Each year at the end of May, GUMIT takes place. GUMIT is an international tournament organized by two student basketball associations in Groningen. For me it’s my third year in a row to participate at GUMIT and every year I’m wondering if it will be as fun as the previous year. Well, it is!
This year Arriba participated with 9 ladies (GO LADIES!) and 6 guys (including Bobo all the way from Trier). On Friday afternoon we departed from Enschede central for a two hour train ride to Groningen. In the train our secretary Stijn already began to drink a couple of beers. But alas, the ladies had a game on Friday evening, so they couldn’t join him (yet). After the game we left for the first, Hawaiian themed, party of the weekend. With Stijn already being pretty drunk, we travelled to the Pijpenstraat where the party took place. The vibe of the party was good, and around 3:30 AM we grabbed some food and took a cab back to the sport centre. Once we arrived back to our nice and cosy air mattresses, Stijn instantly went knock out with his döner still in his hand.
The next morning at 8 o’clock the staff of the tournament awakened us. We had to move our stuff up to the stand where, during the tournament, a lot of naps take place. During the day both teams (gents and ladies) had several games to play. Some we won, and some we lost. The guys outplayed most of the teams because of Luuk and his overpowered length. The ladies had some more trouble during the games. They had no (point)guard, so Judith or Jorieke (both good centers) had to set up the game. Around 10:30 PM the last games of the day were played. Some of us already had some beers/shots, so you can guess how the vibe on the field was. After a refreshing shower and some pre-partying at the sport centre we took a cab to the second, Egyptian themed, party in the city centre. The party took place at Unitas, a student association in Groningen. Apparently we arrived pretty early and the place smelled like puke, beer and wet dogs. So we took more shots at the bar to forget the smell before most people arrived. After people arrived the party went on, and at one point all of the girls were talking to a guy, except Rayray and Jojo. Are they doing something wrong here? Again the vibe of the party was really good and around 3:00 AM we grabbed some food (again) and put some Arriba stickers at a pole on the marketplace of Groningen. So be aware next time you are in Groningen!
On Sunday the last couple games were played with hangovers you can’t imagine. The ladies became third in the pool and the gents became second! So if you want a weekend full of basketball, parties, food and fun? Don’t hesitate and join GUMIT next year!