Shoot Some Happy Hoops!

A little bit of outdoor sports has never been known to do any harm.  On the contrary, not only does one feel physically fitter, but you always end up feeling mentally recharged as well.  Getting out to play a sport has always been an easy enough option; however, there are millions of children all over the country without access to either the space or the facilities to play a sport of any kind, much less the option of playing in a tournament. 

From gully cricket to gilli danda, options for play for normal children out in the open are numerous with a little bit of imagination, a stick and a stone most often.  Options for special children living in special schools around the country, however, are limited.

In late August 2015, we, at The Ashoka Tree, were wondering what our group of children did every evening - whether there were some sort of physical exercises they were lead through every day or sports they could play.  This is when we thought we’d see what they could do with a volleyball net and ball.

The Volleyball Team of Father Tezza's Special School, Wynad

The nuns at Father Tezza’s School, Mananthavady, found a volunteer coach who then went on to coach our children there.  Four months later, to cut a long story short, we get a call one morning to say our children have made it to Ernakulam – they’ve made it to the finals of a volleyball tournament for special children in Kerala, sponsored by the YMCA.  A visit here felt nothing short of awesome.  Not only was it an absolute delight to see the lovely smiling faces of our children who were happy and confident about having made it to a new city to play volleyball (a first for all seven children who made the team), but the YMCA itself had provided accommodation for the team and the accompanying nuns, completely free of charge. 

What’s the next goal for our children at Fr. Tezza’s School?  Basketball Finals!  We’ve got to get on with setting those basketball hoops up right away!