We are now about 12 hours before the first face-off of this years tournament, and all competitors have arrived.
The day has been filled with a lot of catching up with friends we haven’t seen in a year, some fun trash talking, and tasting of some fine Chicago cuisine. Giordano’s was the choice for lunch. Excellent deep dish pizza stuffed with pepperoni with some great friends from Minnesota.
As we returned to the hotel the next stop was the indoor pool. This is when things started to pick up.Friends from Rochester started to arrive as well as a bus from Buffalo, which carried the Brigade. The pool and hot tub was over run by the Fann Cup participants making the “normal” hotel guests turn and walk away when they came in and try to use the pool. There was a fair amount of beer by the pool, but we were told you can only carry a beer around if you purchased it from the bar. So we do the next best thing. We started using the coffee cups that they give you in the hotel rooms, so we have been drinking a lot of coffee since this afternoon.
As dinner time approached we decided to check out Portillo’s for some Italian Beef. There was close to 30 of us that went and the food was unbelievable. Dinner for two only ran $25. I would definitely recommend both of these places for dining.
Since our return from dinner, everyone has been hanging out in the lobby having fun, having some adult beverages and looking at the schedule to see who they are playing first. The anticipation is building as opening ceremonies are at 9am cst with the first game starting thirty minutes later. A lot of questions will be answered. Who will have bragging rights as the Champs? What team will be the Spirit award winners? But we already know who the winners are. The charities for whom we are all playing and raising money for.
So whether you score zero or a hundred goals, always remember one thing. Everyone is a winner in this tournament. This will be my 8th tournament, and I am proud to call everyone here my friend. Now, how many will not sleep or get very little sleep tonight?
Good Luck to all, lets play safe.
