Tenerife went crazy when local football team CD Tenerife broke through into the first division.  Having finished the 2008-9 season in third place in the second division their breakthrough to the premier league in June this year after a seven year absence was heart-stoppingly exciting.  It was as if the whole island had won the lottery. There was dancing in the street, flag waving, lakes of celebratory beer and wine and car horns tooting through the night.

Of course, getting back into the premier division is only the first step on a very steep ladder  but CD Tenerife fans can keep an eye on the competition via Sportal Maps – a clever mash up of Microsoft Virtual Earth, Google maps and Google street view which provides a pretty unique look at sports facilities around the world. Football is one of the topics and there is also Nascar, Forumla 1 and 360 degree views of international stadiums.

Once on the site you can manipulate the images in several ways and come up with some excellent views. This is a part map, part 3d shot of the CD Tenerife stadium. Although you might not see it on the  screen shot, the view is close enough to see players in action on the field (still shots).

You can choose to see 2D, 3D, arial, bird’s eye or with labels – all of it a very cool and clever use of web services. You can click through on the picture to get to the CD Tenerife page on SPortal and have a fiddle.

It is not only Spanish Premier league home grounds you can spy on either. Look up the English and Scottish first league teams, Germany, France and more.

Was there anybody breathing in Tenerife on Saturday who was not aware that the island’s beloved CD Tenerife football team had at long last broken back through to the first division?

There was no mistaking who won the game. Beaming faces shone from every cafe and bar and the sea of white on blue saltire flags would have confused any merry Scotsman out for a wee pre-dinner drink. My kids were bemused but delighted with the eccentric behaviour of even the most elderly and sedate of their neighbours with Sami noting scornfully that one roly-poly young man draped in a Tenerife flag  made a rotten Superman.

As cars passed blaring triumphant horns and dangling triumphant young men from every window it was lovely to see the sheer exuberance of the supporters. Coming from a place and time where football was often a poor excuse for bloodshed it was just brilliant to see all that celebrating with no undertone of bigotry or violence to come.

I think it is in the first of James Herriot’s books after he is hoiked into the air by a rolling-eyed Clydesdale that he is told by an old Scotsman, “Dinna mess with things ye ken nothin’ aboot.” Great advice that I should  taken more often in my life so with that in mind here are a number of sites you can find information about Tenerife Football which is something I ‘ken nothin aboot.’

Armada Sur (Southern Army)
CD Tenerife Supporters Club

Colin Kirby CD Tenerife
As a freelance writer Colin covers all kinds of Tenerife related topics but none closer to his heart than CD Tenerife.  Its a fair bet that someone who says ‘…’CD Tenerife may not be your first love but they can always be your mistress.’ probably has a good idea what’s going on in the Tenerife field of football.

(Photo by Nikki Attree of Tenerife Photography)

If you have ever wished that you could fly, if maybe as the plane banks over Tenerife, that you could just take over the controls and bring it in to a safe landing all by yourself, well now you can. Virtually.

Here is a review of Sim Giant’s Canary Islands Flight Simulator which they created because they said, “…it is wonderful pretty area with lot of tourism visiting this place.”

(A darkly cynical voice inside me wonders if it is also because Rodeo Airport Tenerife North is the location of the Pan AM / KLM collision which remains one of the worst airline disasters in history – only superceded by the toll of airplane related casualties suffered on September 11 2001).

Reviewer Bill Stack notes that features include:

• Detailed renditions of Tenerife North airport (GCXO), Fuerteventura Airport (GCFV), and El Hierro Airport (GCHI)
• Highly detailed scenery of the airport and its near surroundings
• Realistic runway and taxiway lighting
• All navigation systems
• Vehicular traffic on all major roads
• Numerous static and dynamic scenery objects
• Full night textures and night-lighting effects
• High resolution mesh terrain

Bill should know. He is the author of several books about flight simulation, a regular author in flight-sim magazines, and a contributor to Flight Sim Com. His website is www.topskills.com.

We are only weeks away from The Tall Ships Challenge which I first posted about back in February but apparently according to The Royal Gazette there are still places on board for intrepid whipper-snappers:

The Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge 2009 still has trainee berths available for persons aged 15-30 wanting to take part in a historic 7,000 nautical mile journey across the North Atlantic.

I’m gob-smacked. I would have thought all the positions would have been snapped up ages ago. Desn’t it seem like a wild and romantic, once-in-a-lifetime kind of opportunity to you? Setting off across the Atlantic with the wind in your hair and your heart a-pumping. Sigh.

Kate Winslett would have had nothing on me 15 years ago let me tell you.

Should anyone feel the urge to throw caution to the wind and get to grips with some rigging, then Tall Ships Bermuda is the place to apply.

If you are at all a follower of football and live in Tenerife, you have either read Colin Kirby’s scribblings on the subject or seen him cheering his team on to glory in the stands. Colin is a freelance writer who covers many of Tenerife’s attractions and distractions on his informative blog as well as posting about his first love – football.

In his latest post on the subject Colin is as excited as a new father on the birth of the Armada Sur footie fanzine.

Every day at more or less the same time I can hear rhythmic music from the park out at the front and I know that the local kids are practising capoeira out there under a large shady tree. Combining music and movement, tradition, rhythm, folklore, art and harmony into one overall philosophy, capoeira teaches not only self-defense but also respect for oneself and others, racial tolerance and the benefits of healthy diet and fitness. Listening to the music I know that the kids who are practising their moves out there are not the same ones that will be hanging out round the corner smoking and getting into trouble in the evening.

If you have an active child and are looking for something to occupy him or her then you might want to consider the Terra Firme Canarias capoeira lessons which are subsidised by the ayutamientos of San Miguel de Arona, Guia de Isora and Arona council.

The Terra Firme Canarias Association was established by César Barreto in 2007. As a young boy in Tenerife, César was captivated by the performance of a capoeiria master he saw in a movie. That was the start of a journey that would eventually take him to Brazil to learn the art of this Brazilian traditional fighting skill from internationally recognised Maestre Hulke and in time receive his own capoeira title, ‘Instructor Pescador’ from his teacher.

Capoira Classes are held:

Ayuntamiento San Miguel de Abona (Concejalia de Deportes)
Barrio de Guargacho – Colegio el Monte
Tues & Thurs:  18:15 to 19:45 hrs

Ayuntamiento Guia de Isora (Concejalia de Juventud)
Barrio del Fraile, Centro  Juvenil del Fraile
Wed & Fri: 18:00 to 19:45 hrs

Ayuntamiento de Adeje (Concejalia de Deportes)
Barrio de Los Olivos, Complejo de Deportivo Las Torres
Mon & Wed: 16:00 to 17:30 hrs

Academia de Arte Marciales ACAD
Los Cristianos, near the bus station
Tues & Thurs: 18:30 to 20:00 hrs

Academia de Danza
Barrio de Los Olivos, Adeje
Friday: 16:30 to 17:30 hrs

As far as I know these classes are free as they have been  subsidised by the various councils mentioned but you can contact the Terra Firme Canarias Association yourself to confirm that and class schedules. You might also want to ask about demonstrations as Instructor Pescador and his team can often be seen at festivals or shows.

Contact Details:

Website: Terra Firme Canarias
Email: terrafirmecanarias@hotmail.com
Tel: 696219518 or 638579432

Capoira – Martial Art or Dance?

Imagine dozens of tall sailing ships gracing the coastline of Tenerife as they arrive from Vigo, Spain, the starting point of The Tall Ship Atlantic Challenge 2009. These beautiful vessels will be in Tenerife from 14th to 17th of May preparatory to setting off on a 26 day sail to Bermuda. There, they will help celebrate and mark the 400th year anniversary of the settlement of Bermuda before heading off to Charleston, Boston and Halifax before setting sail across the great Atlantic again for the final leg of their journey which will see them make port at Belfast, Ireland in August 2009.

At the time of writing 23 sailing ships have entered the race from countries as diverse as UK, Uruguay, Netherlands, Bermuda, Russia, France, Germany, Belgium and the US. Those on the liked page that still have active email links are looking for trainee crew members. Wow. That could be you.