In 1963, American Peace Corps volunteers introduced softball in Botswana



In 1963, American Peace Corps volunteers introduced softball in Botswana

The softball pioneer

LEKOPANYE MOOKETSI
8/26/2004 12:59:29 AM (GMT +2)

[Excerpt]

ONE of the pioneers of softball in Botswana, Andrew Mokoto is still following the game with keen interest. While most people would talk football, softball is the sport he relishes most. Mokoto started to play softball when he was still schooling in South in the early 1960s.


He recalls that in 1963, American Peace Corps volunteers introduced softball in the then Bechuanaland schools.

After completing school, Mokoto and some students from St Joseph’s College teamed up to form a club that was to be known as Vikings. It was the first softball club in the country. Some of the club’s founding members included the late Reuben Boikanyo, Patrick Kgoadi and Marx Gilika.

Since there were no other local clubs, Vikings could only play friendly games against St Joseph’s College. The first game was a disaster. “There was a lot of confusion. After batting, a guy would run to the third base instead of going to the first base. We didn’t have gloves, so we played bare-handed,” he says about the formative days of the sport in the country.

Later, more clubs were formed. “At the time we needed three clubs to form an association,” says Mokoto.

When this story was prepared, here was the front page of PCOL magazine:

This Month's Issue: August 2004 Teresa Heinz Kerry celebrates the Peace Corps Volunteer as one of the best faces America has ever projected in a speech to the Democratic Convention. The National Review disagreed and said that Heinz's celebration of the PCV was "truly offensive." What's your opinion and who can come up with the funniest caption for our Current Events Funny? Exclusive: Director Vasquez speaks out in an op-ed published exclusively on the web by Peace Corps Online saying the Dayton Daily News' portrayal of Peace Corps "doesn't jibe with facts." In other news, the NPCA makes the case for improving governance and explains the challenges facing the organization, RPCV Bob Shaconis says Peace Corps has been a "sacred cow", RPCV Shaun McNally picks up support for his Aug 10 primary and has a plan to win in Connecticut, and the movie "Open Water" based on the negligent deaths of two RPCVs in Australia opens August 6. Op-ed's by RPCVs: Cops of the World is not a good goal and Peace Corps must emphasize community development.

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By Norman Spurling (98.163.124.42) on Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - 11:10 pm: Edit Post

Peace Corps started in Botswana in 1966.