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After 20 years, back in the USA! 20
years ago thanks to my Football Teammates that invited and
hosted me in Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Los
Angeles, Lake Tahoe, Yellowstone, New York... Now thanks to dear
friends that plays the BoardGames I love to create and
illustrate. You ask for more? Me not:) Here the looooong fly
through London, Greenland, Canada and now approaching the
Great Lakes from the north, the same water you see in last
picture:)
Just landed in Chicago at the
feet of the Highest Building now in USA, the Willis Tower.
Here with my first daughter Alessia, 4 languages girl
(Italiano, English, Spanish, German) looking for work in the
US;) All this nice
thing starts because I played American Football back in the '80
for Milano Pythons and I designed
PeaceBowl,
a simple boardgame for families, realized in collaboration with
AIFA (Associazione Italiana Football Americano) and
NFLI (National Football League Italia) which was the very
first game requested on BGG years ago by Mister Rick Partin. Then he knew
the multi awarded Warangel,
he came to visit us in Italy and become good friends. That's why
we are here now:)!
Here is Rick hostin' us in
2013 in his nice home with ALL his family, in Champaign,
near the University of Illinois, with "SOME" of his games! Of
course he is wearing the T-Shirt of Milano Pythons I
designed back in the '80ies and I am proudly wearing the
T-Shirst of Fighting Illini, the American Football Team
from here:) On the top, see
Warangel but just over my
head you find the very first contact with Rick and me:
PeaceBowl:)
Thank you Old Buddy!
The Campus of the University
is simply a dream: quads like this everywhere, stadium for ALL
the sports you can imagine and the foreign language building for
Alessia, who meet there such good people. I hope these guys will
help her to love this country. Randy, Misumi, Carolina, Emanuel,
Nora... Thank to you all! As I told to Rick: you live in a
Paradise:)
The Memorial Stadium and our
first Football Match in the US with National Anthem and an
organization that is a perfect example for a SuperBowl:)
Illinois vs Cincinnati was a really good match: the crowd,
the band, the spectacle, the feeling was HUGE.
Either If you play in the NFL,
University or High School, the feeling is always the same:
proud to partecipate. Either if you play Quarterback, in the
Band, Cheerleader... Do your best, beying a part of something
BIGGER, together with MANY other people. Like you see above.
This is the way to live.
Like this man! This is a real COACH!
Rick's dad Al Partin was a Wrestler Champion and a real
American Football Coach: what an honour to play my new boardgame
COACH
with this 91 yo guy, listening to all his appreciatements and
memories. This was a great and unforgettable night, believe me:)
Always thanks to Rick, the
presentation of my games in the Public Library of Champaign
with the dear Betsy Su organizing the videowall with my
website and everything, with the partecipations of students and
teachers of all ages.
Best way to talk about games is just
... PLAY! Together, one in the eye of the other, knowing each
other thanks to games. This is the magic thing that BoardGames
can create. Everybody here is enjoing
LovePigs-Porcellini, fast and furious game
perfect to "break ice", later with the teachers, we had a really
good time with
Assist, perfect for teachers of languages:)
Here Rick
when visitin' us in
Italy: we both are American Football and BoardGames Fans (like
MANY people I know!) and to share life with friends like you is
a great thing. We play with our families in Italy and US and the
feeling was always the same: like to be at HOME. Rick helped me
in the translation of
COACH: "I played many boardgames about American
Football but none as good as this"... His words after his
first match: THANK you Rick for everything, to you and to ALL
your family...
from me and Alessia! |
Essen Spiel 2011 with Scott Alden,
BGG founder, for the VIDEO of Assist
the game I created and illustrated that year, which is the most played in
In all of my Italian Fairs,
check how many they are:). Scott says "I love this game": ask
him, he has it:) You have to speak, interact, listen to each
other, bluff... In any number of players, an entire family, a
classroom, a team...:)
... and about teams: here the BoardGameGeek Team in Spiel 2011:
great honour to be your #14 italian quarterback;).
And with the same BGG Jersey... Here
we are in Dallas! Host of dear friend Kevin Mc Kenzie
with the #77 Jersey that in the foto of Essen is just behind
Scott:) Our daughters are with us: it was an incredible feeling
to share these pieces of life with your families!
And here we go, all together again
in the Dallas Games Marathon! Michelle Alden, Troy
Adlington, Angelo Porazzi, Scott Alden, Kevin's children,
Alessia Porazzi and Kevin Mc Kenzie: thank you ALL for hosting
us here in your wonderful city:)
Thanks Michelle for this BEAUTIFUL
shot:) Playing COACH
with Scott and Michelle was a total difense game:
they tried mostly long passes but they are RISKY and the
turnovers were outstanding:) The other match was Troy-Kevin:
a real thing, like to be in the AT&T Stadium;) And the result
was much more realistic! Scott and Michelle also played the
LovePigs-Porcellini Card Game. As for Assist,
Scott say "I love this game": ask him, he has it:)
Jeff Baker is here
intercepted on the 99 Yard line by his wife Barbara with
a "Steal Ball" Card! No, this is not
COACH: when you see 4
endzones in the same field (to allow 4 Teams and 4 Players
together...) it is the OLD and CRAZY
PeaceBowl;)
It was a GREAT thing to see these friends and their families
playing together with my games, here in the Dallas Games
Marathon: was a real honour for me:)
And after all this "work"...
Tex-Mex for everyone:) Thanks also for this unforgettable
evening all together, having the triple a normal man can eat!!!
Troy, Michelle, Scott, Angelo, Kevin and Federico ready to
devour anything in front of their eyes...
Another BIIIIIG gift of Kevin
was to took us INSIDE the mastodontichypernaturalhuuuuuuuuuge
AT&T Stadium of the Dallas Cowboys. Believe me: this thing
does not come from this world. To pass, receive, play on this
field was the dream of a life. THANK you dear friend! May the
Star-Ball be with you!
Here we are at the center of the
star, in the middle of the biggest American Football stadium in
the world, wearing the jersey dedicated to me and my first
boardgame from the biggest BoardGames website
in the World... You ask for more? Me not:) This is
simply A DREAM. And the "problem" is this is not a dream at all,
these things are all TRUE, they exist in this same little planet...
... and I have to go back...This is
the face of a man who has to come back to Italy.. Last day in
the US, watching the Lake Michigan, with the Skyline
of Chicago... As you know I am leaving here a piece of my
heart. Alessia will come back in december but I know I just put
her in contact with two new families that will help here in many
ways. Thank you all dear friends, for me and for her.
You wish to visit Italy? One of the
MAAAANY Luding fairs we organize now?
Check the 2013 Calendar and you
have a clue;)
Dear "allover the world" BGG friends:
if you travel Italy, feel free to write me: ask Rick if he had a
good time here;)
Once again THANK TO YOU ALL buddies
and... To the next!
Angelo Porazzi
anporaz@libero.it |