by Shawn King

Over the weekend of Sept. 9, the Greensboro College football team took a trip to Washington, D.C., to play the Gallaudet University Bison. For the football team though, this trip was more than just a road trip for a football
game. It was a time to bond with teammates and experience a city that many had not previously visited.

After packing the buses and leaving from Pride Field at 6:30 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 9, the team arrived in Washington, D.C., around noon. From there, food was provided from a local restaurant before the team entered the Smithsonian National Zoo. The players got four hours to explore the park and see all the different animals the zoo had to offer. There were reptiles, gorillas and even cheetahs. Everyone’s favorite animal, and the one they were most excited to see, of course, were the lions. This was the one spot everyone on the team made sure to hit before leaving the zoo.

Next, the coaches decided to have the bus drivers drive around some of the monuments. Some were surprised to see things like the Washington Monument and Capitol building in person. As someone who has grown up around the area and seen these structures a few times, it was pretty cool to see some of my teammates’ reactions to these things they had not seen before.

Following this, the team arrived at the hotel to clean up a bit before heading to dinner at a nearby Golden Corral. Of course, the people there were a little surprised to see a football team in the building and the workers might have been a little stressed from having to constantly replace the food, but it was more time that the team was able to spend with one another and become closer.

The team had meetings after dinner, to finish preparations for the game the next day, and soon after went to bed. On Saturday, the Pride took on the Bison in a competitive game on Hotchkiss Field. The Pride ended up losing the game 31-14 against a tough Gallaudet football team.

Greensboro College football’s next game was Saturday Sept. 17, against Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, then Sept. 24 is the Homecoming game against Maryville College.