Looking Ahead to Secondary

Our ten Standard 8 students finished their National Exams on Thursday and are now anxiously awaiting their results which will be released at the end of December.  We are hoping and praying that they will do well and have the opportunity to continue their education in secondary school if they pass and God provides the funds for them. 

Four of those students were invited to a secondary school for a tryout this weekend.  Our club chairman, Paul Onundo, and our team manager Eunice Oluwanda, and myself (Joe Peterson) were able to drive Raisha, Alicent, Lydia and Leah to Siaya County to visit Jera Mixed Secondary School.  Jera is a powerhouse in girls football winning the Nyanza Provencial Championship 11 times in the 14 years since the province began competing in girls football.  This past year they won the province again and made it to the National Semifinals with mostly 1st year students before getting defeated by the eventual national champions.  One of their first year students from Jera was one of two girls in the country selected to go for a special training with Manchester United. 

The school was a little bit far from Mbita.  After crossing the ferry, it took us two more hours driving before we reached.  Upon entering the school gate we were greeted by their players who were ready to give us a tour of the school.  It is a medium sized school with around 500 students.  Each grade has three classes of around 50 each which is a good size for a Kenyan school (most have more than that in each class).  The staff and students were very friendly and helpful to all of us.  It seemed like a big family with the way they interacted. 

After the tour, the girls filled out an information sheet and then they were given a uniform to change into.  It was the same uniform that Jera was given when they qualified for Nationals.  The Jera players took the girls through warm-up drills before they started playing. 

Playing in front of all the students and staff of the school, our girls didn't show any nervousness and competed hard, mixed in with the regular Jera players and other girls trying out.  Alicent scored a goal within the first ten minutes and the others also displayed their talents, while playing very good team ball.  They played three halves which gave the coaches enough time to evaluate the players, but tired the players out; especially since the ones trying out have not been training very much over the past few months while they were preparing for their national exams.  Alicent closed the games with the final goal.  After practicing their penalty kicks, they did some stretching and talked in a group for a while.  The program closed with a great meal and speeches by various teachers from the school and the special guests. 

Overall, we were very impressed with the friendliness of the staff and students.  We liked how organized they were.  The school's academic performanceis above average, but they really try to focus on holistic education by helping their students develop their talents and abilities in many areas.  It is obvious their coach really knows football and how to train a football team.  He is an honest man who interacts very positively with the girls.    

Once the results come out in late December they will offer some of these players an opportunity to come to their school for a reduced school fee.  We were grateful to Jera for giving our girls the opportunity to come and tryout. 

Another Milestone Academically

Last night, we prayed for our ten Standard 8 students who are preparing for their National Exams next week.  Pastor Amos came and shared with these candidates and our other primary school girls, along with the club officials.  We had a great time of prayer before sharing a meal together.

800,000 students from across the country of Kenya will sit for the same exam on November 8-10.  The performance on this test will determine which high school, if any, these 8^th graders may attend. Last year's Suba Laker graduating class had 7 students.  Through God's provision, each of them was able to move on to secondary school last January, which is not a common occurrence for most girls in Mbita District.  We are hopeful and expecting that all of our ten students this year will also pass and be able to get opportunities to continue their education.  On their practice exams most have them have been performing well.  There is only 1-2 that might be close to not passing, the others should be able to sail through. 

After taking their Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exam in early November, we will wait for the results to be released at the end of December. This test ranks all of the students in Kenya, and secondary schools use the results to select students to their schools. The best secondary schools try to select the students with the highest scores. There are 5 subjects that are examined in Primary School: Math, Science, Social Studies/Religion, English and Kiswahili. Each of the five subjects is worth 100 points for a total of 500.

This year's class is a special group.  Several of them have been with us even before we officially began the club three years ago.  We have seen these ones grow up and mature before our very eyes.  They have persevered and struggled through many difficult circumstances in their lives to reach this point which the majority of girls in Mbita never reach.  Six of these players have also played up to the National Level in Football for Primary Schools.

The girls who will be taking the exam are Alicent Awuor, Raysher Jedidah, Lydia Awino, Leah Ongojo, Caren Akeyo, Esther Atieno, Ruth Ogallo, Beryl Ogweno, Damaris Awino, Esther Atieno and Dorothy Adhiambo. 

Please pray for them during this stressful time in their lives. Pray for God's peace, for good health and to do the exams with a boldness and confidence that will allow them to be successful. In addition, pray for their futures as they wait to see the doors God will open up for them to continue their education.

Nice Gifts

Today was our last training for the 2011 school year with our Juniors. We have been having between 25-30 come from all over the area for one Saturday every month during this year. Most of these ones are in 4th - 6th grade. Some are really small, but have the heart, energy and attitude to play football. There aren't many tournaments organized in Kenya, especially for the young girls (except the ones we organize ourselves). These ones come to the field running so early just eager to take a ball and start kicking it. We have tried to teach them basic skills (dribbling, passing, shooting, juggling, heading, chesting, trapping, etc.) and get them organized to play a position in the field.

Through some generous donations and the organization of Joyce Maier, we were able to give each player a brand new pair of Nike slippers. I don't think I have ever seen them so excited before. Some of them may have never received a gift that was brand new. Young ones here mostly just get hand me d0wns or used items from the market. One of the little ones exclaimed, "This is the best gift I have ever got!" We also gave out sports bras to the few that needed them. And each of the players also received a set of exams papers to help them as they revise and prepare for their end-year exams so that they can pass and move to the next class.

It was a good ending to a good year of training. The main primary school will also get the slippers, sports bras and exams when they come for their next training. Our 13 secondary students will receive when their boarding schools close at the end of November!

Admirable Alicent

Though the Suba Laker Juniors finished third place in the KYFA 2011 Under 15 Tournament, Alicent Awuor was still awarded as the best player. She scored several goals in the 7 games and was outstanding all over the field, helping the Lakers win their pool and finish in third place. She was awarded with a nice duffel bag, a trophy, t-shirt, certificate and other gifts. She was smiling ear to ear as she received her reward. We are proud of her!

So Good

The Juniors also competed in the KYFA tournament in the Under 15 age category. Though several of the teams had older players, our young girls really competed well. In the group stages they won three matches and drew one to win their pool. They went on to win the quarterfinals in dramatic fashion. They celebrated like they had just won the world title.

Due to an unfortunate error, we had to face the #1 team from the other pool in the semifinals instead of the finals. So the two best teams played the match of the tournament in the semis. We went ahead five minutes into the match with some great passing and a classic finish by our smallest player, Teresa Atieno. A few minutes later Port Victoria equalized on our defensive error. We played great football, passing it around and controlling possession, but we missed many chances. In the end it came down to penalty kicks where we were defeated 3-2.

In the third place match, substitute Winnie Akinyi scored a goal in the 2nd half to bring home the trophy. The juniors were rewarded with a nice trophy, medals for each player, and about $7 cash that each player took home.

They played great football and showed how strong they are.

Consolation Champions

This past weekend, the Suba Lakers brought two teams to Kisumu to compete in the KYFA tournament. Our Senior team played in the open age category against some of the best teams in the region. One special part of the weekend is one of the club’s good friends, Kelsey Moore, also played with the team. Kelsey had lived in Kisumu for a couple of years and was visiting again this summer. She has come to Mbita several times to help coach our girls. The players were really excited when they found out she was going to play on their team. It always helps to have another mature player that knows how to pass and move the ball around. Our younger players learn a lot from that.

In the first match, we took charge early and won 3-0 against Kasagam. Kelsey scored two goals and Dorothy Adhiambo one. We thought we had another match that day, but had to wait for the next morning. On Saturday, we started off poorly by losing to eventual champion Victoria 3-0. In the next two matches we drew 0-0 with TYSA from Kitale and 1-1 with Smart Ladies from Kisumu when we scored a late equalizer from Pauline Otieno. So we ended up finishing 3rd in our pool of 5 teams and qualified for quarterfinals.

We were matched up against the 2nd best team from the other pool, Ibinzo. They scored in the first half on a clear off-sides infraction that wasn’t called. In the 2nd half we battled hard and even had a chance to equalize, but missed a penalty shot. The girls were exhausted after playing four matches in one day. Fortunately for us, the losers of the quarterfinals had their own consolation playoff. So on Sunday, we played Kisumu Leeds and scored two goals in the 2nd half to come back from behind and win 2-1. The goal scorers were Dorothy Adhiambo and Pauline Otieno. In the consolation Final, we managed to score a lone goal by Irine Achieng to defeat them 1-0. Seven matches in three days concluded with three wins, two losses, two draws and 18 exhausted young girls.

For winning the consolation bracket they received t-shirts and a ball.

SEP Oyugis Champions

SEP (Society Empowerment Project) in Oyugis hosted their third annual tournament at Kotieno Primary School over the weekend, August 12-14th. Eight boys teams and eight girls teams participated in the event. On the girls side Suba Lakers Girls Football Club hoisted the trophy after their 1-0 victory in the finals against the host SEP team. Pauline Otieno scored the lone goal in the tenth minute of the first half.

Earlier in the semifinals, SEP had defeated ISDAK Kisumu on post-match penalty kicks. IN the other semifinal, the Suba Lakers coasted to a 3-0 victory over Angaza from Thika on 2 goals from Sharon Bismark and a goal from Dorothy Adhiambo. The Lakers had earned the top spot in their pool by drawing in their first match and then winning 1-0 in the second match and 7-0 in their final preliminary match.

The Suba Lakers will be competing in the KYFA Nationwide Ladies Tournament in Kisumu this weekend. They will have a Junior team competing in the 15 and under portion and a Senior team competing in the open age category. THe tournament will be held at Kisumu Polytechnic.