I went to Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer in 1963, when the Peace Corps was in its infancy. I was assigned to be a history teacher at the Schlenker School in Port Loko, Sierra Leone. Because of my passion for sports, the headmaster of the school asked me to be the games master, the director of the intramural program and all athletic events. I eagerly accepted. What stood out to me most in my time in Sierra Leone was the friendliness of the people, their love of life, which was only exceeded by their passion for "the people's game." My first memories of Port Loko were of kids playing soccer in a cloud of dust. I don't think they had a ball. As I recall, they were using a tin cup. During both of my years there, we competed for the championship. We were very good. In my second year, one of the local teams was so determined to deprive us of the championship that it imported a bunch of top players from Freetown, the capital city, for our game. We hung tough and were only down 1-0 with about three minutes to play.
Sierra Leone RPCV Charles Kennedy writes: At any level, soccer's a 'beautiful game'
At any level, soccer's a 'beautiful game'
Published: Saturday, June 26, 2010, 8:23 AM
Patriot-News Op-Ed Patriot-News Op-Ed
By Charles Kennedy
Caption: layers from the Ghana national team celebrate after they learn they have advanced to the World Cup round of 16.
As I watch the World Cup in South Africa, my thoughts frequently return to my time coaching "the beautiful game," aka football or soccer, in Africa from 1963-65.
I went to Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer in 1963, when the Peace Corps was in its infancy. I was assigned to be a history teacher at the Schlenker School in Port Loko, Sierra Leone. Because of my passion for sports, the headmaster of the school asked me to be the games master, the director of the intramural program and all athletic events. I eagerly accepted.
What stood out to me most in my time in Sierra Leone was the friendliness of the people, their love of life, which was only exceeded by their passion for "the people's game." My first memories of Port Loko were of kids playing soccer in a cloud of dust. I don't think they had a ball. As I recall, they were using a tin cup.
Port Loko was a poor village. Most of the kids' families couldn't afford shoes, let alone a ball. Other times the "ball" consisted of a bunch of rags rolled together.
In addition to coaching soccer, I also introduced basketball and baseball. The soccer techniques were omnipresent. In baseball, my shortstop, Baimba Tambadu, would trap a grounder with his foot, do a quick pivot, and kick it to the second baseman. Fortunately, the second baseman, George Nahim, usually remembered to catch the ball with his hands. Baimba was remarkably accurate with this "quick tick" technique.
One day at basketball practice during a battle for a rebound, Foday Sesay borrowed another soccer technique and tried to head the ball into the basket. He came quite close. I almost swallowed my whistle with laughter, but the rest of the team thought it was such a great idea that they organized "heading drills" during practice. Habits are hard to break.
As a soccer coach, my primary role was head cheerleader and team manager. These kids had forgotten more about soccer then I would ever learn. I was fortunate to have Charles Kalawah as the team captain. He was as close to a natural leader as I have ever worked with.
The team played in the Port Loko League. We were the only school team. The rest were club teams, mostly of 20- and 30-year-olds.
During both of my years there, we competed for the championship. We were very good. In my second year, one of the local teams was so determined to deprive us of the championship that it imported a bunch of top players from Freetown, the capital city, for our game. We hung tough and were only down 1-0 with about three minutes to play.
The other team had been showboating to the extreme. But Charles Kalawah stole the ball, dribbled past midfield and boomed a long shot. The goalie easily caught it, but then he showboated, doing a handstand with the ball, shuffling it behind his back and balancing it on his head. He lost control and it rolled into the goal. What an ending -- not unlike some of the goals we've seen in this year's World Cup.
charles kennedy.JPGCharles Kennedy
Our game ended in a 1-1 tie, giving us the championship.
The triumphs were not without hardship. The 1960s were the height of the Cold War. Many people were anti-American. China and Russia were trying to stir communist revolutions throughout the continent.
In my second year, our soccer team traveled to the town of Kamakwie for a key game. The game ended in a tie. The townsfolk, who had been verbally abusing us, stormed the field, throwing rocks and sticks at us. Fortunately, I got the players in the truck and we headed out of town with the mob in pursuit.
Many parts of Africa have come a long way since then in soccer play and in life. Sierra Leone missed out on qualifying for the World Cup this year, but I know my friends there will be watching and cheering.
Charles Kennedy of Mechanicsburg is a senior instructor in political science at Penn State York.
