:: :: Sadili Oval's tennis mission
28 November, 2006

A quick confession. Until today I had no idea where the Sadili Oval was. I have been seeing kids playing tennis on that strange green surface on TV and I always figured it must be in Karen or Muthaiga. When AJ Odera who is a director at this organisation called me earlier today and told me that they were sending some youngsters to Florida it didn't help matters. This must be in the plush and leafier areas of Nairobi surely!

The young 'uns will meet the Williams coach

When the time came to head to Sadili, I simply had no clue who to ask about getting to the venue. AJ was kind enough to give me a ride at the Daystar Valley road campus. And we headed to the Sadili Oval. We headed to Langata Road, passed the Carnivore and then went into Lang’ata. Wait... I guessed that we must have been fuelling. But then we went further into the estate. The gate stated that "all school buses must get a tag from the guard and return it when leaving". Another warned that "all visitors must register with the guard". This was not Babylon!

Eventually we got to the Sadili Oval which is right next to the Malezi School. I was amazed. Right in the middle of Langata was this beautiful complex. Odera gave me a quick tour and as I went around I was seen with eyes as big as saucers. This is an amazing place. They offer after school programs to kids in all manner of sports such as football, rugby, basketball, tennis and swimming. The complex has a serious gym, a swimming pool, tennis courts, a pitch that is used for rugby and football. Apart from these physical sports there is a very serious chess program and the club has a resident chess grandmaster. This is like a serious dude who is recognised internationally for his chess skill (unlike Grandmaster Masese with his trusty obokano). I was overwhelmed. Such a beautiful facility right in heart of the city. And here I thought that Langata's only contribution was the Carnivore.

It wasn't just facilities that were evidenced. The Sadili Oval is a seriously recognised organisation. They organise Nature and Sport camps that are highly rated. They aren't a UNEP Centre of Excellence for no reason. They organise camps for kids that involve them in their environment. This involves them going into nature and playing various sports and clean ups and other such worthy causes. I could keep on telling you about the achievements of the Sadili Oval organisation. For more about this beautiful organisation please visit sadili.com.

The focus today was something Sadili Oval called "The Florida Tour". This is fourteen full sponsorship places that had been offered by the prestigious Delray Beach Tennis Centre in the USA. The scholarships are to run from 4th - 19th of December 2006. The tennis coaching will be conducted gratis by Bill Murray, Donald Widener and Glendine Nichols. Ever heard of Bill Murray? No not the movie star. This Bill Murray trained some young black girls from the harsh streets of Compton. These girls are the golden girls of American tennis. One is called Venus; the other Serena. Have you heard of them? Their last name is Williams. That’s right boys and girls. Bill Murray is the man who coached Venus and Serena Williams to the level where they could win grand slams - Wimbledon, Australian, US and French opens. This was the same Serena Williams who is now a tennis phenom and who Jamie Foxx only recently wanted to be her Tennis Ball at the Sports awards they call the ESPYS.

The same dude that trained grand slam winners will be training young Kenyans. For free. How’s that for a Christmas treat then? Forget Eve at Capital FM arguing with that dude about a tree in the studio. This is the big time. The event we were attending was off course the flag off of these young Kenyans who would soon be leaving for the US. The event started with a video explaining what the whole tour was about.

It showed the kids as they played and gave their opinions about going to the US. It was good stuff that. The host of the event was Dr. Liz Odera who then came and gave us a ran down of what was likely to happen. The many pals in the tennis world would be coming to the tennis camp that was happening in a few days in Florida. It was not a simple task getting the project underway. For one Dr. Odera had to explain to the Americans that Kenya had talented tennis players. Kenyans are famous for our athletes and volleyball and other sporting disciplines. Tennis? Not really. Thus to get them Americans to buy into Kenyan tennis was no mean feat. Eventually some came down and saw that there was talent in Kenya. And this needed to be tapped and refined.

Which is why Sadili had gone to all this trouble to ensure that Kenyan young ‘uns went on this event? What were they hoping to achieve I wondered? This trip would probably raise the game in Kenya to a great degree. It is instructive that we are sending young Kenyans to learn from the country with the highest number of top ranked tennis players in the world. As we are sending youngsters, these are more likely to absorb faster what is going down. And this will probably have a multiplier effect for years to come. It is instructive to note that this is the first tennis delegation from Africa to visit the United States. You know Kenyans... the first in Africa kama kawaida.

Apart from raising the level of sport, this will help show some of the Sadili Oval philosophy on sport. That one does not necessarily have to follow the academic route to earn a living. One can earn a living from sport. Either as a practitioner or in a supporting role. There are so many options in supporting sports. One could be a sports coach. Or Psychologist. Or reporter. Or adminstrator. Or physiotherapist. So many options. This trip would show the many options that are open to the kids and they would thus have see sport more as a viable career option.

Dr. Odera then introduced the team flying to the US for the Camp. They include Rahab Mbugua, Joab Odera, Owen Nyawalo, joie Keter, Amadi Kagoma, Terry Odera, Hassan Ndayashimiye, Derrick Onyancha, Jasim Luvembe, Eugenio Battochi and Wendy Okello. These kids are diverse mix of young talented Kenya from the less well to do as well as the better off. Watch them. They will change this country.

After they were presented by Dr. Odera, she asked a representative from British Airways who had given this trip a major boost by giving amazingly high discounts on flights. Well done British Airways. Good show old boy. BA was represented by Albert Abuoga who is the sales manager for British Airways Kenya. He asked then kids to represent us in the US> I couldn't have said it better. Represen' us little dudes and dudettes!

As for the Sadili Oval, this complex is amazing. Y'all should check it out. Take a number 15 matatu and ask to drop off at Sadili Oval if you are a public transport person. Or drive in. It will be worth your while.

P.S.. Thanks AJ Odera for being such a gracious host. Cheers Al Kags for the referral.

>> Related Links
:: Kenya’s Stadia revolution
:: Sadili Oval

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