Some “dwarfs” kick the oval on the main pitch in front of the posts, while others, not too much older, jump onto the steps ready to dismantle everything that was Rugby Festival – starting with the banners – and served to erect for three days this city in the city where the foundations have names like “soul”, “heart”, “air”, “freedom”, “memory”, “friendship”, “future”, “passion”, “love”, “rules” , “young”. Soul and hearts that can be breathed in the air and are enclosed in the gigantic oval that points towards the sky with the name of Gianmario Rossi, the god of the Festival and of Rugby Varese, as well as Aldo Levi and all the “rugby players” who ” they never die.” “At most they pass the ball.” And they do it with that freedom and that friendship which, following the rules of respect for teammates and others, makes you young or, simply, makes you experience everything at “101%”, the other number that encompasses the Rugby Festival. This is the thanks of Varese and the people of Varese who leave their hearts in these parts every year: thanks to the Rugby Festival and to those who organize it.
Thank you Rugby Festival because on this lawn we have all held someone else’s hand, a son, a father, a love, a pain, a memory, a dream and we did it because you have always welcomed us with open arms, free of charge, without asking us anything in exchange but only giving us a place where we can feel free to be who we are with whoever we want.
Thank you because here you make us discover that the people of Varese are also smiling, altruistic, generous, they “pass the ball” by Gianmario, finding their friends and, almost, the smell of their “sea” and “mountain”, also due to the presence of tents on the lawn where the tournament players sleep at night. Here the people of Varese form a group, from the first citizen to the last, because there is no barrier and, indeed, if there is one he falls quickly, obviously thanks to a mug of beer (eco-sustainable, it goes without saying).
Thank you because the first ones in action on Sunday morning to set up the stands and pitch once the party is over are the children and teenagers, just as the very young are the ones who welcome you to the kitchens or who are the protagonists of the evenings: there is no other place in Varese where the real ” adults”, for three days, are the young people.
Thank you because here you can arrive in slippers, perhaps even in your underwear which, by tradition, at the time of the awards ceremony on Sunday, you may even have to take off. Because here you are naked, you are what you are and no one judges you for what you are not. Because you make us feel like a little piece stuck in something bigger.
Thank you to remind us every year that summer has really begun. And thank you for becoming so unique and great with the power of passion.
Thank you because it teaches us that everyone has their own task, whether small or large, like the 200 volunteers and, among these, there are also those who signed up to leave the hospital after a serious health problem so as not to be missing. It is he, the number 1 volunteer who is impossible to stop, to whom thanks of all thanks go.
Thank you to Gianmario Rossi, to Aldo Levi, to the Sacchetti brothers, but also to Alfredo Margherini who continues to be present among the tables of the party in the spirit of his Barbara, who never gives up, like he did.
Thank you because the social award ceremony for the Sirio Pari team man and the best player Luca Perin, and the one that awarded the legendary golden oblong to Marco Talacchini, who more than anyone else this year stood out for his help to Rugby Varese, they told us once again that despite a muddy field, the storms and the cold of these days, there is always someone ready to warm us up and “clean up” everything.
Thank you to Donald who, having arrived from the Ivory Coast at Rugby Varese and then moved across the border to work as a cheese refiner, arrived at the Festival in a minibus from France with his teammates to play the sevens tournament. Obviously, bringing his products with him and preparing fondue for those who raised him.
Thank you because the only noise that, here, drowns out all the other noises is that of the hearts of the young people of Varese: who else makes them beat in this city?
Thank you Festa del Rugby and Rugby Varese for giving us, once again, 101%. This is the (not anonymous) letter from everyone who recognizes you.
