WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- The Midwestern State volleyball program plans to broaden its horizon while building team cohesion with a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Buenos Aires in August.
 
It will be the first foreign trip for the program. The team believes the exposure to a different culture is great for personal growth. The trip is also excellent for developing team chemistry by providing student-athletes with a set of shared, common experiences away from the sport.
 
The Mustangs have worked several fundraisers in preparation for the trip including hosting a high school kickoff night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum, running youth volleyball clinics with coaches and players volunteering time and the solicitation of friends and family linked to language training.
 
The team is hard at work coming up with additional ways to raise funds for the trip, but the Mustangs could use help to provide a memorable and bonding experience.
 
Please donate online at: https://mwsu.edu/annualfund/make-a-gift/index

MUSTANGS TO BUENOS AIRES TRIP FACTS

When? August 12th to 23rd
 
Where? Buenos Aires, Argentina
 
Who? The whole team, coaching staff, a trainer, plus Dr. Lisa Estrada-Hamby as translator/team mom/chaperone
 
Why do a foreign trip? MSU Volleyball has never done a foreign trip. It's a great opportunity to expose the student-athletes to a different culture. This kind of activity is also an excellent way to bring a lot of attention to the program, and more broadly to the university.
 
Why this year, and why August? Our 2017 squad will feature five freshmen and 1-2 new transfers. That means a lot of integration needs to happen to make them into a cohesive unit. A foreign trip is a major team building opportunity. The student-athletes will be together having shared experiences that will stay with them for years to come. Also, by overlapping the trip with our normal preseason, we are able to extend our preparation for the new campaign. And more than just extra practice time, we'll be able to play competitive matches while on our trip. They will help us hit the ground running the first weekend of September when the season begins.
 
Why Buenos Aires? When we considered our options we had to think about a number of things, including cost, frequency of travel, time changes, and competitive opportunities. We did not want to do a standard tour where teams travel frequently, moving from place to place. That would not have been good for our season preparations. That meant staying in one primary location. We also did not want to risk a lot of jet leg, especially returning at the end of the trip. That suggested staying in the Western Hemisphere. Buenos Aires is a large, culturally significant city with lots to offer in one main place. Argentina has an active volleyball scene, and unlike northern hemisphere locales will be in Winter and more active in their season rather than on Summer holiday (also offering a nice break from the Texas heat!) as is the case in places like Europe. Additionally, Assistant Coach John Forman has contacts from the Buenos Aires volleyball community able to help facilitate organizing the trip.
 
Trip Preparations: Players and staff are already active building up their Spanish language skills using the free app, Duolingo. This will continue over the summer. As the trip gets closer, the players will learn about Argentine history and culture. During the spring term the team has done volunteer work in the local Latino community, helping out with Café con Leche (http://mycafeconleche.com/) and its Road to College Program. That will continue into the next school year.
 
Fund raising: The budget estimate for the trip is $65,000. About 60% of that is airfare. The rest will cover housing, local transportation, food, activity expenses, local guide assistance, documentation, and any costs for pre-trip training (housing, meals, etc.). Some of the funds for the trip will come through running volleyball clinics and hosting the local area high school volleyball kick-off event in August. The bulk of the funds, however, will have to come from a combination of donations and sponsorship.