When all else fails, you can always count on the good of the American people to get you where you need to be. And though hitchhiking is outlawed in most states, the USA women’s soccer team didn’t let it affect them when their bus broke down in Orlando, Fla., over the weekend.
In a tweet from forward Sydney Leroux, she said there were two options – wait or hitchhike. Instead of waiting next to their bus that broke down in the stadium parking lot, the team decided to hitchhike their way back to their hotel.
Hope Solo, Abby Wambach, Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan and Leroux were among those who hitched a ride from some loyal fans.
Wambach followed up on Twitter thanking one of the drivers, Carley Painter. Painter replied saying it was one of the best days of her life.
While some do not condone the idea of hitchhiking, it spurs a bigger question: What would you do if you saw an athlete on the side of the road?
Granted, if we saw any athlete whether on the sidewalk or on the side of the road, we would drop everything to say hello and help them out. But other than the star appeal, what other reason would you have to help?
In all of the pictures posted on Twitter from both the players and Painter, everyone looked like they were enjoying themselves and the experience. Painter chauffeured Solo, Wambach and Lloyd while another driver drove Leroux and Morgan back to the hotel.
The team, who has been practicing in the Florida Citrus Bowl before competing in the last match of the year against Brazil, has been in Florida for the past week preparing for the match.
A broken down bus would have inconvenienced many, however, the quick thinking of both the fans and the players makes it seem that no one was put out by the mishap.
It’s pretty amazing to have fans go out of their way to help athletes get to where they need to be, especially in a Disney-filled city. All of the athletes that tweeted pictures or thank yous went above and beyond to appreciate what their fans were doing for them.
For Painter, she expressed a lot of gratitude towards her newfound followers including her idol Wambach. Her Twitter is filled with tweets about the team and her excitement about meeting some of her idols.
