Day 8: Last Training Session and Arriving to Mary Ward Centre

I awoke at 6:00 am to grab a breakfast before squeezing in one last training session before sharing a light lunch at Davis and Sharon’s and heading to Karen, Kenya to stay at the Mary Ward Centre. Davis came with a motorcycl, the driving being the man who drove Davis and I to the fields oftentimes last year. Riding on the motorcycles is often a fun experience, feeling the wind flow over your face to cool you from the strength of the Sun.

The young players keep time, getting to the field before 6:30 am for training. Mind you it is not common for these players to have a bed of their own, nor is the slum life conducive for quiet sleeping experience, and yet, they come with a radiant energy, ready to work and train to grow each day.

Clinton was the main coach for the training session, and Byron was assisting while Davis supervised, and I talked to the coaches during the activities to challenge them to continue adding layers of stimuli until arriving at play that resembles the demands of the game. They, again, showed their competency and desire to grow as coaches, we presented them their certificates, and I headed back to the hotel to pack up before heading to Davis’ and Sharon’s, this time on a crazy motorcyclist’s ride. We went off-road, cut across lanes, and all the sorts, but hey, I got there safe enough.

At Davis’ and Sharon’s we partook of matoke (a stew of plantains with a tomato-based sauce), watermelon, and the best pineapple in the world, Ugandan pineapple. The Ugandan pineapple is incomprehensibly more delicious than the Dole pineapples we are used to having in the United States. We said our goodbyes and started the six hour drive to the Mary Ward Centre in Karen, Kenya.