By David Fleet
Editor
It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Last March three Goodrich teachers realized they would all be in Paris at the same time—so hanging out for a day in the French city was just the right thing to do.
“My wife purchased a trip to Europe for us which started in Poland and went through Paris,” said Aaron Orkisz, Goodrich band director. Similarly, teachers Jason Gray and Mike Yelland were also in Paris for vacations and work related obligations.
“We decided to meet in Paris since we’d all be there at the same time,” he said.
The weekend in Paris was anything but normal.
The day after France celebrated Bastille Day a holiday that honors democracy and equality—France was set to play for the FIFA World Cup.
“We were not prepared for the World Cup,” he said. “It was crazy. When we have a Superbowl win it’s just one city—it’s not the whole country. The World Cup comes around every four years and it had been 20 years since France had won. It made this massive celebration hat much crazier.”
The teachers and families met in an outdoor cafe about five miles from the city center of Paris. They watched France vs. Croatia in the FIFA World Cup final game from Moscow with a thousands local fans.

“The city was so quiet during the game—no cars on the street, many businesses were closed,” he said. “We were not downtown Paris and it may have been a good thing too. It got really crazy near the Arc de Triomphe—there were hundreds of thousands of people in the streets down there.
The European soccer fans know their game, added Orkisz.
“Even when the score was tied 1-1 the French fans were just so confident they’d win, they never seemed to worry.”
Following the 4-2 French victory the city erupted.
“It’s hard not to take part in the celebration,” he said. “You could walk down the street and people were high-fiving drivers going by in cars. No one seemed to care that were Americans— there was just so much energy. It’s most amazing sports spectacle I’ve ever seen. In America you have football, basketball or baseball fans—in France it’s just soccer. It’s like every American major sport won on the same day here.”