Day Four- Heredia Sports Clinics

All of the kids and coaches at the clinic today!

We woke up bright and early today to head to Santo Domingo, a canton of San Jose in the Heredia province. We pulled up to the Santo Domingo sports complex and met several other helpers for today's clinic. Busses started arriving and we gathered together in the gym with over 130 students from different PE classes around the area! Most of the students came in their PE uniforms for their respective schools with lunchboxes in hand.

With only 16 VCHS "coaches" in attendance we were a little bit nervous about how we were going to do in leading so many students. We split the group into four stations: volleyball, basketball, baseball, and soccer. Each group had about 30 students and we rotated them through most of the stations during the 3 hour clinic. Below are some reflections on the clinic.

Volleyball

Today was an eye opening experience in the challenge of being patient. Before even coming to this clinic we had brainstormed through the events and set-up for our session in the clinic. Just like many things we attempt to control, God has other plans. The first session of the clinic was not quite what we imagined. This session was comprised of over 40 students full of energy, ready to play volleyball. The difference in age variation was prevalent among the group which made for a more difficult task. The most frustrating part was not being able to fully engage with the students because of my lack of speaking skills in Spanish. But this group of kids made the appearance of joy something special. Even if all we could offer was some simple laughter and smiles it seemed to count for something with them. The second session rolled more smoothly considering the age group was more level and the skill level was higher. The continual interest in wanting to understand and better themselves was encouraging for myself. The part I thoroughly enjoyed today was the ending where we had the chance to play with all the kids for about an hour. Oddly enough, I enjoyed played basketball with this group of boys who no doubt had joy. What I took away most from today was that even though we cannot communicate well, just being there, having joy, and making them smile is more than I could ask for.

- Courtney Dyer

I was a part of leading the volleyball groups today. The first group that came in was a little difficult for us because there were about 40 kids to four of us leading the group without a translator. However, it was a lot of fun and I connected with a few of the girls. The second group came in and it went a lot more smoothly than the last. We had gotten a handle on what we were doing and there were only 25 kids this time. Towards the end of the 3 hours we took a break which turned into a big hang out with all 140 kids and 16 coaches. I connected with about five of the girls. It was amazing to connect with all of them even though we spoke different languages. I left having so much joy in my heart and it was an amazing experience to be a part of. God has reminded me, once again, of His greatness. Today was a blessing full of joy that was definitely the highlight of this trip so far! I am so excited to see how God moves throughout the rest of this trip!

- Sydney Herzog

Basketball

In this part of the sports clinic Mr. Boer, Logan, Zach and I coached a basketball session. We had the kids do dribbling relays, layup lines, and shooting competitions. Initially leading this camp was extremely difficult due to the language barrier, but eventually we began to figure out phrases and words that made sense. This was an amazing and humbling experience. It was amazing because we were able to connect with the kids of Costa Rica and serve them. It was humbling because I learned much of a language that I did not already know. The language barrier was also humbling because many of the kids talked to us in fairly good English and we could hardly put two words together in Spanish. Our simple basketball camp was an excellent form of God's message to us on this trip. God made me recognize my insignificance alone in this giant world.

- Jalen Collins

One of the schools asked to take a picture with us.

I thought this experience taught me a lot. It for sure helped me with comprehending and speaking in Spanish to people. The lady that helped us translate was a blessing helping us get the kids together and in order for the drills. This was my favorite activity out of the trip so far by far.

- Logan Phillips

Baseball

Today we had the amazing opportunity to teach a group of kids the basics of baseball. We started by having the kids practice running around the bases. Then we had a brief introduction before we began stretching. Next, each child partnered up and practiced throwing to one another. After we covered the mechanics, we played a fun game with all of the kids. Though the language barrier was hard to overcome, it turned out to be a huge success. We also had the opportunity to work with the current coaches of the Santo Domingo team from Japan. I'm so grateful for this amazing opportunity and this once in a lifetime experience.

- Julianna Gay & Jake Liberta

Jake got to work with two pretty good baseball players from Japan!

Our fearless leader, Ronald!

Soccer

I personally have not played soccer since I was very young. so playing soccer again with some very experienced children was fun. They kicked our butts for the most part but, I was doing my part at goalie.

- Jake Dinsmore

The soccer portion of the clinic was very difficult for the most part. The Children had endless energy and some were quite skilled at the game. Some of the kids wanted to go off and do their own thing because of the sun and how hot it was, so Erica Boer took them to do what they wanted. This consisted of strange forms of pilates and yoga. Christian, Jake and myself stayed and played soccer with the kids that enjoyed it. First we aligned the kids in groups of four. We practiced juggling and passing. This was also a time that we used to get to know the names of some of the children. After the passing portion we moved on to a small game where two groups of children competed. This was the most exhausting part. Christian, Jake and I really wanted to call it quits and be lazy, but we powered through and completed the soccer portion of the sports clinic.

- Cameron Tucker

At the end of the clinic several of our students were able to talk to the kids (through the aid of a translator) about why we were in Costa Rica, how thankful we were to be able to work with them today, and why it is so important to keep God first in our lives, even above our athletics.

Sydney sharing with the kids to keep God #1!

Still smiling, even after a long morning of clinics!

Following the clinic we went back to the Lincoln School where this time we challenged them in a game of basketball. Once again, we outlasted the Trojans from Costa Rica, even with a mismatched basketball team. The boys made the observation that the Costa Rican team kept looking at them in confusion when four guys were at the key for free throws. Apparently in Costa Rica only three people should be lined up to rebound! Following the game Mr. Boer and the opposing coach played one on one and Mr. Boer came out victorious! This was especially exciting because the opposing coach was on the Panamanian national team who beat Costa Rica!