Bad Köstritz

Also known as the weekend where I got the German rugby experience.

My last weekend in Germany I went to a Beach Rugby Tournament in Bad Kostritz. I knew that it was going to be a good time simply because I would get to play rugby as well as get to know the team better. But all I really knew about the weekend was: 5:30 pm, Fehrberlliner Station; Beach Rugby; Tents; Bad Kostritz.


[Waiting at the station for our bus to arrive. About 30 people from the men's and women's teams]

Since it was called "Bad" (meaning bath), I assumed that it was like other places that I had heard of with the name, which were all on the coast. We would also be playing beach rugby, which made me think we were going to the coast as well. I was wrong. It turns out that we were going to a place completely landlocked, three hours south of Berlin.


[Damien making his case for why he should be team 'captain']

Meeting at the station was a surprise, too. I got there and some people were just hanging around and it wasn't until 6 when people really started to show up. With beer. Lots of beer. There were probably four crates (24 half-liter bottles in each), some six packs and a couple of bottles of wine. I assumed this would be for the whole weekend, and prepared myself for a pretty calm bus-ride.


[Team Mascot Tina, who couldn't play but got to wear a bikini instead]

The bus-ride turned out to be anything but calm. First, a team captain was chosen, who was supposed to make rules and keep everyone in order during the weekend. I realize this was a joke when Jackie was chosen as captain and the first rule she had was that all boys had to put on bikinis.


[Volker and Stuart being good sports]


[Boys on the bus, many had new, creative ways of wearing the bikinis, others needed help getting them on]

By this time we had been on the bus for about an hour and a half, the beers had been processed and we needed a bathroom break. As 20 half-naked, beer toting men got off the bus I could not help but think that there could not be a more stereotypical group of rugby players in the world. They even played a little half-naked rugby to let everyone know what our sport is.


[The men's team group photo]

We got back on the bus and things were a bit calmer. I asked Jackie if I was allowed to pass around the brownies I made, since I thought it was going to be a calm bus-ride. As team captain, she replied that I would only be allowed to serve them if I wore a bikini. Feeling as if I had no choice, since I wanted everyone to have some of the delicious brownies I made, I went and put on my bikini. The brownies were thoroughly enjoyed; I'm not sure if the bikini had anything to do with it.


[Hi, my name is Julien, and I am a BSV drinker...]

From there, Stuart took the microphone and had everyone introduce themselves. But not in the conventional way. After introducing themselves, everyone had to take a drink.

After that came pee break number three, where the team was rowdier and nosier than ever. As they off the bus, we got numerous, judgmental looks from other tour-buses that were stopped.

We finally arrived in BK long after most of the other groups and had to set up our tents in the dark. There was also a welcome-party going on by the sand pits. Even though we were supposed to be playing rugby the next day, there were lots of people dancing and drinking. I guess at this point I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was.

The next morning we woke up and I realized what a camp we were living in.


[About half the tents]

We then walked to the sand-pit pitches and got ready for some rugby, although our first game wasn't for another hour and a half. This meant that we got to watch some of the other teams play.


[The men's team playing]

We also got to see some pretty quick injuries. Ben, a Brit on another men's team from Berlin who was on the bus with us, played about two minutes before splitting his head open and getting a concussion. Volker on the men's team played a little longer, but ended up having to go to the hospital and get three stitches.


[Sitting with the injured]

The best part of playing beach rugby is that tackling doesn't hurt when you hit the ground. This meant making some great tackles. But people are still as hard, which is maybe where the injuries come from.


[Me, making a tackle against team "Pink Power." I like the color pink, but this team was just annoying. Unfortunately, we lost to them. I did rip a couple of their 'jerseys' during tackles though.]

Another great part of the tournament was the swimming pool that was right next to the sand pits. This created a lot of entertainment for our team. I didn't even have time to go get my bathing suit because I wanted to get in the water. It was also nice to cool our muscles down in between games.


[The boys going down the slide]


[The girls jumping into the pool]


[Everyone by the pool]

In the end, we ended up winning two games and loosing two. This meant that we didn't qualify for the next round, but it was kind of nice to just sit back and know that the day was over.

That night there was an awards ceremony and more celebrating. Since Bad Kostritz is also known for its brewery, there was a lot of beer too.


[Jackie, Stuart, me, and Volker at the after-party]


[The boys celebrating their 5th place in the tournament]

The next morning, we tried to pack up and go back to Berlin. Unfortunately, one of our players couldn't find her bag. We were also entertained by a player who had been looking for his sleeping bag. He would periodically come on a megaphone and say, "I'm looking for a sleeping bag." In more desperate times, he started reading all the stats of the sleeping bag, giving descriptions of it, and offering rewards to anyone who found it.


[Stuart singing rugby songs]

The best part of the bus trip was when they started breaking out the rugby songs. One of my favorite traditions from UMBC, I didn't realize that it was also something they did in Germany. It also made me proud that I could add verses and songs from songs I thought I had forgotten.

The weekend was really fun and gave me a real experience about what rugby in Germany is like. Or at least, what I think it is like. I will always be left with the idea that Bad Kostritz exemplifies German rugby until I have a different experience.


If you can read German, you can read Volker, a player on the men's team, recount of the weekend here.