110/Immersion

© P

HO

TO C

RE

DIT

HE

RE

© P

HO

TO C

RE

DIT

HE

RE

110/Immersion

© P

HO

TO C

RE

DIT

HE

RE

© P

HO

TO C

RE

DIT

HE

RE

110/Immersion

Play timeT H IS IS W H ER E T H E DECK W I L L GO. SOM ET H I NG A BOU T SPORTS A ROU N D T H E GLOBE.

SAILING: SpainIf you want to see the world’s greatest boating competition, forget the

America’s Cup and head for any of the ten global ports that host a leg

of the Volvo Ocean Race. Termed the ‘Everest of Sailing,’ the race is the

ultimate mix of optimum competition and unbridled adventure. Racing

day and night for more than 20 days at a time on some of the legs, for nine

months, teams of 11 professional crew members sail over 39,000 nautical

miles on their way to Galway, Ireland.

While being in Galway for the conclusion makes for a fantastic

experience, don’t do it without first venturing to Alicante, Spain—the home,

headquarters, and start port of the race. It’s a massive party zone; from

mid-October to early November the Mediterranean town transforms into

the world’s sailing capital, offering a unique blend of onshore glamor and

offshore drama. Hundreds of thousands flock from around the planet for the

concerts, separate small races, cooking demonstrations, and sailing classes

that are all open to the public.

I love museums. Art. History. Science. Wax. You name it, I’ve always loved

them and the stories they showcase, especially when the exhibits and

artifacts chronicle the community where the museum is located. When I

travel, such a visit allows me to become immersed in another time, another

place, and another group’s collective intellectual curiosities.

However, if I find out that there’s a significant local sporting event going

on, well, sorry Picasso, but you’re going to have to hold that thought. While

a museum can showcase the evolution of a people, a sporting event lets

you experience their essence in real-time. It’s like connecting to their main

cultural vein, that heightened energy of a raw, spontaneous form of emotion

bred from a passion that’s been passed down through generations. Sporting

events let you develop a deeper sense of community, a vivid understanding of

customs, and moments of shared laughter. That’s how I know that sports and

travel unite passion and culture, better than anything else, around the world.

© P

HO

TO C

RE

DIT

HE

RE

© P

HO

TO C

RE

DIT

HE

RE

BY J EREMY L IS SEK

112/Immersion

© P

HO

TO C

RE

DIT

HE

RE

© P

HO

TO C

RE

DIT

HE

RE

PULLQUOTE HERE ECTUR SA QUI OFFIC TOR MO VOLUPTAQUE

NOS ET ET AUT ACILIBUS

TITLEcaption for both photos on this

spread to go here

GOLF: ScotlandFor the ultimate golfing destination, whether to spectate or participate,

head to Scotland. No matter where you go, the history of golf can be sensed

in every rustic blade of grass, sea breeze, and local tavern. The pastime is

a cultural icon that permeates national consciousness. Although the exact

birthplace of the sport is unclear, it’s widely accepted that the modern game

was created during the 15th century on the eastern coast of the Kingdom of

Fife. Some 600 years later, the country remains the spiritual home of the sport.

While the mecca is the Old Course at St. Andrews, the ancient town where

the game was born, there’s no shortage of legendary courses. Two of the best

are within an hours drive of Edinburgh. The world’s oldest golf club, Muirfield

(established in 1744) is the site of the 2013 British Open—the world’s oldest major.

A more modern classic is The PGA Centenary Course, which was created

by the “Golden Bear” himself, the legendary Jack Nicklaus. Located at the

world-renowned Gleneagles Hotel in the heart of the beautiful Perthshire

countryside, the course will host the 40th Ryder Cup in September, 2014.

As with many Nicklaus designs, much of the challenge is set just short of the

putting green, with deep bunkers and hazards a plenty.

114/Immersion

© P

HO

TO C

RE

DIT

HE

RE

114/Immersion 115/Immersion

© P

HO

TO C

RE

DIT

HE

RE

MUSING: United States

TITLEcaption for both photos on this

spread to go here

The waist-deep snow flies backward from

churning haunches as a team of tongue-

wagging huskies and malamutes bound eagerly

ahead through the Alaskan wilderness. Running

side-by-side in pairs, the dogs harmonize in a

melodious tangle of howls and yips. At the front

of the line, the lead dogs are the smartest and

most obedient. In the back, the ones known as the

wheel dogs are the toughest and most powerful.

They’re towing a man and a sled on the ultimate

answer to the call of the wild, the Iditarod Trail

Race. More than a competition, ‘The Last Great

Race on Earth’ is really a reconstruction of the

overland freight route from Anchorage to Nome

and celebrates the key role that sled dogs played

in the Last Frontier’s development—they helped

deliver just about everything, from mail and food

to gold and furs. It’s an approximately 1,150 mile

epic expedition of survival and skill, with many of

the checkpoints in villages with populations of less

than 50. Run since 1973, after mushing became the

state sport, it’s a race only possible in Alaska.

The state is the world’s hub for sled dog racing

and the success of the Iditarod has led to its

resurgence. Some rural Alaskan villages and towns

have become completely swept up in the frenzy of

it, and sled dogs are now common in many places

where they were only recently eclipsed by “iron

dogs” (snowmobiles). It’s a way of life that you can

actually try during the summer at dozens of dog

sled training camps all over Alaska.

As for the race, each year it begins at 10 a.m.

in downtown Anchorage on the first Saturday in

March. The first mile and a half courses through

city streets lined with thousands of international

spectators and local crowds. At approximately

the halfway point, the course alternates between

a northern and southern route in even and odd

years, in order to both include northern Yukon

towns not part of the original trail and give some

small southern villages a respite from the race’s

environmental impact.

The race officially ends only when the last

Idita-rider safely reaches Nome. This musher is

known as the Red Lantern driver, whose duty

is to use the lantern to extinguish the Widow’s

Lamp, which has been burning in Nome since the

start of the race. No matter the time of day or

night, or if the incoming musher is first or last, a

fire siren blasts each arrival and boisterous well-

wishers line the streets. If you’re one of them,

bundle up and get ready for a big, social bash.

116/Immersion

© P

HO

TO C

RE

DIT

HE

RE

DRAGON BOAT RACING: Hong Kong

CRICKET: Barbados TITLEcaption for both photos on this

spread to go here

TITLEcaption for both photos on this

spread to go here Take a long, canoe-style vessel, 20 paddlers,

a person who steers, and a drummer beating

to the rhythmic pulse of the strokes. Add in

4,700 athletes representing 20 nations and 180

international clubs. Mix with the fervent energy

from 400,000 spectators. That’s the recipe for

Hong Kong Dragon Boat Carnival, as vibrant and

rollicking sporting event as you’ll ever attend.

In honor of a beloved ancient poet and statesman,

the Chinese annually hold races on the day of his

death, the lunar calendar’s fifth day of the fifth

month (usually early June). Traditionally, the boats

are decorated with carved ornamental heads and

tails of water dragons, divine creatures which have

been loved and worshipped for more than a millennia

in the Far East as symbols of power and heroism.

It’s a fitting emblem for a colorful sport that requires

strength, speed, synchronization, and stamina.

Today, dragon boat fever is found on each

continent and in over 40 countries, with prominent

events found from San Francisco to Boston and

Cape Town, South Africa to Malmo, Sweden.

The greatest expression of dragon boating,

however, is in Hong Kong, the recognized

birthplace of the modern version of the sport. For

37 years, the city has hosted a mega set of races

across Victoria Harbour. For a week, colorful

boats compete in six lanes over a 640-meter

course. Some events are for amateurs, while

others, like the IDBF Club Crew Championships,

are for pros. And surrounding all the sporting

action is a jubilant carnival atmosphere, with

festivities that include parades, giving gifts of

wrapped food, and beer bashes.

Although it’s terminology and rules tend to

be confusing, cricket, like all great team sports,

is fundamentally a very simple game. Think

baseball: One participant, a bowler, throws a ball;

another, a batsmen, attempts to hit the ball; and

the rest of the players try to end the opponent’s

inning by fielding the ball. After each team has

batted an equal amount of innings, the side with

the most runs wins. Additionally, one of the sports

longstanding traditions is a fair play ethos, which

still exists at all levels of the game. This unique

equation helps to make a cricket match an utterly

extraordinary and compelling spectacle.

The sport originated in England, with the first

recorded match occurring in 1646. Like polo,

it was subsequently exported to wherever the

British established a colony or sphere of influence.

That’s how it gained a foothold in the Caribbean,

especially in the English-speaking West Indies.

Except for Anguilla, every West Indie’s official

and most popular sport is cricket. Together, these

small islands morph into a multi-national cricket

titan that is known as the Windies. Currently

ranked seventh in the world, it has been one of

the strongest squads in the world for decades.

For a high-caliber cricket trip, Barbados is an

ideal destination. It’s a hotbed for some of the

best cricket you’ll ever watch, or maybe even

play. Plus, Barbadians, renowned as incredibly

friendly people, are as passionate about cricket

as it comes. When they’re not watching a match

at one of the world-class cricket grounds that dot

the island, like Kensington Oval, they’re playing

it, from boys on a beach to adults in one of

Barbados’s many cricket clubs. It’s a great way to

spend an afternoon, rum punch in hand.© P

HO

TO C

RE

DIT

HE

RE

© P

HO

TO C

RE

DIT

HE

RE