If you live for NFL Sundays, for the adrenaline, the courage, the danger, and the skill of hard-core pro sports… then you’ll love the sporting events in Panama. Close to Isla Palenque you can find the manic crowds, competitive spirit, and action you crave. We took a road trip to check out a few of these cultural endeavors.
Horconcitos Sunday Soccer
Most towns in the area have their own soccer teams, and each town’s team competes in a regional league. Every Sunday, teams face off against one another in Horconcitos, a village roughly 20 minutes up the road from Boca Chica. The neighboring communities come along to support their teams. Granted, two small towns cheering around an undersized soccer field isn’t what you’d find on a typical gameday in the United States. There aren’t elaborate half-time shows or huge electronic billboards flashing commercial advertisements, but the intensity of the rivalry matches any pro-sports event back in the U.S. The locals cheer and socialize, one minute casual spectators, the next minute high-energy fans. They make your experience attending one of these Sunday face-offs both invigorating and relaxing.
We watch Boca Chica, essentially Isla Palenque’s home team, play against David. As the players take their positions on the field, Aris tells me to kick the ball off to the goalie, which is like throwing the ceremonial first pitch at a baseball game. I laugh and ask, “En serio [are you serious?]“ Then Boca Chica’s goalie motions for me to come over. Sure enough, I walk up to the center mark in my flip-flops, surrounded by the players and referees, and kick the ball into the goalie’s hands to begin the game. I felt so honored to start this game off and was taken completely by surprise at the invitation.
The game is full of action: players leap into the air for the header, the goalie recklessly dives to make the save. Even if the advertisements and the cheerleaders were missing, the event didn’t lack for one basic element of the U.S. sports-watching experience: concessions. Good luck finding a stadium in the States where you can get a full meal and a Coke for just over a buck. Hojaldras for 15 cents, empanadas for a quarter, soda and beer for 50 cents. Not a bad way to enjoy a Sunday afternoon.
Regional Rodeo
Many communities across Panama have their own rodeo teams, and several of them meet in Guhaca for the regional championships. The town lies up the road midway between Boca Chica and David. One of its narrow streets opens to a large clearing with green pastures and a stadium where the rodeos take place. We saw four teams compete for the Oriente title; the winner goes on to the national championship.
The scene unfolds in true Latin-infused Western fashion. All the riders sport boots, blue jeans, and a cowboy hat, and each dons a custom cowboy shirt with their name, team name, and jersey number on the back. Fans line the stadium: a rectangular dirt field with bleachers on one end. Vendors sell delicious local favorites for less than a dollar, and beers go for 65 cents.
The object for the cowboys: lasso the cow running away from you as fast as possible. Members of each team go against each other, one on one. The matchup is similar to penalty kicks in soccer, with one representative from each team going at a time. Officials record how long it takes each cowboy to lasso the cow, and the team with the lowest total time wins.
There may not be any bucking bulls like you’ll see in other rodeos, but the competition is exciting to follow. Most cowboys get it first try, stopping the cow so fast that its head jerks back and it does a full 180 in the air. Those who don’t get it straight out, however, have to chase down the cow, which causes an uproar in the stands. The crowd goes nuts with every rider, banging rocks against the bleacher supports to make their din even louder. The competition kicks into higher gear when it starts raining and the cowboys lose some of their control. Competitors slip up left and right, cowboys missing throws, and cows jumping all the way through lassos. As for you, you’ll be riding the exciting feeling for the rest of the day!
TAGS: Chiriqui Culture Do & See Isla Palenque Island Intern Must Read Panama Panama Do & See
