Nando Parrado's nonfiction story of survival, Miracle in the Andes, was a book I'd been meaning to read for a long time. One of those I'd never found time for, until a late Easter Break and a short rugby season opened a brief window of freetime. You might be familiar with his story: a team of Uruguayan ruggers from the Old Christian Brothers Rugby Club board a plane for a tour of Chile. They never make it, crashing deep in the Andes Mountains. For 90 days they struggle to survive. A lack of food leaves them with no choice but to turn to the bodies of the dead. With no other hope, Nando and two teammates trek over the Andes to find help: no winter clothes or climbing gear ... just some rugby cleats.
I'd known that Nando Parrado had played rugby, but it wasn't until i found myself immersed in the pages of his personal story that i'd discovered how much rugby was a part of this story. Much of the first chapter is about how rugby's influence helped him survive. In a land dominated by soccer, the Christian Brothers from Ireland sent missionaries to Uruguay and brought with them rugby, insisting the boys learn the game through the mission school because in their words "no other sport taught so devoutly the importance of striving, suffering, sacrificing in the pursuit of a common goal," fundamentals inherent in living a Chrisitan life. Nando would draw on these lessons daily in the mountains.
Another great passage captures why many play and coach youth rugby. Playing with the same group of guys for eight years, Nando says: "We had grown up as teammates, drawing from each other's strengths, learning to trust one another when the pressure was on. But the game of rugby had not only shaped our friendships, it had shaped our characters, and brought us together as brothers."
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