MEXICO CITY EXPERIENCE AND REVIEW

When I heard there was a rink nice enough to have a NARCh Tournament in Mexico, I got excited.

Living in San Diego for over 30 years I’ve been to Mexico plenty of times.  Driving across the border, mostly in the zone between Rosarito and Ensenada (Las Gaviotas, K38, Puerto Nuevo).   I’ve also been to Cabo San Lucas close to a dozen times.  These places are just Baja though, feels like an extension of San Diego.   I’ve never been to proper Mexico.

Hockey Rinks MX is in Mexico City.  I never knew much about Mexico City until I started to research it when this opportunity came up.  I knew it was a huge city, and I heard it was fun, and dangerous.  The “dangerous” word in Mexico is subjective.  If you’re not well traveled and you judge Mexico by watching Narcos on Netflix, then yes, I guess it’s dangerous.   Like any big city, even in the US, there are areas in every city that you should probably stay out of.

All the credit for this tournament goes to Jorge Guadarrama.  Better known as Ruso.  His nickname comes from the fact his father was a Mexican Diplomat.  He spent a lot of time in Russia.

Ruso has been bringing his young youth teams (Alebrijes) to NARCh Tournaments while playing himself.  He’s a goalie that’s played for the Mexican National Team for many years.  I’ve noticed that every tournament the Alebrijes compete in, they’re way better than the tournament prior.  They’ve caught my attention.  Ruso and Iovanni Aviles are partners and owners of Hockey Rinks MX.  They seem like best friends too.

Once we announced the event, the hype and excitement were incredible.  It sold out easily.  With only one surface, it’s not that hard.   The tournament was comprised of 4-16u teams, 18-mens, 4-womens, 4-40s.   Some Colombian Teams came up, some Americans came from everywhere, and the bulk of the tournament were teams from Mexico.

Getting to Mexico City was extremely easy.  At least the airport.  A lot of first for me this trip.  I flew out of the Tijuana Airport.  I cannot believe I’d never done it before.  San Diego is typically a smooth airport to fly out of, and TJ Airport makes it look hectic.  It was empty, and extremely easy.

Arriving in Mexico City I called my wife Tanya from the airport and told her I arrived, and all was good.  That was a jinx call for sure.  The next 2 hours would be the most hectic in recent memory.

I rented a car from Green Motion.  The only reason I did so was because it said the car was at the airport, so no shuttle needed.  I wanted convenient in a foreign land.  There was no kiosk for Green Motion at the airport.  I called them and somehow figured out that a guy would be picking me up in a Blanco car.

It was surreal.  I can’t even start to describe what traffic is like in Mexico City.  For most of it, there are no lanes.  If you turn your blinker on, you are shamed and cut off.  It’s nuts.  The rental car place that was supposed to be on location at the airport was about 2 miles away, and it took 25 minutes to get there.   The driver was the best part of the experience.  He was playing Jazz in the car and told me it makes him relax in the traffic.  We were speaking the same language.  Turns out the car he picked me up with was my rental, and we just went to shop to drop him off and fill out my contract.  Shady is the only word that came to mind with this whole experience, but I liked the guy that picked me up.

Finding the hotel from the rink was an experience I will never forget.  I usually prefer Google Maps, but they screwed me multiple times.   It was the most stressful and hectic driving experience I’ve ever had in my life.   Let’s put it this way, when I got to the rink the next day and told people I rented a car, they laughed.  I felt like I needed to rent a car to get the staff to and from the rink.   Now that I’ve been there done that, I would do it again and know what to expect.  That first time though.  I’ll never forget it.

I got in Wednesday Night and met Ruso, Iovanni, and Itan for dinner at Sonora Prime Grill, an incredible steakhouse.   After a bottle of wine and nice steak at Sonora Prime Grill, it made up for the shitshow bumper car experience I just went through.  Itan came in early to do a camp, but stayed to play in the tourney.   I can’t say enough about our hosts all weekend.  Ruso and Iovanni are amazing guys, and love this sport.

I stayed at the Novotel.  A very modern, new property that is probably nicer than anyone will stay at for the NARCh FINALS in Irvine.  It was filled with business travelers.  And this weekend, hockey players.

The tournament started on Thursday.  I was already prepared for the facility, Hockey Rinks MX.  I’d seen plenty of video.  I wasn’t going to go to a facility in Mexico blind.  I was not disappointed in person.

From the first puck drop on Thursday Night, the place was pumping with energy.  Teams that weren’t playing until Friday came to watch from the start.  If you were at the tournament you know, but it’s hard to put into words the electricity in the building.   It was like the energy of a huge game at the NARCh FINALS, but all weekend.

It’s a little strange to me that I have more in common with two guys from Mexico City than I do with many rink owners/managers in the States.   Ruso and Iovanni truly get the essence of what it takes to put on a good show.  I’m sure they put their best foot forward because it’s NARCh and the first time we’ve ever been south of the border, but they crushed.  Every little detail that I would have done if I were running the rink.

Live Stream was on point.  I have never seen a live band at a rink in my life, and "La batalla" crushed it.  Every time they got a chance, they rocked it out.  I loved that they played a lot of Rage Against the Machine!   Ruso had Spotify on his phone and every stoppage he was pumping music to keep a high vibe going.  Our music taste are similar, which is maybe why I loved it so much.   Videos playing in the pro shop with highlights of NARCh Moments.  If I had to describe in one word, it’s electric.

To be completely transparent, the rink is in a neighborhood that’s less than attractive.  What Gringos might have in their head of Mexico City.  But what’s amazing is that all the neighboring businesses look out for each other.  Besides the hectic traffic getting to the facility, you feel extremely safe at the rink.  Once the puck dropped, it was just another great NARCh Event, but with players that are more excited to play NARCh than normal.

I brought in two ringers to work the event, Kyle Dowd and Angel Rios.  They are both great officials, but also tournament direct.  Angel being Hispanic announced the awards in Spanish, which was a great touch.  Cole Jacobson, who played on the Team USA 18 Team I coached also made the trip playing for Flying Elbows, and pitched in where we needed help. 

What was truly very special about this tournament were the emotions involved.  More than a few players were in tears or almost in tears getting a NARCh Medal.   For many, it was their first NARCh Event because they struggle to get VISAS to get to NARCh in the US.  It was there NARCh FINALS, and they medaled.  Pinnacle moment for them, and it gave me goose bumps.

Having Itan Chavira there was the cherry on top.  He’s an Icon in the sport, and while I may take that for granted because he’s just like a nephew to me, it’s incredible to see all the lives he touches in this sport worldwide.   That was apparent in Mexico. 

When the tournament was over and everyone involved was having a drink at the rink and celebrating and reflecting, Itan put his skates on and went one v one with a young Mexican Goalie that challenged him and wanted some shots.   After a long week away from his wife and young son and friends around him celebrating, I can’t think of another high-profile guy in the sport close to his age that would put his skates back on and do that.   He gives back more than anyone I know.   That young goalie will never forget that experience, and probably have nightmare from a few of the moves.

After the event I got to experience some amazing things away from the rink, visiting the National Museum of Anthropolgy, Museo Soumaya, and Teotihuacan.  I got my moneys worth thanks to Ruso the tour guide.

It's hard to imagine this event being better the next time we’re there, but I have a feeling it somehow will.   With one rink, we’re limited on teams that can participate.  My thought is to do it over two weekends and include youth divisions, but we’ll see.  One thing is for sure, we’ll be back to Hockey Rinks MX next year.