Porta fortuna

Siamo i campioni d'Italia!

Itas Diatec Trentino Volley won the playoff finals and are the Italian Volleyball champions -- for the first time in its eight-year history. We were there at the PalaTrento along with another 4.500 fans and our son was on the floor, the second "libero" and youngest team member. The city went crazy and the festivities are just settling down three days later. Quite an emotional time and now some big decisions are on the plate as our son has been confirmed for next year.

During the three game finals against Piacenza, there was lots of talk about what would constitute a porta fortuna, versus a porta sfiga. Waiting for the first final match to begin on May 1, we opened up the local paper to an interview with the club president. The title read, "We will surely win." My husband and I exchanged glances, "He couldn't have possibly said that, it would portare sfiga." We decided that the journalist must have made it up, and relaxed. Then my husband did his usual counterclockwise walk to the other side to shake the president's hand while saying only, "Presidente"-- it is their porta fortuna ritual. We won 3-0.

Then there was the return game at Piacenza on May 4. We lost at the tie-break 16-14.

"la bella" or final match took place on Wednesday May 7 in Trento. It crossed my mind that I should wear the same shirt and necklace as I had at the first match, my husband did his counterclockwise / handshake routine and we won 3-0.

Coaches are beginning to notice that wherever our son goes, teams win -- even if he never even enters the court. Last year's Brazilian coach said he needed him on the bench as a porta fortuna. As the last playoff match started, I was sure they would win (although I would NEVER have said so out loud -- porta sfiga) -- Andrea was down there, and where he goes, teams win!

Or as we would say, "he is just always in the right place at the right time."

Two sides of the same coin, one emphasizes the role of the individual and the other the forces of destiny.

Congratulations to Trentino Volley! As the team captain, Nikola Grbic said, "Whatever the result, we knew that we gave it all that we could, 100%. But it is still better to win."

a domani back in Rome,
E