Coaching for HOPE! Session 1

1.22.07 CFH BF Day 1

We arrive at the stadium at 7:30 am. I greet Roma and Kaba and a few of the new coaches who have already shown up. There is a group of men setting up the tents and our equipment has been unloaded onto the field. Without seeing anything else to do, I begin to set up the goals we have had made. The white paper with “Coaching for Hope” and ADIDAS alternating on the cross bar shines bright against dry grass in the early morning sun. As the coaches trickle in and wander around the area, I greet them and try out my new handshake- the burkinabe way. At the end of a short strong shake, I curl my first two fingers just barely, and put a little resistance against theirs so that when we finish, my fingers snap back into my palm. If it is done right, it sounds like I have just snapped my own fingers and I get a glance of appreciation and a smile, or the louder ohhhhhhh, the all purpose Burkinabé sound: full of laughter and surprise. It is a sound that fits these people well.

The day officially starts with a small greeting and introduction by the UK coaches, and then the session is handed over to the local senior coaches who have been chosen to run all the sessions. My desire to see immediate success in the program conflicts with my desire to see it sustainable and handed over to the locals. I must admit that at first I was skeptical; it’s hard to let go of the perception that I could offer guidance or help to make the process more efficient or effective. Standing by, watching people roam around without seeming to get the coaching sessions started, I itched to do something- anything. I think we all (especially myself and the UK coaches) felt a little disconcerted to let go of the reins. My ideas about how I’d like to see things work were being blown away into the dust and I was being asked to stand around and watch it happen.

By the end of the day, that perception had changed drastically. I went from hesitance and frustration to wonder and appreciation. I watched the senior coaches as they led the new coaches in drills. I listened to the easy, joking laughter and horsing around. I watched each group begin to develop a dynamic among themselves, and through all this, I saw greater confidence glimmer in the eyes of the leaders. By the time they came in for a break and the HIV/AIDS training session all the groups seemed to have meshed and the senior coaches had stepped beautifully into the roles of leadership. They cooperated and supported each other, working easily as a team.

The HIV/AIDS training session boosted my confidence in the process even more. I sat and listened to one of them, loving the chance to see each person discussing their views, the leaders accepting and facilitating smoothly. I could not imagine a better way to do it.

In the afternoon, my excitement cup spilled over as I watched several of the new coaches take a group of 50 students at the Collège St. Christophe for a football training session. Each took their group through a set of drills and led their students with ease. This time, it was the new coaches, bringing what they had learned in the morning session into their work with the kids at school.

Going to a school made me feel like a celebrity. My white skin, my different accent, everything I said or did attracted the attention and adoration of the students. I had boys rapping to me, girls asking for my address, I felt constantly surrounded by a mass of bright faces, grinning into mine. Though it was quite and ego boost to feel sought after, this experience paled in comparison to the joy I experienced watching the senior coaches lead HIV/AIDS sessions and watching the new coaches run drills in the soft dusty schoolyard. This day has shown