Sports in Sourthern Africa: Can You Come Out and Play?
Here in Southern Africa many of our missionary kids attend the local schools in their individual countries. We do have those m.k.s who must home school and then go to boarding school, but our region is split just about half and half. This month let's see what kind of sporting activities are going on in the local schools in our region.
As in the U.S., our local schools compete against each other for area, as well as national, distinction and excellence in the sporting realm. However, the sports we play may differ somewhat from the regular sports played at your school. These sports are added on to the school day, but must be attended. Most of the time these are not voluntary sports for which you try out and can be on the team. You are put on the team that corresponds with your age group
Rugby is usually played during our winter term which would be the months of May June and July. Rugby is a very popular sport here, especially in South Africa and Zimbabwe. They start as young as 8 years old playing rugby in school. However there are no girls on the rugby team. At least none that I have ever heard of. Rugby is very much a contact sport.
Field ho)ckey is another sport that is played during the winter term. Field hockey is a lot like ice hockey only you play it on grass, the hook of the hockey stick is much smaller, and you are hitting a small round ball instead of a puck. Oh also you are wearing tennis shoes and not ice skates!! Here in the tropics field hockey is more logical than ice hockey anyway! There are also girls field hockey teams.
Cricket is also a very popular sport played here in Southern Africa. Cricket games from other countries are televised and broadcast here. The Zimbabwe national cricket team goes all over the world to play cricket games. Cricket is a little like baseball, but on the other hand is nothing at all like baseball. You do have a pitcher who is called a bowler, the man hitting the ball is called the batsman. The ball is wooden, (ouch if it hits you!) and the bat is wooden and flat, a little like a paddle or oar on a row boat only smaller. Scoring is quite complicated.
There is also swimming and tennis, cross-country and athletics, basketball and soccer. Wow with all those choices surely you'll find something that you enjoy doing!