Playing in front of a Foreign Crowd, or maybe not …

GRANADA – There are some 1,200 student-athletes here competing in Granada, Spain. Only 78 are Spanish, meaning the majority comes from abroad. Some from close by, but others have to cross oceans or travel continents to arrive at this southern tip of Spain and Europe. We can assume that those 78 Spanish athletes were performing in front of their ‘home’ crowd being cheered by their ‘own’. Tougher for the other athletes, right? Well, what we see more and more with the most recent Universiades is that some of the athletes’ parents are following their offspring to see them perform on the international scene and be that ‘little’ extra support for these student-athletes far away from home.

Such is the case for ice hockey player Kendall McFaull, a 22-year old defenseman for Team Canada. When the University of Saskatchewan student rushes back and forth on the ice, his dad is sitting proudly in the bleachers of the arena wearing the Canada jersey and waving the national flag. On two occasions today, his dad also ran back and forth in front of the bleachers waving his flag … when Canada scored two goals.

“Pride!” That’s what Kelly McFaull answers when asked what he thinks about his son presenting his country. “I’m so proud, really. When I heard my son made the team, I did not hesitate a second and said to my wife: we’re going too!”

“For me this is a once in a lifetime opportunity”, his son Kendall adds. “The feeling is almost unreal donning the red & white jersey and then having my parents sit in the bleachers to see me play in Spain in front of these big crowds.” As the McFaul’s are from Saskatchewan, the flat prairies of Canada, the scenery is quite different here in Granada. “Oh, its’ just beautiful with the snowed peaks of the Sierra Nevada”, says Kendall. “We travelled 22 hours to get here”, his dad adds. “This has been a great adventure for us”, Kelly concludes. “Hopefully, the boys can grab the bronze tomorrow.” [CAN lost to RUS in the semis after penalty shoot-out.]

Text & Photo: Christian Pierre, Press Officer