It seems that every time a new city, a new country, joins the Monster Jam World Tour that there is a special type of excitement among the drivers, crew members, and officials representing the sport in a new land. The debut of the 2009 version of the European Tour brought the sport for the first time to Poland, and for most on the trek to the beautiful country that was once locked behind the Iron Curtain, this expansion of the sport into another new home is one that will not be forgotten.

In some ways this trip, for those of us fortunate to be a part of the Monster Jam contingent, was a roller coaster ride of emotions. It started with the natural euphoria of our arrival in a new location for the sport, which was further enhanced when we checked into one of the most convenient hotels that we stay in anywhere in the world, a facility directly connected to Slaski Stadium, and then enjoyed almost royal treatment from the wonderful hotel staff. From there it became a mood of concern and disappointment as we watched daily rains create difficult conditions for the track construction crew, everyone wondering if the surface would be conducive to the best Monster Jam has to offer, because it appeared we were about to make our Polish debut in a mud bath.

On Saturday though the emotional pendulum swung back to the good side when, a little before noon, all rains ended and beautiful sunshine helped the track drying process immensely. As that dirt work went on in side the stadium a separate pit party area had been constructed in a huge field next to the stadium, and the incredible scene of some 15,000 Poles running from truck to truck, absolutely delighting in this first ever chance to see these superstar trucks and drivers live that previously they’ve only been able to view on television was special. Those fans even got a mini version of the now famous Monster Jam parade at the Las Vegas World Finals, fans lined along fence rows in Chrozow as the entire field of machines moved from the pit party area into their staging area for the start of the highly anticipated racing and freestyle event.

That was just the beginning of one of the greatest events to date in now 6 years of Monster Jam in Europe. Virtually every seat was sold in the huge National Stadium of Poland and the fans were on fire right from the start. Out promotional partners in Poland had brought in a three member announcing team that did a great job of learning the ins and outs of announcing the sport live quickly, and incorporated it with their unique style of interaction with the fans. That combination, along with the natural awe of fans seeing Monster Jam in action live for the first time made this one of the loudest and most enthusiastic crowds we’ve ever been a part of on this continent, and the drivers rewarded some of their newest supporters with a sensational event, both in racing and freestyle. Sponsoring a truck for the first time, European company Verva had the right man in behind the wheel. The always fast Marc McDonald was on his game and was a very popular racing champion when he drove the Verva truck to the Championship Race triumph over George Balhan in Backwards Bob, the fans chanting the Verva truck’s name over and over throughout the night. Pretty much every driver delivered an amazing freestyle that kept the fans fired up throughout that competition, but it was the duel of big air and big moves between World Freestyle Champion Damon Bradshaw, driving El Toro Loco, and Grave Digger’s Charlie Pauken that had every one in Slaski Stadium roaring at the end of the night.

Then before leaving Poland the rollercoaster of emotions took a sobering turn for all of us when we had the privilege of touring the World War II Nazi concentration camps Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II. It’s hard to describe in words the impact this trip had on everyone there. To see this boisterous, fun loving group now speaking only in hushed tones as we saw the remains and learned even more in depth stories about one of the most tragic and despicable eras of human history was so impactful on everyone there. Not much conversation was heard immediately leaving Auschwitz with every member of our delegation reflecting on what truly was a once in a life time experience. Dan Evans, driving the Disney XD truck this year in Europe, did sum things up that day as well as anyone when he said “when you first go in and see this your sad, but by the end of the tour you’re just mad that anyone could do this.”

From the excitement of our foray into yet another new country, to the wonderful treatment we received from our new Polish friends, to the ups and downs of dodging the rains, through one of our biggest pit parties ever and an amazing Monster Jam event, onto our tour of history in Auschwitz, for everyone who came over to put on Monster Jam’s first ever event in Slaski Stadium we are all carrying home memories that will last a lifetime.