Another reason for reflection this weekend surfaced when I received a phone call from one of my fellow coaches. There has been much drama in 2009 regarding our use of the court at Northmead basic school, most of it I did not report because we thought all issues had been amicably resolved. Unfortunately, the phone call assured me that the hoops had been uprooted. I have not yet had the heart to go myself & see the result; I just cannot bear the thought. That court has been home to me for several years, we have grown together in countless ways. It started with one hoop and a metal backboard. Then a donation & visit from my cousin inspired fixing that hoop. Then another group came in & put up a full court to our amazement. We’ve spent many a Saturday patching the potholes that appear during every rainy season. We’ve dug trenches to keep the court from flooding. We’ve even spent hours slashing the grass (there’s no ride-a-mower at this school) - plenty of us armed with machetes to take down the tall grass one metre at a time. All of this comes to end in 2010. The school has accused one of my player’s of vandalism (which he did NOT do) and we agreed to give money to the caretaker to replace the broken light though it had later been proven that none of my players were responsible for the vandalism. On that weak accusation the school has chosen to remove the hoops, promising to put them outside the school walls (I’ll believe that when I see it). The truth of the matter is a teacher stands to make some money from establishing a handball team, so she has wanted to take over the courts for several months. I suspect she’s got some money to gain. The heartbreak for me is that this decision has been made without consultation with us (the coaches/ players of the community team) and has been done with no regard for the children.
I feel rather shameful writing this when Haiti is experiencing utter misfortune. Everything seems cosmetic when compared to the situation in that nation…but I can’t help but feel disappointment. Forgetting students/ children at an institution that is supposed to be providing opportunities to youth is shameful. I am crestfallen. But rather than feeling sorry for myself & our situation I have been reminded by a couple of my players, and the same coach who called with the bad news- that it’s just a blip on the radar. These guys are already coming up with suggestions for how we move on from here- there’s no question of disbanding. I am completely bolstered by these guys, and hope that the personal failure, hopelessness & anger I’m feeling will be overrun when we all meet together on Wednesday. I just hope that I don’t have a break down when I see the naked courts. Honestly, it feels like an end to an era; an end that I’m not entirely equipped to deal with just yet.
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