After enjoying a final meal as a complete team last night the early morning goodbyes left the bus feeling a little bit more spacious. Upon arriving at the Mbale Municipal Stadium the signs were evident early on that this day was going to be interesting, not only were there some footballers warming up on the pitch there were a few stray goats grazing before exiting as they and us were interupted by an unexpected arrival. A barrage of students decended upon the stadium and took residence within the grandstand. As we thought the teachers had missunderstood 50 for 500 it soon became apparent that unfortunately they were not there to be coached by our new slim sized team. After much deliberation we established that the stadium was just not big enough for the both of us and had infact been double booked.
A is for Abstinance, A is also for adaptability. We marched across the road to the playing fields of 2 ajoining schools just as it was break time so were inevitably mobbed and enthusiastically welcomed. After order was restored and breaktime over the coaching finally began somewhat later than anticipated.
We were greatfully joined by Peter a local cricket enthusiast and coach who had heard about us and came to visit the previous day. Peter offered his services to us during our stay in Mbale which are muchly appreciated. Approximately 200 children were coached in the morning followed by another 150 in the afternoon.
We were again joined by the TV crew who captured some fantastic moments throughout the day and we are all eager to observe the complete footage. The team worked fantastically well working with much larger groups than previously coached and our absent collegues seemingly but a distant memory. Highlights of the day include Kristy taking over Maccas role of chief conductor, leading the masses in a rendition of the National anthem and other local songs. Hopefully we can return to an empty stadium and coach the remaining 8 schools tomorrow.
