuban coaches and athletes, tours of historical sites and attending Afro-Cuban music demos and Salsa dancing.
"That kind of exchange is as important as the sporting exchange," Williams said, adding that the athletic element alone will be immensely rewarding.
"Cuba is recognized as one of the top four or five basketball powers in the world."
The idea of attending a basketball tournament in a somewhat exotic locale had been tossed around for some time before information from an organization called Canada-Cuba Sports and Cultural Festivals hit Williams' desk last year. The concept isn't new: the Sr. Girls soccer team went to England in 1997 and the school regularly conducts a French cultural trip to Paris as well.
At a total cost of $1,500 per person - which includes air fare, transportation, accommodation and two meals a day - the Eagles will be taking part in a total of four basketball games and several practices with Cuban teams of a similar skill level.
Williams gave credit to the parents for organizing a variety of fund-raisers throughout the year such as canteens run during volleyball tournaments, a bottle drive, a hamburger sale, a car wash, and a turkey sale.
This will be the furthest trip afield for Williams in a coaching capacity, but he admits he has no preconceived notions regarding it.
"I'm just looking forward to the experience."
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