Four Ugandan Basketball Coaches arrived in
Texas on Sunday and they spent the week touring Texas as part of their cultural
exchange in the U.S.
Janet Nakkazi,
Sylvia Twesigye, Sam Obol, and Albert Aciko tasted a bit of the Southern
traditions while visiting the campuses of Texas Tech University and Abilene
Christian University.
The International
Sport Connection Basketball Coach Exchange is sponsored by the SportsUnited
division of the U.S. Department of State.
The exchange is a way for Ugandans and American to come together around
sport in order to share ideas and form friendships.
The coaches began their week with a leadership
discussion with legendary coach Marsha Sharp.
Coach Sharp is a hall-of-fame coach who was also a part of the ISC
exchange program in 2011. She took time
to explain the changing culture around women and girls in sport and how she was
a leader in the development of champions on the court at Texas Tech
University!
The next days in Lubbock involved visiting the
men’s and women’s basketball practices and watching them put their training into action at
home games.
The ISC was founded by Texas
Tech assistant professor Jens Omli on the idea that sports have the power to
bring people together and can be a way to encourage mutual appreciation.
Dr. Omli invited the
coaches to classes at Texas Tech where they learned about leadership techniques
and effective teaching methods.
On one
of their final days in Lubbock, Texas, the four Ugandan coaches spoke to the
TTU Health, Exercise and Sport Science Department about their experiences as
youth basketball coaches and how the International Sport Connection and
SportsUnited is bringing positive change to coaches and young people in their country.
Coach Sam, Albert, Sylvia, and Janet also had the
chance to visit the Abilene Christian University Campus while they were in
Texas.
J and Lorraine Grimsby Wilson
welcomed the coaches to campus where they met with the athletic department,
students, and professors.
After a tour
of the campus and facilities at ACU, the delegation enjoyed the rest of the day
at a Texas Ranch.
During the first week of the ISC 2013 Coach
Exchange, the four Ugandan coaches embraced the chance to see the southern side
of the United States. Sam, Albert,
Sylvia, and Janet tasted the food, spoke with sport leaders in this region, and
discussed principles of coaching and leadership with their new friends from
Texas.
Thank you to SportsUnited, a division of the U.S.
State Department for funding this International Sport Connection Cultural Exchange.
For more information, visit
www.internationalsportconnection.org.
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