Over the weekend Jane and I had lunch at a kavinė in
the city center, where we have sometimes attracted a bit of attention as native
English speakers. This is how we have
met some U.S. servicemen attached to the local NATO base. It’s also how we have met some Lithuanians
keen on exercising their English language skills.
This time it was a young couple seated at a nearby
table who expressed curiosity about us.
“Where are you from?” the young man asked. “Vashingtonas,” I answered with a smile, while
Jane played it straight: “Washington,
D.C.,” she said. “Ah,” said the young
man, “I went to high school in Roanoke, Virginia.”
I ask you, dear readers, what are the odds of
that? Gradually, the young man—he looked
to be in his late twenties—shared a few of the details. It turns out that he had spent a “thirteenth”
year at Roanoke Catholic High School after graduating from a Lithuanian
secondary school, that his motives lay in pursuit of the Lithuanian national
religion (basketball), and that his year in Roanoke changed his life (though we
were too gob-smacked to ask him to elaborate).
He said that he now is now coaching with the Šiauliai professional team,
which competes in the Baltic Leagues, and which has hired a handful of American
players, alumni of top NCAA programs, such as Duke, Maryland, Georgia, James
Madison, and Fairfield University. The team’s policy, he said, is to help foreign players put down local roots by finding them flats in the city center. Hey, it’s worked for us.
I figured that a man so young might be an assistant
coach, but when I checked out the team’s website today, I discovered that we
had been talking to Gediminas Petrauskas, head
coach of the Šiauliai team, which currently is competing in the Baltic
League playoffs. “We have a game next
Wednesday evening,” he said. “You should
come.” And so we shall.
We’re looking forward to it. It won’t be exactly the same as rooting for
Nene, Bradley Beal, John Wall, Marcin Gortat, and the other guys who play at
Verizon Center—who are competing in the NBA playoffs for the first
time in many years. But it will give us
a chance to demonstrate our support for a local boy who made good—by way of
Roanoke, Virginia. And that’s kind of
cool.
While I don't know the statistics, I have the impression that Lithuania turns out some great basketball players, and teams. I seem to recall some good Olympic showings. If you get a chance, ask Coach Petrauskas why basketball is such a big-time game in his country.
ReplyDeleteHis answer would be that it's the "national religion," though he's quick to point out that his team often plays in an empty arena because it's so expensive to buy tickets, food, souvenirs, etc. Too expensive for most ordinary folks.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like major league professional sports in the US on the pricing side. But here many people show up nevertheless. Does this suggest a broader middle class in the States than in Lithuania?
ReplyDeleteIn a word, yes, absolutely. We have front-row seats for Wednesday's playoff game. Price, about $10 per ticket. I'll try to take a photo of the arena to give you some sense of the attendance. I love watching baseball on TV, and in the States I wonder why so many people feel they have to be at the ballpark. I suppose that's what the concept of "disposable income" is all about.
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