It’s that time of the year when school teams in Uganda would be returning from the National Games 2: Balls and Racquets edition. The first National Games event I attended was held in Mbarara in 2015, with Ntare School serving as host and providing accommodation for the girls. The Uganda Secondary School national games is an annual sports event that attracts over 100 schools from across Uganda. They are a week-long activity that climaxes with the selection of teams to represent the country at the East African level. The games under this category include hockey, rugby, girl’s soccer, table tennis, lawn tennis, basketball, and badminton. For a high school athlete, this was the time of the year you looked forward to the most. Preparation for the occasion was both intensive and extensive as, according to the Uganda Secondary Schools Sports Association guidelines, as well as other funding bodies, only about 4 or 5 of the best school teams per district could participate. The joy one felt on finding out that your team had qualified for Nationals was indescribable. There was a lot to look forward to, for example, getting to leave school for a while to make preparations, loading your bags onto the school bus, and the 5 to a 7-hour journey that consisted of playing games, loud music, conversation, various stopovers, seeing the sites through your window, and eventually, with your trusty pillow by your side, sleeping. In total, I attended four editions of the games in Mbarara, Fort Portal, Masindi, and Kabale. Day 1: We’re so excited to be here! We searched around for our residential (accommodations), and, being from a top school, we expected nothing but the best. Of course, there’s the downside of having to sleep in crowded rooms with not so good facilities(the bathroom lines are tiring), but nothing can bring us down. Each team has its own designated sleeping corner(basketball, hockey, tennis, badminton). Team meetings are held that night to discuss the one-week sports retreat. The arrival of schools like Smack and Namilyango adds to the buzz in the air. The girls are excited. Day 2: By about 3:30am, the sound of team chants fill the air. Say goodbye to peaceful mornings as this is routine for half the week. Almost half an hour later, everyone is dressed up, ready to brave the unforgiving Kabale weather. Balls of all shapes and sizes fly in the dark. The scramble for showers and usable restrooms was an extreme sport of its own. As it’s the opening day, there isn’t much activity in the fields. The area was filled with people in all manner of dress, some designed to gain attention. Sports giants like Kibuli, Kitende, Buddo SS, Kololo, and Kakugulu, among others, paraded their students decked in smart custom made tracksuits. Pools are drawn and group stages drafted. It’s a beautiful day to interact with the boys from Namilyango, Ntare, Shack, and Smack. At the end of the day, dance is organized for the girls while the boys are escorted to their encampment. The day ends with gossip sessions back at the temporary dorm over which schools came, especially among the most anticipated ones, which boys from said schools came, and who played the opening games, among other things. Day 3 : The first games take place today. This will set the pace for the next few days, and determine whether or not we last the whole week. The morning routine is maintained. Today we get to wear our jerseys. The scorching sun with barely any shade around was extremely uncomfortable, but we all preferred it to the rainy games of Kabale, and thus endured it without too much complaint. Some games attracted a wide audience, while others only had the officials and coaches as spectators. Game time came with a mix of excitement and trepidation but trumped by the determination to have your first victory. The mood of the players reflected their performance. The best strategy was to watch the games of the teams in your pool, which would then, as well as your performance of the day, be discussed during the team talk after practice. More socializing to come in the evening. Day 4 : If you lost a game yesterday, you’d better not lose today or you’re finished. A pool consisted of 5 or 6 teams, and in order to qualify for the round of sixteen, a team had to win 3 games(if it’s a pool of 5) or, at worst, lose one game. Having that one loss on your record was risky as you’d probably end up pitted against the best team from another pool, considering your standing as the second in yours. You could also be at the top of your pool, even with the loss, depending on its general strength. This is why it is imperative to study your pool thoroughly and plan accordingly. The girls’ interactions have extended beyond Namilyango and Smack to Mt. St. Henry’s College Mukono, Mbarara High School, Turkish Light Academy, Seroma Christian School, and the Seeta schools The games are scaling up and the tension is palpable. No room for error. Day 5 : By this time, you’re depending on the outcomes of the previous days, you’re playing for a bunch of different reasons;
You’ve been knocked out already and are thus playing out of obligation.
You’re fighting to maintain your lead position.
You’re fighting to displace the leading team in your pool.
You came to the Nationals just to play.
The news of the team you’re facing next circulates, and you’ve either entered panic mode, or you’ve breathed a sigh of relief. The round of 16 games might begin today. Some schools whose teams have been knocked out end up leaving.
Day 6 : Dunks, 3 pointers, handles, emotional outbursts, rough and tumbling.. Get your head in the game. There’s no room for anything but victory. My team always ended up getting knocked out at this stage either by Kitende or Budo. The games have a whole new vibe, every movement is filled with intensity, no one is playing around. Kibuli boys as tall as the hoops are dunking balls seemingly with no effort. Most people are in different places spending time with the friends they’ve made, considering they’ve been knocked out at this point. It’s time to cheer those friends and schoolmates who still have matches in their respective sports. The games of the day are done. It’s the last night, and the security guards are all over the place separating couples who can’t seem to get enough of each other’s company.
Day 7 : It’s the last day. By midday all games are done. The fixtures to look out for are Buddo SS vs Kitende (Girl’s Basketball), Kibuli vs Buddo SS (Boy’s Basketball), Namilyango vs Hana International(Rugby), St. Noa Girl’s vs Mukono Parents High School (Girl’s Soccer), Mt. St. Mary’s Namagunga vs Kakungulu Memorial (Girl’s hockey) or St. Mary’s College Kisubi vs Old Kampala (Boy’s hockey) among others. Your aim in attending the National Games may have been to win, but there’s no harm in cheering on people still in the race. It’s time for the closing ceremony, where the best players and teams are awarded. The most interesting part of the award ceremony was the Haka dance performed by the rugby players. It’s time to say goodbye.
The National Games are something I’d hope every high school strives to attend. They are not limited to only sports, but also friendships, fun, site seeing, and an unforgettable experience. For every district we visited, we had the opportunity of visiting the local tourist Hotspot like Lake Bunyonyi in Kabale, and the Amabere ga nyina mwiru caves in Fort Portal. The feeding during the week isn’t the best, as you’re resigned to a diet of rolex, fries, and other fast foods,or not so well cooked regular food. I’d like to draw some observations from my personal experience over the years;
1. On teams. Most co-ed schools have both girls and boys teams, which I applaud them for. However, in most cases, in any given sport, the girls team performs poorly in comparison to their male counterparts,and yet they are under the same management. I do appreciate the effort directed towards creating and developing a girl’s team, but why don’t the respective schools invest the same resources into them as they do the boys teams? On that note, I hold great admiration for schools that have high performing girls and boys teams that support each other,for example, Kibuli and Budo SS in basketball, Kololo SS in racquet games, Kakungulu Memorial and Old Kampala in hockey, among others.
2. On games. If you were not sure about what teams were playing at a time, considering the large audience drawn, you’d be right in guessing that it was one between boys teams. Even at group stages, boys’ games would pull much larger audiences than girls’ games at round of 16. Comparatively, both games are filled with skillful people, with exception drawn to their physical differences. The attitude towards women’s sport is one formed over time with a lot of biases. Change will happen only when we change our attitudes.
3. Opportunities There are so many opportunities that come with participating in nationals. A number of people have been offered government scholarships at the university level because of this. It’s puzzling how some parents were able to understand the benefits that come with this, to the point where I had to spend days convincing skeptical parents to allow their daughters to attend the games. So many scouts that can help your daughter make it big in the field attend such events. A good number of athletes are given bursaries in their schools just because of sport. In addition to that, sports organizations use this as an avenue for offering mentorship programs to girls, and selected athletes go on to attend various camps organized by the best coaches in the country. Finally, your not so good experience or performance at your first National Games shouldn’t dissuade you from attending others. Practice makes perfect, and in time, you’ll get used to the harsh conditions, and your performance will improve. This is where the encouragement from coaches and older teammates is vital. Nationals are a good place for like-minded athletes to bond and make connections. The connections one makes could go a long way in shaping their career in sport. To me, the best part is watching other people live the experience and thrive afterward. A few days ago, I visited my former school to pick my UCE and UACE certificates and met a former teammate who’d gone to do the same. In her absence, her mother thanked the Deputy Headmistress for persistently encouraging her to allow her daughter to attend Nationals. She had been offered a course under the sports scheme at a government university. For those that didn’t know, National Games add 4 points to an athlete’s academic weights.
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