The Dakar rally

As previously mentioned, on Feb. 16, Mauritania lumbered south for the enormous softball clusterfuck that is W.A.I.S.T. With three full teams (A Team: Pirates, B Team: Swashbucklers, C Team: Buccaneers - no one knew what a "Corsair" was), and a full cadre of spectators (the unofficial D Team: Seamen), PCRIM dwarfed all competition. So large was the whirlwind, nay, hurricane of unbridled team spirit and alcohol, that several team members from PC Senegal and PC Mali began rooting for their northern oppressors. Stockholm Syndrome is far more epidemic when the entire population is lacquered in booze.

Preston, Rob, and Gregor. 8:30 AM. Day 1.

Sam. Day 3.

Saman, Kate, and Preston. Day 3.

Team uniforms included T-shirts featuring one's individual team name, mohawks, and incredibly stupid/sexy facial hair. Sirwhal/chiya (neither of which is spelled using the Latin alphabet) were also a prominent feature. Frankly, most of us find the baggy pants/shorts so incredibly awesome that there may be an extremely misguided attempt to wear them in the States. Fair warning.

Pat. Day 1.

PCRIM plays in the social league, as opposed to the competitive league. It has taken a bit of heat for winning the trophy three years in a row, but remains adamant that a yearly changing roster and the opportunity to practice no more than twice before the tournament makes them more than qualified for social play. And while teams like Senegal (not to be confused with PC Senegal - these were locals) took the competition entirely too seriously, especially for the social league, we kept it light and airy, like a Dan Brown novel. If the fact that bottles of filthy, cheap Senegalese whiskey were passed between players during gameplay doesn't disqualify us from the competitive league, I don't know what does.

Preston. Day 1.

The Pirates. Day 3.

The social league consisted of 22 teams, three of which were PCRIM. PC Senegal, PC Mali, and PC Gambia each fielded teams, but other teams consisted of military and embassy personnel, international school students and teachers, local Senegalese teams, and our very favorite opponents, Christian missionaries. I have no idea whether the Buccaneers or the Swashbucklers actually won a single game, but it was of no importance. The money was riding on the Pirates.

Todd, Maggie, Kris, Mike, and Pat. Day 3.

I can't really build up any suspense, because the Pirates won all 8 of their games. A few were uncomfortably close, but most were easily manageable. And despite a combined BAC of 800.03%, we are proud to report that the Pirates and its fans regarded all play as friendly competition.

Haley, Kieth, Todd, and Saman. Day 3.

Zach. Day 1.

Pat. Day 3.

The moment of glory.

Victory.

More sweet victory.

Following the win was, of course, more celebration. I'm a much better celebrator than player. I blame it on genetics, probably to the chagrin of many family members currently reading this.

Me, Matt, and Kris.

Mike, Kristen, and Leah.

Caryn.

I really don't know.

Me and Neda.

Rob, Me, Jon, and Erin. Probably the hardest laugh I've had in 5 years.

So that was W.A.I.S.T. Pete "The Frenchman" is alive and well, and sadly I have no images of him in his impressive uniform. Photo credits are pretty evenly divided between me and Erin, and apparently someone else got a hold of my camera at some point. I personally have somewhere in the realm of 150 photos, and there are hundreds more floating around elsewhere. Should there be any interest, I will track down links.

As for Dakar itself, any relevant observations will require another trip. It was a short three days, during which we hardly left the fields and club, so I'll have to save the cultural experience for another time. It was pleasantly jarring, however, to be in a city that felt remotely developed.

Though the similarities between our version and the Official Version of the Dakar Rally extend only so far as the name of this post and the fact that our trip to the capital of Senegal involved vehicles, I savor the ubiquitous differences; namely, that our version didn't involve the deaths of any children. I think.