Tiffin takes game to Austria

By By Todd Thompson, Hartselle Enquirer
Will Tiffin is still several months away from hitting the basketball court at Hartselle High School, but the rising junior put in some extra work this summer on the courts in Vienna, Austria.
Tiffin spent several days in the Eastern European country recently as part of the People to People Sports Ambassador Program, for students in grades 5-12. It was founded in 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Under Austrian rules, teams are prohibited from yelling on the court. Where American players often are very vocal on the court, the same actions in European games usually results in technical fouls for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Tiffin’s team, playing against opponents from Czechoslovakia, Austria, Germany and Austria, finished fourth overall in tournament play.
Showing Tiffin’s team were players from around the United States, including athletes from Missouri, Tennessee, Georgia, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey and Kentucky.
Tiffin’s first task - aside from learning to deal with the language barrier - was to acclimate himself to the Austrian temperatures. During his stay in Austria, the temperatures rarely got above 70 degrees.
Teams participating in the program spent up to three hours a day practicing before taking in some of the local scenery.
Tiffin’s group toured the World War II-era Mauthausen Concentration Camp and other historical areas of Vienna during his stay. There was also time for some fun activities, including a trip to an amusement park that featured the world’s largest ferris wheel.