Lessons learned on trip of a lifetime
By: Justin Feil
It seemed impossible to match the hype that built for the Princeton University men’s and women’s track and field team’s trip to China, yet the actual trip may have exceeded the hype.
The Tigers had been talking about making a significant international trip for more than four years. They decided on China, in so becoming the first American track team to visit there. And for 12 days last month, the Princeton track teams got to explore the country, while also competing in two high-quality meets.
"Everybody said the exact same word: amazing," said PU women’s head coach Peter Farrell. "It was billed as the experience of a lifetime.
"I’ll be honest. I knew it was going to be 95 degrees, 90 percent humidity and cities with pollution. You get there and see the scope of this place, and how magnificent the Great Wall is, and the Forbidden City (is), the Terra Cotta Warriors (are). It’s amazing to see what these people did in their history. Your eyes are wide open. Our guides were terrific in connecting us to China. They were terrific at showing us things and answering questions."
Farrell is the only coach in the 30-year history of the Princeton women’s team. Never before had the women gone on an international trip, which the NCAA allows teams to take once every four years.
"This sets the bar pretty high," Farrell said. "It was a great trip."
The Princeton men last went on an international trip in 1980.
"We went to England in a renewal of the Oxford-Cambridge meets," said Tiger men’s head coach Fred Samara. "We went with Army. This trip was far better than that one. There’s no comparison.
"There was some talk about going to Oxford and Cambridge again," he added. "Although the trip was good, I didn’t feel it was worth the money. Some teams in the (Ivy) League maintained it. I wanted to do something special. Going the year before the Olympics was perfect."
Princeton competed in a pair of meets, one in Beijing early in the trip and one in Shanghai late in the trip. The competition was more than they expected, and even more difficult given that most of Princeton’s athletes had peaked a month ago during Heptagonals competition.
"We got cleaned," Farrell said. "We thought we were competing against Division III schools. But this was an all-star team from Beijing and an all-star team from Shanghai. Competitively, we had a tough time. That doesn’t lessen the value of the trip."
The Tigers still saw some encouraging results in the meet in Shanghai. Chad Faulkner cleared a personal-best 16-feet-5 to win the pole vault, topping the Chinese national champion and indoor pole vault record holder. Justin Frick cleared 6-11 to take the high jump and Shafiq Kashmiri won the 200 meters in 21.54 seconds. In the first meet of the trip in Beijing, Rich Stewart set a personal best to finish just behind the second-best quarter miler in China.
On the women’s side, Catha Mullen won the 1,500 meters and Heather Iatauro captured the 800 meters. Jessica Kloss won the pole vault.
"We knew we were a little past our season," Samara said. "We didn’t go for the competition per se. We wanted to make it a cultural thing. We were climbing the Great Wall two days before the first meet. We wouldn’t do something like that usually. Then Richie Stewart runs a huge personal best. Justin Frick jumps huge in the high jump. Even after 11 days, we performed incredibly well. Faulkner beat their national champ. We had some PRs in the running events.
"It was a trip of a lifetime for all of us. We were treated exceptionally well. The people I spoke with to get meets arranged were incredible."
It was hard to imagine the trip going any better for many in the 73-person contingent that included coaches, their spouses, administration, Friends of Princeton Track supporters and 51 of the top athletes bases on their Heps results.
"The attitude going in was pretty positive," Farrell said. "Coming out, it’s even more positive. Somebody had suggested it to us we go. Fred did a lot of the ground work."
It helped that Arizona coach James Li, who will be head manager for the U.S. Olympic team in 2008, used his contacts in China to set up some of the competition and some trip details.
Added Samara: "Our travel agency, Chinaspree out of Seattle, everything we did was first rate. All the meals were tremendous. The tour guides were exceptional. I was so impressed. We stayed in five-star hotels and our itinerary was so different from (usual tours). We had to train in morning and then had two meets. We did a lot of great things. I could name four, five, six highlights from ever day. Every day was unbelievable."
Princeton spent the first five days of the trip in Beijing, then three days in Xian and the final four days in Shanghai. They toured everything from the Great Wall, to Tiananmen Square, to the Forbidden City. They attended a performance of the Beijing Opera as well as one by the Shanghai Acrobats.
"Everybody, we’re just overwhelmed by the trip," Samara said. "We did so much. China is an unbelievable place. A lot of our perceptions about China were totally wrong. It was non-stop for 12 days. We got up sometimes at 6:30 and ate a quick breakfast and didn’t return ’til 9 and 10 o’clock. It’s why it’s taken a long time to unwind.
"It was a real cultural experience for all of us," he added. "We went to China at a good time. The whole country is going through huge change. Shanghai was an unbelievable place. It seemed like every day it changed. It’s very vibrant. Beijing is big and sprawling. People are really energetic. Everywhere we went, there were always smiling faces willing to help."
There figure to be plenty of smiling faces when the Princeton contingent thinks of the trip for years to come. The positive effects far outweigh some jet lag.
"It helps us in a couple ways," Samara said. "It helps us in recruiting. We wanted to do something to separate us. This does and it did. We got a lot of response from recruits. The other thing it did is psyched the team up. It further reinforced what a special place Princeton is. The school was unbelievably supportive. From Gary Walters, to Inge Radice, to the risk management office and purchasing, they all supported it. It’s important to know we’re not doing it on our own. Going to China is a lot different from some trips. It gives the team the idea they can do some special things."
Princeton will continue to remind its athlete of that fact. A banner they received from the competition in Beijing is on display in their weight room, a constant reminder of the trip.
"We’ll go somewhere else in four years," Farrell said. "It was first class the whole way. It ties the kids to the program even more. They were afforded the opportunity to go."
Four years from now, another group will have a similar chance. The Tigers have already started talking about their next international trip.
"We’ve already begun to do that," Samara said. "We have a city. We’re not going to let anyone know yet. I narrowed it down to three cities. It’s going to be fun."
After China, there’s a lot to live up to.

