Part Three- Elsie: The Unexpected and Empowered High School Coach

When Elsie was asked, “What has International Sport Connection done for you?”

She replied enthusiastically that ISC has exposed her to the outside world.  “My visit to the US last term was really an eye opener to me in many areas including sports”.

Coach Elsie and ISC Instructor Lisa Berg

“ISC has connected me to many people with in my country and around the world like the many friends in the US we meet and we are now in touch. ISC has given me a chance to discover my potential.  I’ve seen the things I need to develop in order to maximize how I can help other people. ISC has introduced me to new training techniques that have already had an impact on my soccer team and the community is taking note of that.  ISC training introduced me to new courses in sports science like sports psychology.  As a teacher and soccer coach the training has already affected my way of perceiving things in life and handling issues connected to sports and people.” 

“My experience has changed my status in society.  The people look at me differently than before International Sport Connection came into my life. It has equipped me with sports equipment like a sports kits, jerseys, whistles, boards, bags, etc.  Unlike before where I used to dress in some funny shorts but not in jersey, not because I could not afford to buy them but because I used not to mind a lot.  Now, other coaches, people, and soccer players look up to me. I have to live according to their expectations for not letting down my international sport connection."

Coach Elsie at 2011 ISC soccer coach training.

"The International Sport Connection has given me confidence to stand as a coach in every sport activity am may be doing because I know some one is looking up to me to learn something and change him or her in the ways she or he has been doing things. For the first time I am reading and being mentored by the late John Wooden which is actually introduced to me by the International Sport Connection.  I am already employing his principles in my training, teaching, and management and mentoring activities.”

What do I plan to do with your International Sport Connection experience?

“I really have a lot of plans, some are short-term goals and others long time goals. I am going to organize a training course in this August such that I equip my soccer coaches in the district with new techniques of coaching soccer. I am going to first invite my fellow coaches whom I went with to US to help me in the training course.  I have already introduced girls’ soccer in my school and also connected all the clubs in the district with girl's soccer. The purpose is to motivate the coaches and the girls and mobilize more girls. I have intentions of organizing a tournament in the district for them to competition like women league in the district to be played on weekends only.  I hope to begin playing mini league matches for boys team and lastly I hope to revive my tournament for secondary schools for the boys under 20 years but this time leaving it open to all schools in the country to take part. I believe this will encourage coaches to train their boys instead of having one tournament throughout the year, which is the COCA COLA Tournament.”