The following is courtesy of John Scarinci, York College Sports Information Director. Scarinci will be one of the staffers joining our student-athletes on the trip.

7th Goodwill Tour slated for April 22nd to May 1st

The 2016 Spring Break will be unlike any other for 16 Scholar-Athletes and 10 staff members from within the City University of New York system as they will embark on a historic trip to Cuba as part of the CUNY Goodwill Tour.

One member of each CUNY school’s intercollegiate athletic program, as well as the CUNY staff, an athletic trainer, videographer and media relations liaison will take part in this year’s Goodwill Tour, the 7th overall trip executed, with a goal to immerse in the culture of Cuba and to provide community service to people of our neighboring island nation.

“Our Scholar-Athletes will have an extremely rare view of America’s playground of the 1950s,” said Zak Ivkovic, the conference Commissioner and the organizer of each of the seven trips. “Cuba is a place which many consider to be an exotic, lively place where time stood still, with a population that is warm, resourceful and defiant. This is indeed an opportunity that very few Americans can say they have seen and enjoyed since the late 1950s.”    

This year’s trip is especially unique, given that just a couple months ago, it would not have been possible to visit. With the U.S. and Cuba opening up diplomatic relations once again, this window provided an opportunity for CUNY to make Cuba the latest destination for its Goodwill Tour, a unique out-of-classroom experience that places emphasis on our students giving back to other nations. Previously, the Goodwill Tour has made stops in the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Argentina, South Africa, Italy and New Orleans.

"The fact that a group of 16 ordinary students are going to be traveling together to a country that has been rarely visited by Americans in the last 50 years is a great opportunity.  I can't thank CUNY and my athletic director enough for choosing me to be a part of this.” stated Ashley Suarez of Bronx Community College Women’s Volleyball.

The once-in-a-lifetime trip will begin with a tour of the capital city of Havana, a colorful city, known for its Spanish colonial architecture.  There, CUNY student-athletes will get an overview of Cuban life, culture and customs.  They will have an opportunity to visit Old Havana, the port entryway where 1950s American-made cars line the streets and salsa emanates from clubs and cabarets.  The tour will include stops to view the historic fort built in the 1700s, as well the Capitol Square, which seated the Cuban Congress until 1959.  

The trip will continue with a scenic excursion to the west coast of Cuba, including the Pinar del Rio region.  The city is located in a major tobacco-growing area and is the center of Cuba’s famous cigar and rum industries.  

“When I found out that I was selected to be a part of the CUNYAC Goodwill Tour to Cuba, I couldn’t believe it.  Cuba has been a mystery to many of us.  I can’t wait to conduct sports clinics for the children. It will be lovely to see them smile and play as they learn a new set of skills that can make a difference in their life.  I'm ready to do what's right and give back to the people of Cuba.” states Carmelo Cintron of John Jay Men’s Volleyball.

Later in the trip, CUNY students-athletes will look to meet with several Cuban athletic greats, including baseball legend Omar Linares, who is considered one of the greatest Cuban baseball players of all-time.  They will also have an opportunity to attend a baseball game at National Stadium.  Most importantly, while in Havana, CUNY students will take part in a clinic for local youth at the training center and will also spend time visiting a local hospital.

The Goodwill Tour will then venture onto its second destination—Cienfuegos, a city located on the southern coast of Cuba. Nicknamed the “Pearl of the South, because of the beauty of its bay, it features many French influences and a bustling port.

While stopped here, CUNY student-athletes will tour the city of Trinidad and the site of the Bay of Pigs Invasion—the failed 1961 U.S. Invasion, which attempted to overthrow Fidel Castro.  

The tour will end with a scenic hike in Topes de Collantes—a nature reserve park in the mountain ranges of Cuba, highlighted by many beautiful waterfalls. The trip will conclude on May 1st with a return trip home to New York City.  The group will surely return home with experience and memories that will last a lifetime.