19th July - Tournament day 2

 Sophia:

Today we held our second tag rugby tournament in Zambia where community groups and churches competed. It was an absolutely amazing experience and I was so grateful to be a part of it. Something unexpected also happened, involving a crazy coincidence associated with some relatives. 

To prepare for the amazing day ahead we had breakfast at 5.30 to set ourselves up. Being just about awake, we headed onto the coach and travelled to Musamba football ground with donations and kit ready. My role for the day was team manager which involved introducing myself to Methodist church group and organising their teams. Additionally I assisted the pitch managers by taking in score cards and doing a lot of managing myself. Overall the tournament was a fantastic event which involved meeting some new faces. Me and my friends met the cutest little boy called Earnest, who had been helped by Mr Horrod as he had hurt his leg. Me and a few others kept him company and found out that he loved using our cameras and taking photos of us. We hope to have created a photographer in the making and it was so nice to see him smile. 

The whole tournament was an incredible memory to have acquired - it made me realise the things I take for granted in life. The kids had an intense passion for the sport and did not let any issues stop them, such as being barefoot or not having the right kit. Speaking of this, at the end we had to take off our shoes and run barefoot along the pitch which was an experience that really made me appreciate what i have. 

After the tournament I had a very unexpected surprise visit which I only found out about in the morning. My Great Aunt and Uncle came to visit Eureka camping park and it turns out they are only a 5 minute drive away. It was really nice talking to them and seeing them, especially after not seeing them for so long. I found out that my Great Uncle was actually born in Zambia!

As a whole, the day was an amazing one and one that I will always cherish.

P.S. I found a massive spider in my room and I don't know where it has gone, but it is going to be okay!

Sophia

Hugo: 

Another early start this morning but definitely worth it for the looks of excitement on the young children's faces. Refereeing, although tough at times, was the best part of the day. Being able to run games for these children who have a love and passion for the sport is the best of my experience so far. Some teams were very quick to make their own decisions but quickly corrected themselves once told.

At the end of the day we all took our shoes and socks off and experienced the feeling that the teams and kids play in everyday. It was only about a 20m run however it felt so much further and its hard to imagine playing with no shoes on a pitch very mentally and physically strenuous every time you want to play the sport that you love. It amazes me how much effort they put in even though tough conditions and very hard grounds.

To end the day there were some goodbyes to be said to the junior leaders who have aided us throughout the week as they will not be coming to Zimbabwe with us.

Overall it was a great day of meeting children and helping run a fairly large event in a sport that these children love, and a few sad goodbyes.

Great work by the students today running a tournament with 460 children. The photos are not in order! They show initiative by many of our students in keeping those children who arrived early entertained having fun with games from 7.00 until the tournament started at 10.00.

In addition when we got back to Eureka our students and the young leaders had a couple of hours together - some sad goodbyes!

There is a term in cycling 'Chapeau!' which applies to commitment shown today. Thank you!

Chris