Category Archives: Sports

Orbea, the Basque bike company

Our daughter is growing up fast and it was time to upgrade her bike. We stopped at the local bike shop (Sirius Cycles, owned by this great guy from Panama who is one of the few people I have met that has known a Blas…) They are a small shop, but with a lot of […]

Making Dreams Come True: An Interview with Argia Beristain

I’ve known Argia Beristain for about 20 years now, having first met her during our joint activities in the Seattle Euskal Etxea. She has since moved back and forth between the two coasts of the United States and has been extremely active in promoting Basque culture, culminating in the Basque Soccer Friendly that was held […]

Today is the Day! Basque Soccer Friendly is Today! And you can Live Stream it!

Today is the day that many have been anxiously awaiting, the day that Athletic Bilbao takes on Club Tijuana in Boise’s Albertson Stadium, the home of the Boise State Broncos, in the Basque Soccer Friendly! As I write this, the match will take place in less than 11 hours. An amazing achievement, a testament to […]

Boise Basque Soccer Friendly nearly here!

The Boise Basque Soccer Friendly, the match between Athletic Bilbao and Club Tijuana, is nearly here! Originally scheduled for July 29, it was moved up to July 18 so Bilbao could participate in the qualifiers for the Europa League. The famous blue astroturf at Boise State’s stadium has been covered with lush green grass. In […]

Basque Soccer Friendly Rescheduled

So, Athletic Bilbao did not win the Copa del Rey, Barcelona did. That means that Bilbao has to play a qualifying match for the Europe League championships on July 30th and cannot make the original July 29th date (in my last post, I got the date wrong — thanks to Teresa Franzoia for pointing that […]

Basque Soccer Friendly Store Opening

While the ultimate fate of the Basque Soccer Friendly, to be held on July 30 in Boise, rests on the performance of Athletic Bilbao this weekend against Barcelona, one thing that is not in doubt is that you’ll still be able to get your Basque Soccer Friendly gear! A retail space is opening up on […]

Success places Boise Basque Soccer Friendly in jeopardy

After all of the work that the organizers have put into arranging the Basque Soccer Friendly, scheduled to take place on July 29 in Boise, what might actually cause the biggest hiccup is Athletic Bilbao’s own success. They finished 7th in the Spanish League, meaning they qualify for the qualifiers of the Europa League, the […]

Jaialdi is coming, are you ready?

Jaialdi is getting closer and closer. Are you excited? I know I am, ready to see friends and family and a few kalimotxos too. Lots of people are working hard to get things ready. I thought I’d share a few things I’ve come across as we get closer to the big weekend. The official website […]

Berriak for February, 2015

Here is a round-up of a few items I thought were notable. Inaki Williams became the first black player to score a goal for Athletic Bilbao in their 117 year history. You may know that Athletic Bilbao only recruits Basque players, players from the Basque Country. Inaki was born in Bilbao to parents from Ghana and […]

Athletic Bilbao coming to Boise?

File this in the simply awesome category! The Basque Studies Foundation, in Boise, is trying to bring Athletic Bilbao to play a friendly against a Major League Soccer team! This is going to be in the stadium on the Boise State campus (you know the one, the one with the blue field). They are still […]