The Smile Of A Ugandan : Sports Camp 2014

Netball

The Kibale Forest Schools Program held its annual Sports Cup. Seven of the 14 schools in the school district, came together to compete in Football (Soccer for you Americans) and Netball (think basketball mixed with the rules of ultimate Frisbee – minus the Frisbee).

Sporting events are taken every serious here in Uganda and there is a lot of pressure put on the players, schools take the Sports Cup very serious and practice almost all day leading up to game day. There is also a lot of bending of the rules bring older players in to play in football so the team might have a chance at winning.

Warming Up

The first day of competition started off with a three and half hour rain delay which is normal for rainy season here in Fort Portal. After the rain delay, we got the games going and it was a fun day of competition between the schools with thankfully little arguing. One team Iruhuura complained that a rival team Kasiisi had cheated because Kasiisi players were taller than Iruhuua players and so it was not fair that Kasiisi won. I am 5’6” and I walked past both teams and they were all taller than me so I’m not sure what they were complaining about. The footballers play barefoot and without protection and they go all in for the shots and kicks without any hesitation or fear. They are born playing football here in Uganda. The field was a slip and slide because of the amount of rain that fell earlier in the day so there were some spectacular slides, skids, and falls. I started to help my fellow co-worker Patrick out in the first aid tent which was fun. There were just minor cuts and bruises. In the late afternoon, we had a group of rowdy secondary students show up and start a nice size fight right in front of the first aid tent which provided some good entertainment for the staff and I as we waited for the wounded to arrive which thankfully was one shaken up girl and a guy who had gotten a punch to the face and punched a tooth through his cheek.

Kigarama Boy Happy To Hold The Sports Cup

The second day was a beautiful sunny day and perfect game day weather. The competition was down to the semi-finals and the finals. Nothing to exciting happened during the morning and into the early afternoon. I spent all day in the first aid tent again and really I was just helping put brushes and helping out with sore muscles from the day before. Four schools competed in both football and netball. The tension was high during the semi-finals of football and when finals came around it was a pretty exciting game with a massive bloody nose with only seconds left in the game. Kigarama Primary School won the football game and Kyanyawara Primary School won a down to the wire back and forth game of Netball against Iruhuura Primary School.