A pair of current Gator soccer players –
Paris Bice and
Daviana Vaka – were among a dozen UF student-athletes who traveled to Spain for a 10-day adventure to share and explore the country of Spain.
When the flight took off from Orlando on June 21, the Gators knew of each other through their shared experience as an UF student-athlete. This trip allowed them to learn more about their fellow Gators as they traveled and shared experiences that included exploring some cities of Spain and expanding the Goodwill Gator experience to Spain.
A great start for the trip for the Gator soccer duo was a trip to Bernabéu Stadium, home of Real Madrid. That evening included a flamenco class before dinner.
One of the service activities included a wheelchair basketball game.
"I was with Miguel for wheelchair basketball and we were doing a little offense-defense. They have a team there in Valencia," Bice said. "Miguel was teaching me how to get past him and block him. At first, he was the one defending me and I was really excited whenever I got by him but then I had to turn around to defend him. We were just laughing the whole time. And it was so fun."
Several of the Gators on the trip own all-conference honors in their sport, including Vaka. But this wheelchair experience gave the Gators an opportunity to learn the sport from an Olympian.
Wheelchair basketball was one of several service opportunities on the Gator Experience's 2024 trip to Spain. Photo by Katie Park
Spaced between the various service events were opportunities to capture the Spain experience, such as the group shopping local markets for the ingredients needed for the paella they worked together to prepare for dinner. They got to play pádel, a racket sport that reminded them of pickleball. The Gators played beach volleyball followed by a catamaran trip, which included everyone taking a dip in the Mediterranean Sea. "That trip on the catamaran was incredible. The water was bluer than I've ever seen before." Bice said.
The last two days of the trip included playing the sports that were the forte of many of the Gator student-athletes - futbol, basketball, track & volleyball – with youth and then some Special Olympians.
"We worked with many children during this trip, which was a lot of fun," Vaka said. "On the final day, we worked with older individuals who were Special Olympians, which gave us a different connection and experience as they knew the sports well. It was a great way to wrap up our service activities."
The final day included surfing in Sitges. For Bice, who surfs at her hometown of Flagler Beach, she enjoyed the chance to try surfing in a different sea.
It was the first trip to Spain for both Gators and they were grateful for the experience provided to them thanks to a generous gift by a Gator Booster.
"It was amazing," Bice said. "This Gator Experience opportunity that included all costs was an incredible blessing that I'm just so thankful for."
Last year, the Gator Experience trip went to Costa Rica and the positive reactions from those participants encouraged Vaka to apply for this trip.
"I'm super grateful that I was able to come on this trip. In addition to the travel and the local events to really experience Spain, it was really a nice opportunity to get to know and learn from other Gators. This was a cool opportunity and I will definitely encourage my teammates to apply for future Gator Experience trips."
Find more day by day
Gators Experience Instagram posts from Spain
Day 1 Part 2 Video
Day 2 Part 2 Video
Day 3 Video
Day 4 Video
Day 5 Part 2 Video Recap
Day 6 Video
Day 7 Part 2 Video
Day 8 Part 2 Video
Participating Gators:
Joey Stravato – men's track & field
Akari Isaac – women's track & field
Allison Drummond - women's track & field
Michael Fiore – men's track & field
Emily Canaan - volleyball
Amaya Thomas - volleyball
Karoline Tuttle – women's golf
Annie Loehle - women's track & field
Theresa Bragg - lacrosse
Paris Bice - soccer
Da'Moni Kelly - women's track & field
Daviana Vaka - soccer
Staff:
Shandy Dawkins – Assistant Director, Leadership Development
Dr. Allison Forrest-Director of Gators Experience
Katie Park - Gators Photographer
