Two Athletes on the Afghanistan National Water Polo Team have Died

Over the past year, I have received phone calls, emails, or questions directly from people that heard what we are doing and ask me questions or say to me:

"Is the Afghanistan National Water Polo Team is a joke?"

"Are you serious?"

"That is too funny. "

"Is this for real?"

Two athletes on the team have died in combat operations in Afghanistan. I was told this today by Rohullah Marouf, the Swim Chair, at the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee. Abdullah Tahiri, Scott McCook, and I were on a conference call with him about the passports for the athletes today. He is trying to get more information on who specifically died.

Once Rohullah said this, and Abdullah translated, I felt like I was going to vomit. Most likely, these athletes were also on the 201st Corps Swim and Water Polo Team, who I spent many months with, training them, teaching them something new, making them smile, and taking them away from the war, even for a few minutes of their lives. These athletes could also have been in the 201st Commando Kandak (Battalion), which meant I probably worked with them every day for a year, spent time with them mentoring them their jobs, drinking tea with them, talking about sports, movies, and current affairs, and even watched soap operas in Farsi with them.

I was thinking about what a short life that these athletes, who were also soldiers in the Afghan National Army, had. I started thinking about their families. What if they were married or had children? Who is going to provide for their family now? Who is going to be the father of their children? Who is going to teach their children to do the right things in life, educate them? Who is going to stop the Taliban from educating these children, taking their families' food, and harming their families? Who is going to protect this family, or the village they live in from the Taliban?

All of these feelings, questions, and concerns, and I still do not know exactly who was killed. Once I know this information, I know I will be sick. I will be sick because I did not move fast enough. I should have:

Moved faster,

Convinced more people to get involved,

Had our elected officials in office move faster,

Somehow convinced some airline executive to provide air travel,

Been more effective in contacting a decision maker at the US Department of State that could provide guidance and support of this project.

Closed deals with affluent individuals and big corporations on donations and sponsorships...

The list is endless of things that I could done better and more of. But the fact remains that there are now two less heroes that Afghanistan could have had. Two less upstanding citizens who really could have unified their country, shown their countrymen what could be accomplished, shown the children of a very poor and war-torn country how to dream, build cultural bridges between Afghanistan and countries of the Western World, and shared their future personal, cultural, educational, and business experiences in other countries with people in their villages, provinces, and country, to make Afghanistan a better place.

I will never be able to talk with these athletes again, shake their hands, hug them, listen to them, see their excitement when they talk about the future, see them with true happiness in the pool, or watch them learn something new.

If I would have just made this project happen more quickly, these athletes would not have been killed fighting the Taliban, or even in a war zone for that matter. They would have been in the United States training as a team for water polo. They never saw a place without war, they never had an opportunity to make their country a better place, they never got to see why America and the Western World are so great, and they never became heroes for their country, a country that needs heroes so desperately.

This was not a case of could have, should have, would have.

This was a case of could not have and should not have had this opportunity in a million years. And then, they died. Before they would partake in the impossible feat of having a national water polo team in Afghanistan that would be following the pathway to the Olympic Dream.

This is for real. This is so real, and I failed to save two lives. My record now for losing people involved in water polo in Afghanistan is three. How many national team athletes has your country's national team lost today, this week, this month, this year, or this decade?

Rotary, Rotary, Rotary, and the IRS

The last two weeks have been spent making contacts with people and trying to fundraise. I have spoken at two Rotary clubs, the Fallbrook Rotary and the Fallbrook Village Rotary. I will also be speaking at the Bonsall Rotary this upcoming week. Speaking at each Rotary has been different thus far. The Fallbrook Rotary only gave me five minutes to speak while the Fallbrook Village Rotary gave me 20-25 minutes as the guest speaker. Both Rotary's were nice enough to let me raise awareness of the Afghanistan Water Polo program. At the Fallbrook Village Rotary, we could not get the projector to work. I had to give the presentation with no slides. Fortunately, since I know the presentation pretty well, I did not make myself look too much like a fool. I luckily had some posters of the team to pass around as well. They were so nice and attentive, even though I had no slides (What did we do before projectors?!?).

I also FINALLY received my appointment letter from the Swim Chair at the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee. It says that I am the coach of the Afghanistan National Water Polo Team. It was something I have been waiting to receive since September of last year. I was promised it nearly bi-weekly and just never received it. I am glad that everyone that was waiting for it from me was so patient and never doubted that I would get it.

We also received our favorable 501(c)(3) letter from the Internal Revenue Service as well. That is another task that is now complete for bringing the team to the United States. This process started by sending in our forms to the IRS in August 2008 for the non-profit we created, The Dream of Afghanistan Athletics, to be the support arm to help the Afghanistan National Water Polo Team follow the Olympic dream. Naturally, we received this letter after everyone’s personal taxes were due. So now we have to notify everyone who has donated so far that their donations are tax deductable since August of last year. I wonder how many of our donors will have to redo their taxes because of this? I hope not too many. I also have to add that us receiving the favorable 501(c)(3) letter was also helped along by our congressman’s office. It was amazing how it only took a phone call from them to the IRS to get it done.

Meeting Olympians from the United States

This weekend was very exciting as I had the honor of meeting two Olympians, see again one of the best coaches in the history of swimming, and meet some other high performance athletes as well.

Brian Goodell called me two weeks ago after he read the Orange County Register article about the Afghanistan National Water Polo Team. He wanted to find out more information about our project and to see how he could help.

Brian is working on a project with a company called the Pacific Institute to help athletes and people in general visualize success. He was hosting a PX2 clinic in Mission Viejo, California and invited me to attend. This would be a great opportunity for me and the Afghanistan National Water Polo Team. Brian is one of the best distance swimmers in history. He has help many world records, won two gold medals in the Olympic Games, and is one of my favorite swimmers. When he called me on the phone, I tried not to sound too excited to hear from him.

When I arrived, there were a number of athletes there and Coach Bill Rose, from Mission Viejo Nadadores Swimming. I remember Coach Rose from my swim days when he had athletes swimming like James Davidson, Philippe Demers, and David Schmidt, just to name a few that I remember. It was nice to see that he was doing quite well. Some of his athletes were there as well, to include an Olympian and other high performance swimmers. It was great to meet these inspirational athletes and hear their stories.

The course that Brian taught was outstanding. It took a lot of the bits and pieces of useful information that I learned along my athletic and coaching careers about visualization and fit them together nicely. Brian then gave me the other 80% of the information I was missing and I finally understood the big picture. I walked away from this class feeling knowledgeable and I also felt good knowing that in my past coaching positions, I used similar techniques on athletes and teams and that other coaches believe and teach these types of programs.

City Council meeting at the City of Newport Beach

This evening I gave a presentation to the City Council of the City of Newport Beach. Dave Kiff, the Assistant City Manager, was the one who put us in front of the City Council after hearing what Scott McCook and I had to say about the Afghanistan National Water Polo Team.

It was a good experience, giving a presentation to the City Council. Even though I rehearsed the presentation many times, I still struggled through the presentation at times. I always felt like I was leaving something out or not telling the whole story. I was afraid that I would not say enough or say too much. I was only slated for seven minutes for all of my slides and questions. In the middle of the presentation, one of the council members asked a question. Even though it was a simple and easy question to answer (something that I should have brought up earlier in my presentation), it threw me off a little. Other than my few stumbles, I did ok and got my points across. We will see what the future holds for the Afghanistan National Water Polo Team and the City of Newport Beach.

You can watch the video at Newport Beach TV: http://newportbeach.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=24&clip_id=953. You can fast forward on the right column by scrolling down on the right side until you see Afghanistan Water Polo or you can sit through the first ten minutes of the city council meeting.

Thankful

I just spent a wonderful day with my family for Easter. You may ask, what was so wonderful about it? It was spending time with the family.

Even though Easter is not Thanksgiving, I have a lot to be thankful for these days. To start, would be my wonderful wife, Leilani, and our wonderful children Isabella and Westy. They have been so supportive during this project of trying to get the Afghanistan National Water Polo Team to the United States to train. We would not be where we are with this project without them. Other family members have pitched in as well. All have pitched in emotionally to support us and some have used sweat equity to help and some have even donated. There are many ups and downs during this great opportunity to create heroes for Afghanistan and my family has been supportive every step of the way.

The athletes are patiently and anxiously waiting in Afghanistan. I pray every day that the team will all make it the United States safely and that nothing horrible will happen to them prior to making this trip. These athletes showed me how to shove adversity back and create something positive in such a difficult environment. They also showed me what things are truly important in life. They are the reason that this whole dream started. I am so thankful for these honorable men.

Our volunteers have stepped up to the plate and have brought us to where we need to be. Whether it was people who volunteered to be on the board of our nonprofit organization, people who have put us in contact with potential donors, people who are helping spread the word and help create awareness, those who want to provide lodging, meals, pool time, or hand out towels to the team after practice, I am just thankful for the extraordinary volunteers that are ensuring the development of this team to promote peace through sport.

Our donors and sponsors have been phenomenal and I will always thank them. Some of our sponsors even go back as far as before there was even a national team. All of our donors and sponsors help us get closer to bringing the team here. Whether it was a small, anonymous donation, to donations of equipment, pool time, and the like, it takes the team towards the pathway of the Olympic dream.

The general public has been remarkable. From teary-eyed calls of support to referrals to people who may be able to assist our program. Sometimes people accidently run into our website or they read or watch something from the news, just the calls or emails are always very encouraging. Our supporters from the public have been outstanding and I couldn’t ask for more. Thank you.

I had a quarterly newsletter prepared to send out but felt that this letter was more appropriate. If you have not already picked up what I am trying to point out in this letter, I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am so blessed and thankful of your support of our program.

We are now so close to bringing this team to the United States in August. Let’s all come together, push through, and ensure this happens.

Riding Around Pol-e-Charki

Tom Pfingsten, from the North County Times, in San Diego, expressed interest in doing a story on the team and what we have been accomplishing. Once he established contact with us, we immediately fed him a lot of information, stories, photos, and the few videos we had. He seemed to be putting together a good story.

Since it is Ramadan, the team is not working out and I did not have any video of the Afghanistan National Water Polo Team. Tom wanted video of the team working out and I could not provide it. It is one of the many things that I should have done when I had a chance. But I am only one person and it would have been too difficult, and weird, if I were trying to run the national team tryouts and videotaping the whole thing at the same time.

Tom asked me if I could give him a lay of the land. He decided it would be best, and asked me if I could go around the base at Pol-e-Charki and take photos and video of what was there. He was trying to make a deadline, and since that deadline was in two days, I thought that I should hurry and get it for him. I jumped on an ATV after work and drove around the base. I made a loop, first I by driving to the pool, then to the 201st Corps area, 3rd Brigade, one of the bone yards, and finally back to the area that I live in.

The many videos are quite interesting and can be seen here: http://www.facebook.com/AfghanistanWaterPolo?v=app_2392950137.



Tom's article came out quite well and is the first major news story on us. He even got it placed on the front page of the paper and has a very nice video online (I wonder where he got the footage from). The North County Time's article can be found here: http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2008/10/01/news/inland/fallbrook/z05238a4ad97f3a4b882574ce0008fad4.txt.

It is very exciting that we were able to kick off our awareness campaign this way. Scott McCook did a great job getting the North County Times motivated to do a story. We will see what kind of response that we will get from this.

Agreeing to coach the Afghanistan National Water Polo Team

After a week of Leilani and I discussing and praying about the opportunity that Rohullah Marouf, the Swim Chair at the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee, presented us with, Leilani and I agreed that we would proceed. I asked Reshad to arrange a meeting with Rohullah so we can discuss this. I did not tell Reshad what my answer was as I was going to make sure that everything was in place with the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee before I started advertising this project.

Once the meeting was set, I told Abdul Kholic what our plan was and he offered to provide the armed escort. He was very excited about this as he hoped that I would say yes to the opportunity presented to me. He, just like many others, think that this is such a great honor. I do not think they realize the vast responsibility that is associated with this. We are starting this from scratch, to include the fact that there is absolutely no funding. Upon Abdul Kholic's question of what my answer would be, I told him he would have to wait until after the meeting. I am sure that he was confident that he knew the answer because all of a sudden he was in a good mood, after a week of him being irritated with me and trying to convince me to do this.

We went to the Ministry of Defense on our way to meet with Rohullah to take care of some administration issues. While there, we met with a Afghan National Army General about these administrative topics. While speaking with him, the General brought up to us how proud he was of the 201st Corps Swim and Water Polo Team and he wanted to wish success for me leading the Afghanistan National Water Polo Team. When I asked Reshad how he found out, he said that they did not say anything and that there are no secrets in Afghanistan.

The meeting with Rohullah was quick and full of energy and excitement. I told Rohullah what our answer was and we got straight down to business. I told Rohullah what my plan was to train the team, bringing them outside of Afghanistan, and he explained all of the roadblocks, primarily the issues concerning nepotism and pockets with holes in them. The nepotism issue I definitely think we can work but the hole in the pockets is difficult as it cuts out potential funding opportunities from the Olympic Council of Asia and the International Olympic Committee.

Rohullah promised me that he will get me a letter saying that Afghanistan Water Polo is official and I am going to be the coach, so I have source documents to show people about the validity of our program, if needed.

With Rohullah, Reshad, and Abdul Kholic very excited, we departed from Rohullah's office and went back to the 201st Commando Kandak. On the drive back, all that was in my mind about how there is so much planning and work to do. First on my list, is to set up a meeting with the selected athletes for the national team, to include the alternates.

Afghanistan National Water Polo Becomes Official

Since the Afghanistan National Water Polo Team tryouts have ended, I have only heard from Rohullah, the Swim Chair at the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee once. This was at the national swim competition a few days ago. Reshad and I were trying to get a hold of him but he was not answering his phone or email. Reshad finally got a hold of him last night and when he came to work today, he told me, in front of the S-1 Officer, that we would be meeting with Rohullah.

Since I knew that the S-1 Officer would insist on the armed escort, I thought that we could kill two birds with one stone. The S-1 Officer and I were talking about taking a trip to Darul Aman to recruit graduating soldiers, from the Afghan National Army boot camp, to fill some shortfalls in the 201st Commando Kandak. It was a perfect opportunity to go to Darul Aman today.

Abdul Kholic, the S-1 Officer, agreed that today would be a great day to go as the Commando Kandak was already paid and all of the pay reports, that show that every Commando was paid, were already submitted. This saved me from having to sneak out without an armed escort and leaving Abdul Kholic feeling like I did not want to listen to a very respected man, full of wisdom, about how a "well known and important American" needs to remain protected and safe.

Abdul Kholic quickly coordinated a three vehicle convoy, two pickup trucks with mounted weapons and a 7-ton truck to carry all of the soldiers we were planning on bringing back, and about ten Commandos as drivers and to man the crew served weapons and protect the convoy.

Knowing how the Commandos drive, how much traffic there is, and that most of the people on the road are first time drivers, I opted to ride with Abdul Kholic. I have been a passenger in his vehicle on many trips before and he is a very defensive and proactive driver. I think that he would do quite well driving in California, the Republic of Korea, or other places around the world that have unpredictable drivers.

The drive to Rohullah's office was quick and uneventful as there was not a lot of traffic. We arrived early at Rohullah's office, but he was not there yet. His assistant said that he was meeting with the President of the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee about some swim matters. His assistant quickly ushered Abdul Kholic, Reshad, and I into Rohullah's office and had tea and some pastries made for us. He also had someone bring tea and pastries out for all of the Commandos who were waiting by the vehicles. Hospitality is so wonderful in Afghanistan!

When Rohullah arrived, he quickly came into the office and was very excited to meet with us. After the introduction of Abdul Kholic and Rohullah and listening to the two of them speak for a while, we all started speaking about current events, the upcoming presidential election in the United States, the weather, and the success of the national swim competition. Rohullah was very optimistic about the results of the swim competition, which was the first ever swim meet in Afghanistan, especially when "the expert", believe me, I am no expert, agreed that it was a well run competition with great results. I think my encouragement about how well the swim meet went made his day.

Rohullah quickly cut to the chase and said that he appreciated my help with teaching aquatics sports to the people of his country and for helping him strengthen aquatics in Afghanistan. He reviewed the strategic plan of a proposed national program over the past week and read the list of athletes that were recommended for the national team. He was even approving of my recommendations for coaches for the national team. He profusely thanked me for my hard work and dedication and hoped that this would be the beginnings of something great for Afghanistan.

Rohullah started telling me that hopefully they will be able to continue the program in the future because things are very tough as he receives no money from the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee for the national swim program. He said "God willing" they will be able to do something in the future with the team. This was a little disappointing as it seemed that Rohullah was not focused on taking on this program. Seeing my disappointment, Reshad and Abdul Kholic started telling him how great a national water polo program, with Afghans from Afghanistan, would be for the country. That Afghanistan needed this.

After about ten minutes of me not being able to get a word in edgewise because of the heated discussion between Rohullah, Reshad, and Abdul Kholic, about the future of the potential Afghanistan National Water Polo Team, Rohullah stopped the discussion and asked Reshad a question for me. The question was simple, "What were my thoughts?" My response was simple, to tell the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee to create a national water polo program, based off of the plan we worked so hard to make. Upon hearing my response, he asked Reshad "Will I help them?" I answered "I wanted to continue to support them in the development of a national water polo program."

During Rohullah's recent meeting with the President of the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee, Rohullah was discussing the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee's thought process on their budgeting or lack thereof and the lack of support to the national swim program. The president, not wanting to be questioned about his direction, started asking Rohullah about the progression of water polo. By the end of their meeting, Rohullah did not get any swim questions answered but came back with the approval to officially start a national water polo program. Rohullah knowing this, did not share his excitement about this when we first started talking today, but it still made me happy.

Rohullah also wanted to know if I would lead the program. I was touched by the notion that he would think of me that way. I told him that I would help them in developing the program and that I did not have the background to lead a national program. I explained that I was just a high school varsity water polo coach, a club swim coach, and previously ran some club water polo teams that were successful. I would help them find some quality coaches and help them in the development from the plan we created. I was also concerned about my availability between my job and how much longer I would actually be in Afghanistan. I did not want to commit to something that I could not follow through on. I did not want to be like the "old story" that I was just another westerner or American who promised something and did not follow through. I did not have any of the skills needed to start, develop, and fundraise for a national sports program and its national team, other than interest and my recent focus of starting the team at Pol-e-Charki and organizing the national team tryouts. I told him that I would speak with Leilani and we would pray and discuss about it. I would give him an answer in a few days.

Since we had to get to Darul Aman, we had to finish our meeting. Rohullah was hoping for us to stay longer and for an answer, but I told him it will come soon.

Our trip to Darul Aman was very interesting. Between us almost getting in 50 accidents and Abdul Kholic's sole focus on why I would not coach the team, it was a pretty stressful ride. It was amazing to see how a big 7-ton truck can maneuver through traffic. We survived the ride there but Abdul Kholic was not done asking why I was not willing to help. I tried ten different ways to explain it to him that I did not say no, I just needed to think about it, discuss it with Leilani, and look at the feasibility of it. Could this be something that could really be put together? If I were to take this program on, the team could not train two-three months out of the year. We would have to get them out of Afghanistan and into a first world country to train the team. I tried explaining this Abdul Kholic, through Reshad, that there was a lot to think about. Abdul Kholic was still not happy and felt that I did not care about Afghanistan.

Towards the entrance of the base at Darul Aman, there was a palace from a former king of Afghanistan. Even though it was almost completely destroyed, you could see the beauty and could imagine how it once looked. I tried asking Abdul Kholic about it, but he was frustrated with me. Reshad tried giving me a little history about the palace.

The graduation ceremony at Darul Aman was very quaint. It was on a dirt track, the graduating platoons did a pass in review, there were two band members who were just learning how to play their instruments, and it took seven minutes. Other than Reshad, the Commandos, and I, there were no other spectators. It was very different from a boot camp graduation ceremony in the United States, where the bleachers would be full of families and friends, a big military band participating, a pass in review where everyone is in step, a honor guard, a long speech from the commander and maybe a guest speaker, all of which could take between thirty minutes and an hour.

After the ceremony, Abdul Kholic went to the drill instructors and told them which soldiers he wanted. During the ceremony, he watched at how the soldiers marched and stood in formation. He also looked at how healthy and strong they looked. The drill instructors called the soldiers out of formation after Abdul Kholic would point them out. The soldiers then went to get their bags and jumped on the truck. It was a very quick process and the soldiers were not told where they were going or anything. It was an interesting evolution to watch and I wondered how the Afghan National Army would account for these individuals or what would happen when these soldiers did not show up at their new commands. I guess we will see how this works.

Even though Abdul Kholic was satisfied that we accomplished a big mission that he and I have been working for a long time, he was still mad at me and did not say much on the way back to Pol-e-Charki. We were still defying death and accidents by the miracle of us fitting in spaces half the size of the vehicles. With no regard for the newly recruited soldiers who were stuffed in the back of the 7-ton truck like sardines, they somehow made it back to Pol-e-Charki with no incident too.

The rest of the day was very quiet. Not much was said in the office. Hopefully, I will be able to talk about this with Leilani soon.

National Swim Competition and Dirty Pools

One day after the Afghanistan National Water Polo Team tryouts, I went back up to the pool to gather all of the suits and goggles from the supply room. Rohullah Marouf, the Swim Chair at the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee told me that there would be a national swim competition in a few days and he wanted the 201st Corps Swim and Water Polo Team to be there and if I could contact all of the athletes who tried out for the Afghanistan National Water Polo Team. As I walked up the long and steep hill and past the destroyed buildings, I noticed a lot of Afghan soldiers on the pool deck, enjoying themselves just like people would on a pool deck anywhere in the rest of the world. Soldiers were listing to music, sitting in chairs or on the ground, and jumping in the pool. There was lots of laughter and conversation that could be heard from afar.

Upon my arrival, after about 24 hours from my last visit to the pool, I saw a dirty pool. Not just a dirty pool, a dark pool where you could not see the bottom. It was not windy and there were no dust storms. The pool was a mixture between brown and black and I could not understand how people could be swimming, bathing, drinking, or washing clothes in that water. I ran down the hill, went to my room and got my camera, and then ran back all the way up the hill to take a photo. I took a picture because I knew that I could not effectively describe how the pool would look.

The national swim competition was at a pool near the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee office and is next door to Rohullah's office. The Commando's I mentor insisted that they drive me there and provide security for me. After many discussions with the S-1 and S-3 officers about the security that I did not need, they still insisted that I have it. They said that I was now a very important person for Afghanistan and that anytime I was to leave the base, I must have an armed escort. I laughed at the idea and explained, through Reshad's translation, that it is not up to me or anyone else when or where I die, I have been there many times before without an escort, and that I am not remotely important enough to have a driver and an armed escort. The idea was absurd.

On our way to the event, we dropped Reshad off by his house. He was thankful because it saved him a lot of time and the cost of sharing a taxi with many different people. Before we stopped, Reshad ensured that the Commandos (Yes, I was stuck with the escort) were aware of where the pool was and that if they got lost, I could only help them to a point. My driving time and known routes in Kabul was somewhat limited, my Dari skills and the Commandos' English speaking skills were incompatible, and I did not want to drive around the city, armed escort or not, and end up somewhere where I was in potential danger (My perception for danger has a high tolerance. Most situations are not dangerous for me). Even though the driver and I ended up disagreeing on directions once we were on the road again, we got there without getting lost and with no problems.

The swim competition was a lot of fun to watch. It was very reminiscent of the Pol-e-Charki Base swim competition and of the Afghanistan National Water Polo Team tryouts. Everyone was swimming their hearts out. There were athletes from many different areas of the country. Most of the athletes were novice swimmers, with the exception of the members of the national swim team, who were all there.

The event was very serious in nature, as all other organized sports events I have encountered here. The athletes on the 201st Corps Swim and Water Polo Team wanted to wear their water polo caps to the swim meet to show that they were professional athletes and representing their team (Even though I told them repeatedly that the water polo caps are not designed for swim competition). There were banners covering the fences, VIP seating area, podium complete with microphone and speakers, and seating areas for the general public. There was an opening ceremony, where Rohullah, someone else from the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee, and some other prominent individual spoke; the reading of the Qur’an; and singers.

There were about 50 swimmers who competed in 7 events; 50, 100, and 200 freestyle; 100 butterfly; 100 backstroke; 100 breaststroke; and 100 individual medley (IM). Some of the events they had several heats and other events only had a few athletes. The 50 freestyle had six heats but there were only two swimmers in the 100 butterfly. The two athletes, who swam the 100 IM, swam the strokes well but would have been disqualified in a sanctioned international meet.

Rohullah Nikpai (In the suit, in center of photo), who just returned from the Olympic Games in Beijing, with a bronze medal in hand (First Afghan to ever win a medal in the history of Afghanistan), even arrived to speak at the event. Even though he was late to the opening ceremony and had to speak in the middle of the event, it did not matter. Everyone was in awe once he stepped on the pool deck and it became very quiet in a short amount of time. Even the competitors in the water stopped swimming their event because he walked on the pool deck. He was a soft spoken individual who has the look of pride and determination in his eyes. Everyone wanted to be near him, in hope that touching him or being within a few feet of him would create the osmosis process, where they can take his accomplishments and morph them into something great that the individual who touched him can become. He spoke to the large crowd for a few minutes. At the end of the speech, there were deafening cheers that could be heard all of the way back to Beijing. He shook many hands and took many pictures. About an hour after arriving, he finally was allowed to leave the pool deck and walk out to the street. I would have to imagine that it took him another 30 minutes to walk the 100 yards from the pool to his vehicle before he was able to leave as well.

A few minutes after his final departure, this swim competition finally resumed.

The 201st Corps Swim and Water Polo Team athletes did very well. They placed highly in all of the events, with the exception of the butterfly and individual medley. They even won a few of the events. It was nice to see that they were competitive but I hope in future years that the times in the "national championships" will be a little faster.

With Ramadan coming up and cooler weather around the corner, this will be the end of aquatic sports for the year. Hopefully next year will have more citizens of this country participating in sports that involve a pool.

Final Day of Water Polo in Afghanistan for 2008

Today was the final day of the first ever Afghanistan National Water Polo Team tryouts and of the 201st Corps Swim and Water Polo Team's inaugural season. Even though the national team tryouts did not take place every day as planned, because of situations outside of our control, we were excited for the day. This week, I was running around trying to make sure everything was set, was enjoyed by all. I feel that this is a great thing for Afghanistan and know that all of the athletes feel the same way.

Whenever I saw the athletes throughout the week, their first question was how were they doing in the tryouts? Followed by, are they going to make the team? My response would always be that regardless if they make the team, they, their family, and their village should be proud of their accomplishment that they tried out for the team.

In addition to the last day of the tryouts, the last day of the season for the 201st Corps team, I am finishing teaching my first two college classes for Central Texas College, on Camp Blackhorse (A nearby US Army forward operating base), and I am finishing what will hopefully be my final master's degree class for Excelsior College, before I begin writing my thesis. I also had to work my job. For being the laziest person I know, I was quite busy this week.

The day started at 6:30, with going to meet with the S-1 staff at the 201st Commando Kandak. All of the staff was there early because of the flow of work. The S-1 Officer had many questions for me about this work and some new procedures that the 201st Corps wanted to implement. I assured him that he already had the processes in place and he just needed to show the 201st Corps G-1 what we were already doing and they will understand. He was still worried, so I told him that I would walk with him to the 201st Corps G-1 and speak with the G-1 Officer about it. Sure enough, the processes that the 201st Commando Kandak have had for five months now were the same processes that the 201st Corps G-1 wanted to implement.

With the S-1 Officer relieved that we were ahead of the power curve and the S-1 staff working hard on their tasks, I went to go get Ken Paprocki, a photojournalist from New York, by way of Nebraska. Ken was waiting for me at Camp Blackhorse. Ken and I came in contact through SPC Ocque. SPC Ocque was supposed to come and take photos of what we are doing and was never able to make it. She was very helpful by sending Ken our way. Ken was also with a reporter named Doug Grindle. Doug did not seem that interested in Afghans playing water polo or a national team tryout. He seems more of the type to follow US servicemembers around that are fighting the good fight. Since Ken and Doug were traveling together, Doug decided to bring his video camera to tag along. Maybe he will find something he wants to cover.

I first took Ken and Doug to meet the 201st Commando Kandak. I walked them around to the different companies and the headquarters staff, to speak with who they felt were interesting. The 201st Commando Kandak and its soldiers had been in plenty of battles against the Taliban and there were many good men who died or were wounded fighting against the enemy of Afghanistan. The Commandos were so interested in the attention and were eager to speak with Ken and Doug. Ken asked a lot of questions and took many photos.
The Commandos told Ken their stories and answered what he asked. After the first office that I brought Ken and Doug into, I realized that they would be in these offices for a long time, so I left Reshad with them to translate and went back to work for 30 minutes at a time, and would then return to introduce them to the new company or platoon.

I then took Ken to the Commando dining facility to get a feel of what the Afghan soldiers eat and the opportunity to meet more soldiers. So many Commandos came up to us that it was too much...we ended up leaving after about Ken spoke with Commandos for about 30 minutes.

After that I took Ken and Doug back to Camp Blackhorse. Knowing that Doug did not have an interest in the water polo story, I just told Ken that the 201st Corps Swim and Water Polo team would be having lunch at the Camp Blackhorse dining facility at 1230. Since I was right there, I stopped by the dining facility (DFAC) to ensure that the DFAC manager remembered that we would be there today at 1230 and that there was a reserved table for us. He said we were all set, which made me quite happy.

But first I had to go back to the S-1 office to see on the status of tasks being accomplished. The S-1 Officer and I spent about 90 minutes together talking about some more S-1 work. Pay day was coming up and we had to make sure that there were no discrepancies in the pay documents.

Our rally point for the 201st Corps Swim and Water Polo Team luncheon was at the 201st Corps' building. That is where all of the soldiers were going to meet me as the Afghan soldiers cannot go onto Camp Blackhorse, or any US base without an escort. Two weeks prior, I spoke with the base commander at Camp Blackhorse about my idea to bring the soldiers to the DFAC aboard the base to celebrate the end to a wonderful season. Once I arrived, at 12:00, the team was ready to go to Camp Blackhorse. All of the athletes knew that they were not allowed to bring anyone to this luncheon that was not on the team. However, there were 15 people there, which were not on the team, that were expecting to go. Additionally, I was told that the 201st Corps Commander plus his staff were going to come. I originally invited the 201st Corps Commander to the luncheon, since this was his team. When he was signing the participation certificates that I printed up (Steve Scott provided the template, of course) for the athletes, I discussed with him about attending the luncheon and that he could bring himself. He asked if he could bring some other people and I said no. I asked the Camp Blackhorse Commander if I could bring 30 on the base for chow, not 50.

After we got the group down to the appropriate size, we piled into vehicles and drove over to the parking lot across the street from Camp Blackhorse. During our drive there, some of the soldiers that were told they could not come tried to jump in the vehicles with us. They were told that if they came with us, that they would have to walk back without lunch. Not believing what I was telling them, they came anyways.

Once we arrived in the Camp Blackhorse parking lot, I had the athletes assemble in a "school circle" and listen to what the plan was and key things to remember, since none of them ever had a meal at an American military dining facility before: Everyone had to have their ID card when they walk in the gate, in a single file line, no weapons, that they would be searched by the US soldiers at the gate, remain in the single file line all the way to the DFAC, sign in on the roster, wash hands, not eat anything with a picture of a pig on the label, do not use their hands to get any of the food at all (Use tongs), sit at the table on the back wall, and have fun. Everyone said they understood and we were ready. We were just waiting on the 201st Corps Commander.

Once the 201st Corps Commander arrived, I explained everything to him quickly and he said he understood. He also tried asking if the soldiers he brought along could come as well. I told him that as much as I wish that they could, that we only have a table that seats 30 and the Camp Blackhorse Commander only allowed me to bring 30. He tried to convince me again but I politely told the general no.

Since we were all there, and it was now 12:25, I told everyone to get in a line, minus the Corps Commander, and to have their ID cards out. Some extra soldiers, and a few of the 201st Corps Commander's invitees, tried jumping in the line. I quickly got them out, and explained again that they could not come. I also told the athletes on the team if these extra soldiers did not get out of the line now, none of us would get to eat lunch here. Like I told them before and since they did not take me seriously, they had to walk back to their units, without lunch. As the Afghan National Army dining facilities were already closed, I am sure they were hungry until dinner.

Once the MP's at the gate gave us the go ahead, we started walking in. I went in first, and then the Corps Commander and the athletes were all searched and let in. Once the group was finished, we all walked towards to DFAC in a line. All of a sudden, the group was trying to walk everywhere, some were with me, some were trying to walk to the little trinket and DVD shops, and the rest were talking to some of their units' mentors. I abruptly stopped, had Ahmad Shah and Mohommad Osman (Both athletes on the team) tell everyone to get back in line, and told them to stay with the plan. We could not risk being kicked off the base.

As we arrived to the DFAC, everyone started in the door and followed the directions that I gave them. They all signed in, washed their hands, used tongs at the self service area, and went through the line, like they had done it 100 times before...Except that some of them forgot that they could not eat anything with a pig face on the label. Even the servers on the line even tried telling them, since some of the servers barely spoke any English, and neither did most of the 30 Afghans there, it was not fully communicated that the item contained pork and they should not eat it. As I saw this take place, I tried stopping it when it took place or when they tried coming to the table.

As the soldiers sat down at the table, it was actually very quiet. Everyone was eating and enjoying their food. Some of the US mentors came over and congratulated the team and shook their hands for their accomplishments. The athletes became very excited by this because they were proud of themselves and are rarely congratulated for anything that they do. Ken Paprocki was there and got to ask the athletes a lot of questions about their season, their story, and about their families. It was a very successful luncheon and I was happy to see all of the smiles and excitement of the athletes.

As we completed our discussions and eating, I told the athletes what they needed to do on the way out: Drop off the trays, walk outside, get in a single file line, and then walk out of the gate. This time, the process went a lot more smoothly.

I then brought Ken to spend some time with the linguists that we work with to hear about their lives. I left him there to go back to S-1 to do some work. After working at the S-1 office I went back to go get him. Ken was just hanging out there, making friends, and having an enjoyable time.

It was now time to go to the pool as Mohammad Tahir, the 201st Corps Sports Officer, coordinated an awards ceremony. I created certificates and had the 201st Corps Commander sign them. Mohammad Tahir also had the Pol-e-Charki Base Commander sign certificates that he made as well. Come to find out, this was a big deal for the athletes on the team. All the athletes made sure that they were there on time. The 201st Corps Commander was there, along with the Pol-e-Charki Base Commander, Ministry of Defense Sports Officer, a general from the Ministry of Defense, and an Afghan television crew. As each athlete received their certificates, you could feel all of the smiles. There was not an unhappy person there.

I thought my reward for this hard work was watching these athletes’ progression through a completely foreign sport. But the athletes had a surprise for me. In the middle of the ceremony, the athletes presented me with a ceremonial vest and hat, a vest for my son (A custom if one were to have a son), and two hearts with flowers attached to them. The only time I have ever seen these before is at an Afghan National Army, Change of Command Ceremony. I am told this is one of the highest honors and for days after the ceremony, Afghans from all over the base were asking me about my gifts. To further explain the gifts that were presented to me, watch this video.

After the ceremony, the athletes wanted to do an exhibition for all of the visitors. The athletes began their stretching and dryland exercises, completed a warm up of swimming and passing, and then I divided up the group into two teams and then they started a game. It was the first time that there were visitors watching the athletes play in game type situation, so the athletes were definitely giving it their all. We played five minute running quarters and the athletes would frequently sub out as they were quickly tiring.

After the exhibition game, I had to leave the pool for a while to go back to the S-1 to check on a project that they were working on and then go to the front gate to ensure that all the civilians were let in for the national team tryouts. I left Ken at the pool and I think he was having fun too. Leilani always says that I can make friends everywhere, including the bathroom. I think that Ken can make friends 100 times faster than I can, and in more austere locations. I think that he had an enjoyable day.

The final day of tryouts went very well. The athletes from the 201st Corps Swim and Water Polo Team were a little worn out from the full practice/game that they did before the tryouts themselves. The athletes had a good time and I made sure that after we finished our time in the pool, that I told everyone who participated in the tryouts that I was proud of them, their families should be proud of them, they should be proud of themselves, and what they were doing was the first step of something great for their country. I also told them that I would be in contact in the next 10 days with those who made the team. Those who would not make the team I encouraged to try out again next time and that it was not shameful if they did not make the team.

They all did not want to leave the pool but I told them that I had to go. It was late, almost dark, and I had to go back to work. I hope that I will be able to select and meet our team soon. They are such a great group of people who want to do something to make their country better. Even though they do not have the size, speed, or strength to take on the world's best water polo teams, they do have the heart needed to get the program to a high level. We will see where the future will lead us. After all, just a few months ago, water polo was unheard of in Afghanistan, and soon, Afghanistan will have its own national team.

201st Corps on a Mission and Tryouts Resume

The pool was muddy from yesterday's "storm". The soldier who cares for the pool took it upon himself to drain the pool, brush it down, and started refilling it. He also went above and beyond and got a water truck to drain a water tower and dump the water into the pool so it would be filled in time. I do not know if this was the soldier’s own initiative or if the Pol-e-Charki Base Commander directed him to, as a realization of what this future, of a Afghanistan National Water Polo Team, will do for Afghanistan.

The Afghan National Army, 201st Corps, to include most of the 201st Commando Kandak, were still on a mission today. There were many reports in different areas around the country, to include where the 201st Corps deployed to, of Taliban attacking targets and the Afghan National Army engaging the Taliban after they exposed themselves. The soldiers and commandos of the 201st Corps were not due to participate in the national team tryouts today but their units started to arrive about an hour before tryouts started. They even brought all of the “civilians”, who were participating in the tryouts onto the base as they drove into the front gate. It was a great gesture to their fellow countrymen, and maybe even future teammates.

I was sure that all of the civilians have been wondering why the tryouts have not continued. A few of the “civilians” left to go home, thinking that there were no more tryouts. The soldiers explained that they were all gone on missions and that the “civilians” that were trying out did not miss anything. Everyone was smiles today as they jumped in the pool. It was a great day for the participants and for me, who also had a smile.

Combat Missions and Mud Storms

The Afghanistan National Water Polo Team tryouts definitely did not go as planned today. The 201st Corps of the Afghan National Army, which resides on the Pol-e-Charki Base, was deployed on a mission to fight the Taliban (Which are called the “enemy of Afghanistan” by all Afghans I encounter). It was a hectic day, trying to get the 201st Commando Kandak (Batallion), that I mentor, out the door for the mission.

With no Afghan soldiers or commandos attending today’s tryouts, it will be difficult to remain objective and will seem unfair to the “civilians” trying out. What if a civilian does not make the team but one of the soldiers do make the team? The “civilian” will complain that the tryouts are unfair and that the soldier was not even there to tryout. We will just have to see how the rest of the week works out. After yesterday's incident, who knows how this will come together.

What may be perceived as lucky for someone, it was unlucky for us with the tryouts. The Pol-e-Charki Base Commander, will not let any of the civilians on the base today because of security concerns. At first it was implied to me that he just did not want to go through the security screenings like yesterday but when I went with Reshad to speak with him, he told us that he was not allowing any visitors to the base because of security reasons. That sounds fair to me, he has to protect all personnel on the base. The Base Commander also offered us to stay and have tea. Because of my track record in the past with him (Of not staying to drink tea. Maybe that has been the reason why he has been not letting civilians onto the base), I quickly thanked him for the offer and we sat down with him and drank tea.

Even if there were no missions for the Afghan National Army, the potential of the other athletes feeling that it is unfair that the soldiers did not tryout and their expectations of having better placement on the team, and that the Base Commander did not let the civilians on the base, the tryouts would not have even commenced. At about 2:30 PM, a wicked dust storm came out of nowhere. It was no ordinary dust storm, I would venture to call it a mud storm. It started with a lot of wind and the clouds started moving in. Then it started to hail heavily, with pieces of hailstones ranging in size from small specs to pieces the size of a child’s hand clenched in a fist. As the hail was pelting down, I was getting stung on all areas of my body by these hailstones. The hail soon turned to rain. A few seconds after, dust started flying everywhere. This dust mingled with the rain and mud, the size of raindrops, started falling everywhere, to include all over my body as I was walking, and now running, from the Commando Kandak S-1 to the Special Forces compound where I lived. The distance of these two points is only about 300-400 yards. That is how quickly the storm went from nothing to mud. My arms and head had some red marks afterwards from the hail, I was filthy from the mud rain, and in about five minutes time, it started to flood all over the base. Huge puddles filled level areas, and the river bed that runs dry through the base this time of year was halfway filled with rushing water. It was at least seven or eight feet deep in such a short amount of time. It has been raining all evening and it does not look like it will let up soon.

I hope that any and all of these issues do not happen again this week. Since Ramadan starts next week, and pools are not open from that time until next summer, it will not be good if we cannot complete the national team tryouts. Even though we are looking for those who are fast and strong, we are especially looking for those who will be great teammates, have the desire to do something great for their country, and those we feel will be able to pick up the fundamentals of the sport with ease and be able to continue building themselves as individuals and as a team.

We will see where tomorrow leads us.

Pol-e-Charki Base Commander Says “No”

I spent all day today, just like yesterday, making sure that everything in place to ensure a successful national team tryout. The end result is that the day did not end in success.

The Pol-e-Charki Base Commander said that we did not follow procedures and all of the people who have to approve the request to let civilians onto the base were never notified. I asked Reshad if he was not translating correctly. He reaffirmed what the General said. I was very confused on why he changed his decision after the tryouts already started. He also stated that it will be the same way the rest of the week.

If that is the case, the Afghanistan National Water Polo Team tryouts will not be completed. What are we supposed to do now? I will keep on the Base Commander to see if we can convince him to say yes for the rest of the week. Where is Steve Scott when you need him?

With the look of defeat on my face, Reshad started asking the Base Commander about other topics. I was mortified at the fact that Reshad was all of a sudden being so friendly with the General after he just put a stop to something that could be potentially great and that the General reversed what he promised earlier. If I promised something to him, he would expect it. The worst part of it was that Reshad told him that I wanted the answers to the questions he was asking (i.e. the weather, the progress of the football field, Ramadan). Reshad was then translating random comments to me, I would ask him for clarification of what he was saying, then Reshad would take my comments and formulate different questions that “I asked”.

Besides being defeated and confused, I was now furious at Reshad. After we walked out the door, he asked me if he could explain to me what happened. He then explained to me that in Afghanistan, walking 10 kilometers is sometimes shorter than running 1 kilometer. What kind of antidote is that? What does that even mean? He also said that the General really likes and respects me and to give it time. Time? What time? Pools in Afghanistan close in one week.

First Day of the National Team Tryouts

I went up to the pool this morning, at 7 AM, and the water was filling slowly. Using hand gestures and my extremely limited Dari skills, I asked the soldier who was in charge of the pool to add the hose that he was using to water all of the plants, to the pool. Hopefully this will get the water level to an acceptable level.

I then went to the Commando Kandak (Dari for Battalion) S-1 to see what Abdul Kholik, who is the Admin Officer, and his staff had planned for the day. I reviewed the daily tasks for S-1, that we spoke about the previous day, and made sure that he or the rest of the S-1 staff had no further questions about the tasks and were on track to completing them.

At 8 AM, I went down to the front gate of the Pol-e-Charki Base, to ensure that there would be no problems at the gate for people coming to tryout. There were already a dozen people waiting at the gate to start the entry process of getting a background check and a temporary pass.

I then proceeded to Camp Blackhorse, which is a US Forward Operation Base, which is located on the other side of the Pol-e-Charki Base from where I live and work to find Specialist (SPC) Jennifer Ocque, United States Army. Specialist Ocque works in the Public Affairs Office (PAO) at Camp Phoenix. Camp Phoenix is located near Kabul. She supposedly hitched a ride last night, or possibly this morning, to Camp Blackhorse so she could cover the event and send it to the media outlets. She was very excited for the opportunity (Who she heard about from her boyfriend, who was part of the New York Army National Guard unit that was at Camp Blackhorse) to write a story and take photos of something exciting and good that comes out of Afghanistan. It was not her regular story, writing about combat missions, change of command ceremonies, or about incoming or outgoing units. This was about a national event, where citizens from around the country would be attending, something aside from war.

I have no clue what she looked like or where she was. I looked around for some of the enlisted Guardsmen that may have known her and asked them. Luckily, I ran into some of the enlisted guys who went on the convoy to Camp Phoenix yesterday. They told me that she was not on the convoy back to Camp Blackhorse yesterday but she did tell them that she will be coming on today’s convoy. If you ever want to know what is going on, just ask a Private First Class (PFC) in the military, he will be able to tell you everything that is going on, plus all the gossip that you would ever need, and then some.

I went to the Dining Facility (DFAC) and grabbed some fruit for breakfast. As I was sitting there, one of the Regional Corps Advisory Command's (RCAC) linguists asked if I could answer a few questions for some of the Afghan workers on Camp Blackhorse. When I walked outside, the workers started asking me questions about the “water volleyball” tryouts they heard about from their families back home and how they could be part of the team. After trying to figure out how these workers heard about the tryouts, I then explained to them what time to be at the Pol-e-Charki pool. They of course then asked if anyone could tryout and if people from their village could come to the tryouts. My response to them was that as long as they came in enough time to go through the gate and make it to the pool, it would be great for them to come.

I then asked if they had any additional questions and then told them I had to go back to the Commando Kandak. The workers asked if I would stay and drink chai (Tea) with them. I politely declined, told them that I greatly appreciated the invitation, and that I must go.

On my way back to the Commando Kandak, I stopped off at the Base Commander’s office to thank him for his unit’s assistance and professionalism in this process. He was very excited about the opportunities that we are providing his soldiers and countrymen. He then asked me if I would join him for tea as well. I told him that I would love to but I had to get back to the Commando Kandak. He seemed disappointed that I would not stay. I felt bad about this because it always seems when he asks me, I say no most of the time. I do not to have tea with him soon.

Getting back to the Commando Kandak at 9 AM, I was already tired. All of the running around is tiring and I only slept a few hours last night. I needed to slow down and pace myself. Of course, I did not do that.

As I went to the pool, almost every hour, on the hour, I saw the water level rising at a decent rate. I was getting a little more confident that there would be enough water in the pool.

As lunch neared, Arif (Pictured left) and Sorab, from S-1, asked if I would join them for lunch. I agreed to their request, primarily I was too tired to go all of the way to Camp Blackhorse to eat. Arif and Sorab grabbed their spoons and we walked across the street to their dining facility. As always, we enjoyed our time eating together, creating bonds, and sharing stories. Mohammad Amin and a Commando from 3rd Company joined us for lunch as well. This lunch was a little bit different as all of the Commandos wanted to speak with me about the opportunity coming up in the afternoon. I did not want to be rude and not answer their questions, so for the better part of 30 minutes, Arif, Sorab, and I were answering all of their questions about the “swimming football” tryouts. The Commandos were so excited and were determined to make the team.

After lunch, and after taking another quick trip to the pool and the front gate, we went back to work and took care of some pay issues. After everything was on track for the afternoon, Abdul Kholik wanted to drink tea and talk. He invited Arif and Sorab (Pictured right) to join as well. Once Reshad came back from eating lunch, he joined us as well. We drank tea for the better part of an hour and mostly spoke about work and about the rug that I just bought for them for their office. He was so thankful and appreciative but said that the Commandan Kandak (Battalion Commander) was mad that the S-1 Officer had such a nice rug and that he was going to take it from him. Even though the rug did not cost that much (Only a couple of US Dollars), I bought Abdul Kholik the rug as a present. I told him that if the Commandan Kandak were to try and take it, to tell him that he needed to speak with me about it. We concluded with discussing the topic of the day, the Afghanistan National Water Polo Team tryouts. Abdul Kholik said it was a great day for Afghanistan and that it will help unify the country. I am glad that he believes this and I hope that this team, whever it may end up in the future, will accomplish this.

After we finished our work, and multiple trips to the pool, Reshad, Arif, Sorab, and I headed up to the pool for the tryouts. Reshad was there to help with translation and for whatever else he saw that I needed help with. Arif and Sorab were there, at Abdul Kholik’s order, to support me in whatever I needed for the national team tryouts. I had Arif and Sorab be in charge of registering all interested athletes, explaining to the athletes what the process for the tryouts would be, and wrote numbers (In English) on the athletes’ arms so I could identify them as they competed. Arif also conducted some interviews with a few aspiring athletes who were there. Arif would ask them their name, where they were from, and why they were there. The interviewees look very excited and I just wish I could understand what they are saying. I am sure that I will have Reshad translate these for me someday.

I am glad that Arif took these interviews and photos, otherwise there would not have been a record. SPC Ocque did not show up for the tryouts, but I am not worried since there are a few more days. Reshad, Sorab, and Arif did an outstanding job helping me. I was very thankful for what they did and they knew it.

The tryouts went very smoothly. The Base Commander’s staff did an excellent job with processing all of the civilians, provided transportation for them from the front gate all of the way to the pool, and even had a few guards there for our protection. The solder who is in charge of the pool made sure everything was ready and even set up a little desk for Arif and Sorab to use for registration.

From my estimation, hundreds of people showed for the tryouts and over 70 participated in the tryouts (Even though 120 registered). I personally believe that double the amount of people would have participated in the tryouts had they not seen how “fast” some of the people were. The first dozen people that tried out were from the Afghanistan National Swimming Federation, followed by many of the athletes from the 201st Corps Swim and Water Polo Team. Some of the people lost any confidence they had and decided not to try out. I had Reshad ask one civilian who was standing on the side of the pool why he was not going to try out. He said that everyone was too fast and that he had no chance. Reshad told him that everyone had a chance and that he should just do it. He unfortunately did not tryout out but did stay and watch. I understand the lack of confidence of some of these guys, never swimming in a pool before, never participating in an organized sport, and trying out for a sport they have never seen before. But they were still there to witness and be a part of it. Pretty exciting stuff.

It took about three hours to go set up, go through the tryouts, and tear down. I mostly had the participants swimming 25 yards of freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke, in waves of five athletes, as that is all I could effectively fit. I also had these waves tread water for a period of time to make sure they had some of the basic skills required. No water polo ball today, that will come later in the week.

To my surprise, and let me tell you, it was a surprise, I had to jump in and grab an athlete. Have you ever heard of someone having to jump in during a national team tryout for water polo or swimming to save someone? He was swimming 25 yards of freestyle. He started off fine, but he started struggling, and then could not make it to the wall. I tried to grab him from the edge, but when I realized he was out of my reach, I slid in the water and grabbed him. He then persisted that he get another chance and that he could do it. So I let him try again, this time next to the wall. Same result (Minus me having to get wet again). He tried to convince me again and I then told him that he did a great thing for his family and village by trying out. But told him that he could not continue with this tryout because I was concerned for his safety. Arif stepped in and said he would take care of it. Unfortunately (Not for me), the other swimmers who swam their hearts out to get the best time and that were in the same heat (wave) as the participant who struggled, had to re-swim their length because I did not see how they performed. They were tired and wanted more of a break. I told them no and that they had to prepare for the next length.

Even after the tryouts were over, people just stayed and talked and were hoping that I would provide insight to who made the team. I told them that they had to keep on coming and that I would provide that answer after the tryouts ended. After all of this, Reshad, Arif, Sorab, and myself walked back down the hill, Arif could not stop talking about how exciting it was.

It was exciting. I am glad that everything worked out today and will pray that it will all work out for the rest of the week. I am starting to wonder though, with all the people who came to tryout, some from 8 hours away by taxi or jingle truck, where are those that do not live local going to stay this week? What are they going to eat? It is not like there is a hotel down the block or even a restaurant. Even if there was, where would they find the money? This is just completely different than what you would find in the United States or the rest of the western world. Hopefully, I will see them all tomorrow and that the rest of the week will be a success, for those who are trying out and for the soon to be formed Afghanistan National Water Polo Team.

The First Ever Afghanistan National Water Polo Team Tryouts

We are almost set for the first ever Afghanistan National Water Polo Team tryouts. It should be an exciting week. Hopefully there will be enough water in the pool and the Pol-e-Charki Base Commander will come through and let those who want to tryout for the team, onto the base.

Yesterday morning, they emptied, cleaned, and started refilling the pool. It concerned me that they waited until the last possible minute to do this as I asked them to do it on Thursday. It takes a long time to fill the pool, at least 24 hours to get it to a decent level.

At lunch time, I went back to the pool. There was no one there, the water was not flowing into the pool, and the National Team tryouts were 26 hours away. I finally found the Afghan soldier who is in charge of the pool. Since Reshad, and no other Afghans who could translate for me, were there, with my extremely limited Dari skills and hand directions, I was able to effectively communicate that the pool needed to be filled. Without water, it would be quite difficult to host a water polo national team tryout.

National Team Tryouts, Nonprofit Organization, and the Media

With time running out to hold the national team tryouts, and no facilities to use, I had to convince the Pol-e-Charki Base Commander to use the facility for national team tryouts. This would be a touchy issue as I would not only be asking him to use the facility for something more than it is already used for, I would be asking him to let civilians come on to the base for a week, A very tall request for someone like me to ask.

As always, the Base Commander took the meeting with Reshad and I. And as always, there was a large group of soldiers and officers in his office. He was sternly giving his answers to those he was addressing in discussion. There were no seats for us to sit and once the Base Commander realized this, he quickly told two of the officers, that he was already sternly speaking to, to get out of the seats and go about their day. They quickly got up, and walked out of the office. As Reshad and I sat down, a soldier offered us tea. Of course, we said yes, as it would be rude to say no. As the Base Commander was going over other business with other soldiers and officers, the soldier who offered us tea carefully grabbed the two empty glasses of tea that the prior occupants of our seats had, filled each with a tiny bit of hot tea, swished the tea around for a few seconds, poured the spent tea in the corner of the office, then poured tea in each of the two cups. As the soldier was carrying the cups of tea to us, he also grabbed a small plate to put some candies on. As he set the candy and the cups of tea down, I could still see all of the smudges from the multiple and previous users of the cups. As with most other places, it was not a quality washing job, but I did not want to be rude and refuse to drink the tea. I stealthy positioned the cup so I would encounter the least amount of smudges as possible.

As the Base Commander finished his discussion with the Sergeant Major, he turned to Reshad and I and asked how his team was performing and what our plans were. We explained that the season would finish at the end of next week, on August 28th, right before Ramadan. He expressed his appreciation for teaching his soldiers how to swim and play “swimming football” and asked if there was anything else we needed to speak with him about. I then nudged Reshad to have him explain to the Base Commander what Reshad and I already rehearsed several times before taking the ATV over to his office. Reshad quickly explained to him that we wanted to host the first ever, Afghanistan Water Polo National Team tryouts, at the base pool. The Base Commander was intrigued by the opportunity and asked if all of the soldiers on the base could tryout. Reshad gave an affirmative reply and then told him that it would be open to all Afghans. I could then see him processing the information and immediately knew what his response would be. I quickly interjected and asked Reshad to explain to him that anyone who wanted to try out for the team would have to go through his security screenings, several hours before the first day of tryouts. I asked Reshad to tell that it would be a great honor, for the Pol-e-Charki Base to host these first national team tryouts and that if we had it on the base, as opposed to a pool in Kabul or other places, that there would be more of a chance for soldiers to make the team, since the pool is on the base and soldiers did not have to find a ride to anywhere else.

He said we could do it under the condition that everyone must go through a thorough background screening, that I would be responsible for them, and I would have to personally pick each person up from the gate. Before I launched my counter offer, which would have been a gripe, Reshad said let’s take it and that we would worry about the transportation later. Without questioning him, we agreed and went to shake the Commander’s hand and depart. After we shook hands, the Base Commander held on to my hand, and started speaking to the ten officers in the office. Rehad explained to me later that he was just telling the group what a great job that we were doing and that the officers in the base units were to ensure that all soldiers were allowed to attend the tryouts, if they so desired. As we left, I was relieved that we had a site for the tryouts, but worried that I would be responsible for everyone on the base.

With that hurdle completed, Reshad and I were able to convince Rohullah that we should have the tryouts at the base, otherwise we would not have a team, since time was running out before Ramadan. Rohullah finally agreed and said that he would spread the word. Reshad gave him specific instructions about the Pol-e-Charki Base Commander’s requirements, to make sure that anyone that wanted to tryout would have to show up at least two hours early.

I then tried to get some media exposure for the event. Rohullah said he would also try to get Afghan media there. I sent an email to dozens of organizations, to include Yahoo news, the Associated Press, NBC, New York Times, ESPN, Time, and military public affairs offices to try to get media outlets from the western world to see something good and fun coming out of Afghanistan. Other than automated responses, I only received one human reply. Tim Dahlberg, from the Associated Press responded by stating that “It looks very interesting, I'll pass it along to my editors.” I do not think that is an email that I will not receive a follow up on.

With all of this in motion, we really need to start getting our mindset into how to fundraise for this endeavor. This is pretty exciting stuff, but without big money, how are we going to train the national team that we are forming? The national team cannot train in Afghanistan more than a few months out of the year because of pool availability, weather, and religious fasting periods. The Afghanistan National Olympic Committee has no money, from what I am told. Starting a nonprofit organization will be the only way to make this happen. So much to think about.

A Coach Leaves, Big Demands, and Delays

Steve Scott left today. He was so involved in helping develop the first ever water polo team in Afghanistan, the 201st Corps Swim and Water Polo Team. I wish that he was able to stay until the completion of the season but I am so happy that he is going home to be with his family. I am sure that Steve realizes that he made an impact to the people of Afghanistan both as a mentor to the Pol-e-Charki Base Commander and the staff but also to the athletes. What I do not think Steve realizes is how much he will be missed and the extent of his contact has made. He was not like any other mentor from America or the western world. Normally, many of the mentors do a good job for the Afghan soldiers and then move on when their rotation is over. I will probably be one of those mentors as well. I will make positive changes and then leave where a new mentor will then do the same. However, Steve helped the Afghan people dream and showed them opportunities they would have never thought of. Through the swim and water polo team, he helped create heroes on the Pol-e-Charki Base and hopefully they will someday become heroes for their country. Just look at the photo with Steve Scott and Mohammad Amin. Pictures say a thousand words. It is a sad day…

Rohullah called and told us that we cannot have national team tryouts next week as we cannot secure a pool. All of the pools in the Kabul area are private pools and the owners do not want to close off the pool to its paying patrons. So, to compensate the owners for the pool time, the owners would like us to pay $500 per day, even though the pool would only be used for two hours each day. That is $250 per hour!!! Why so much? It is because it was mentioned to the pool owners that an American was involved. I guess they think that all Americans have money growing on trees back home (We only wish) or they think the US Government is going to pay for it. Either way, I have never paid more than $100 for pool time, even at the nicest facilities in the United States and I do not even have that kind of money.

So now our national team tryout is delayed. If we do not have the national team tryouts by the end of the month, we will have to wait until next year as Ramadan starts at the beginning of September this year and it will be too cold to swim after that. Rohullah and I are back at square one and need to find a pool. The Base Commander will not go for us using the base pool, especially since civilians would have to come aboard the base, Steve Scott is gone so he cannot help me convince the Commander, and Rohullah says that people would not travel out here for a national team tryout anyway. What are we to do?

Pictures, Strategic Plans, and Afghanistan National Olympic Committee VII

Rohullah called Reshad a few days ago and told him that they wanted to move forward with the water polo program. Rohullah liked everything I had to say and thinks that my heart is true. Rohullah, Reshad, and I met again. I brought the strategic plan that I created, with the help of my peer group back in the United States, and gave it to Rohullah for his review. The strategic plan took a few days and is something that I never written before. It took a lot of thought of what I thought a national program should entail, being realistic, and a lot of rewriting. It outlined the plans for a national water polo program in Afghanistan. Of course, it is in English, which he does not know how to read, nor is any of the official languages of Afghanistan. The plan that Rohullah set is that we will have national team tryouts in ten days from now. He is going to try to coordinate the pool location and time, spread the word about the tryouts, and start getting everything together to start the program based on my strategic plan. We will see how it all comes together. National team tryouts are only in ten days!

Steve Scott also took photos of our team at practice today. The photos came out great and shows so many aspects of the team. He took photos of the team in and out of the water. The shirts that you see Scott and I wearing and the caps the team are wearing are from Bahram Hojreh, of Los Alamitos Water Polo. He was nice enough to donate. I am sure that Bahram will like to see photos of a team wearing his gear on the other side of the planet. Steve will be leaving soon to go back to the US to be with his family and a new duty station. He will be sorely missed and was a great supporter and was instrumental in starting the 201st Corps Swim and Water Polo Team. Without Steve, I do not think that the Pol-e-Charki Base Commander would have ever allowed me to use his facility, and only for swimming and water polo at that. I know that I am charming and all but I could not have done it without him.

Afghanistan National Olympic Committee VI

After almost three weeks of not hearing anything, the Swim Chair called us and asked if Reshad and I could come down to his office to meet again. Today's meeting went well. I had some documents for him to look at, just basics about the game and a general plan of what I would like to see for the program. We were just talking generalizations at this point.

It was still a very one sided conversation. Rohullah was very quiet most of the time. He was very attentive and smiled alot. I do not know if he was smiling because my ideas are so farfetched or of genuine interest. He would ask an occasional question then listen for a while before asking another. We spent alot of time together, even though it was quite hot in his office.

As we were about to leave, Rohullah started speaking at lengths to Reshad. They were both speaking very quickly to each other. It seemed that Rohullah would ask Reshad a series of questions then Reshad would ask an occasional question. Both Rohullah and Reshad both saw that I was hoping to get a glimpse of what was being said. While Rohullah was speaking with him, Reshad quickly told me that we would talk about what they were discussing in the car after we left. I felt left out of my own discussion but I trusted Reshad to take care of things in my best interest.

Once Reshad and Rohullah completed their discussion, Rohullah thanked us for coming and we were on our way back to Pol-e-Charki. Once we exited the gate, Reshad started telling me what transpired. Reshad spent about ten minutes rehashing the discussion. Their discussion boiled down to my heart. Was I true in what I was proposing and would I follow through? I was proposing what they perceived as the almost impossible and Rohullah wanted to make sure that the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee and the Afghanistan National Swimming Federation were not set up for failure by falling for dreams that a Westerner threw at them and then never follows on.

Reshad also told me that they were supposed to speak on the phone tonight. I await to hear the results.

Planning

Through various discussions with Leilani about the idea of a national water polo program, we decided to open an exploratory committee. I contacted water polo coaches from the United States to see what their thoughts were on the possibility of developing a national water polo program in Afghanistan, what it would take, milestones, and what possible measurable results could be achieved, if any. The feedback I received from members of the water polo community was outstanding. Everyone was very supportive and offered quality feedback. They reinforced my thoughts and also provided some good ideas as well.

Based on this information, I decided to move forward. This project could not be remotely completed without the support of Leilani, and of a team. First, I made sure that Leilani would be supportive and I also convinced her to help me start a non-profit organization, assuming that my next meeting with the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee goes well, and if it even occurs. I also called my mother, Jane Piasecki, and some fellow coaches, Bahram Hojreh from Los Alamitos Water Polo, and Grier Laughlin from Colorado Water Polo to see if they would support the project as well. I also called some other individuals that I felt would be very helpful in this project but unfortunately were unable to help because their schedules would not permit. I also called Scott McCook, a parent of a former player of mine. I caught him out of the blue on a Saturday morning. He was probably thinking I was calling from somewhere locally (Southern California) to catch up, not to be calling him from Afghanistan to talk to him about the potential of this project and the possibility of his involvement. Ironically, when I first told him the reason I was calling, he paused and then asked me to repeat what I said. Not because I mumbled or that he did not hear me, but because he had to process what I was telling him, “Water Polo and Afghanistan.” I actually think that I caught most people that I called or emailed off guard like that, Scott’s response was just classic.

Now with a good, reinforced plan in my head, and the support that I need at hand, I am confident for my next meeting with the Swim Chair. I hope that they Afghanistan National Olympic Committee will have interest in this idea. We will see what happens.

The Silence is Deafening

After a week of sending emails and receiving no replies from the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee, I finally received a response. Rohullah, the Swim Chair at the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee replied to the email I sent yesterday. All of my emotion was building, especially when I saw the email pop into my inbox. I was so excited when it came in. I was hoping for something positive like “yes, let’s move forward with this” or “yes, we are excited about the possibilities.” The response I received was a one liner that said he will contact me soon. How anticlimactic. I guess I will just have to be patient and wait for a response. After all, Rohullah does not speak or write any English. He probably needs some time for someone to translate what he would like to say?

Afghanistan National Olympic Committee V

Reshad and I headed back down to Kabul, this time to meet with the Swim Chair at the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee.

I received a phone call from him yesterday, asking if we could meet. From my phone conversation with him, I believe that he does not speak any English. Luckily, Reshad was working late with me when the swim chair, Rohullah, called and Reshad found out when we would meet.

Rohullah’s office is down the road from the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee’s building. It is across the football (soccer) field, which was comprised primarily of dirt and no grass, in a small building behind a brick fence and aluminum/metal gate. The building he works in is used for community development.

When we arrived, it was very hot outside. There was no air conditioning in the dark office that someone sat us in. All of the curtains and windows were closed and there was one fan running. It was a little bit cooler in the office than it was outside, so it was a plus. While we were waiting for the swim chair, we were asked if we wanted anything to drink. We both still had some water, so we respectfully declined.

About 20 minutes after arriving, Rohullah arrived in the office with two other men. I do not know what the other men’s function in our meeting was but they were very attentive during the discussion. Once we introduced ourselves, Rohullah’s assistant brought us some tea. She was very quick and silent when she brought the tea but when she was putting the tea in front of me, she was asking me if I wanted something. I politely said no thank you, in Dari, but I do not know what I said no to.

Rohullah, and the other two gentlemen, were very interested in what I had to say. I gave them each copies of the presentations and went through each page with them. Rohullah did not share much with us during this meeting. I do not think it was because he did not speak any English. He just listened and asked an occasional question. I think he was very leery about me, an American who just shows up out of the blue. Another Westerner, full of promises to help their program. Case and point, he asked me “Are you going to be like every other Westerner who comes to us promising the world and then not doing anything?” I just responded by telling him that I had an idea and that I just wanted to help.

After Rohullah and his partners listened for a long time, he told me “The Olympic Committee gives us (The swimming federation) no money. What can you give us?” I can see what I am trying to get myself into. I also think that they think that I have alot of money.

At that point I told Reshad to politely tell Rohullah and his comrades that we had to go. We were there for a long time and needed to head back. We said goodbye to one another and we all walked out to Reshad’s vehicle together. As we got in the vehicle, I had a feeling that Rohullah would not be working with us on our idea.

It was very quiet during the drive back to Pol-e-Charki. I was processing all of the information from the meeting. I was dissecting the discussion word by word, occasionally asking Reshad what his thoughts were on the whole discussion. Reshad thought that it went well and that I was just overanalyzing it.

I don’t think that I will get another call from Rohullah…Only time will tell.

Afghanistan National Olympic Committee IV

This morning I received a call from the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee asking if I could come today to meet with them. Even though our prior attempt to meet with them did not work out, they were certain that we would meet.

Reshad and I drove in his car to Kabul again to meet with the President of the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee. There was a lot of traffic and it took about 90 minutes to get there. The building that holds the Olympic Committee is quite old and rundown. Once we arrived, it took us a while to find the person we were supposed to meet. Along the way, Reshad ran into one of his lifelong friends that actually worked at the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee. He finally took us to where we needed to go.

While in the waiting area, which really was an office with two desks, with two very old computers, and some extra chairs. The employees in that office asked us why we were waiting for the president. We told them that we wanted to start a national water polo program in Afghanistan. The employees started giggling and laughing for a few moments. They then asked us if we were serious. Our reply was “yes.” Once they realized we were serious, they proceeded to tell me, through Reshad translating, that it would never work.

A few minutes later, someone in the president’s office popped their head through the door and motioned for us to come in. When we entered, the office was full. There were two gentlemen standing. There were a few couches and chairs that were full. The president was speaking with two gentlemen on one of the couches. It was a pretty heated debate, ending with the two gentlemen standing up and leaving, looking defeated on their way out. We were then pushed to sit on the couch.

We were then offered some chai (tea) from the president’s assistant. Reshad and I of course accepted, as it would be considered rude not to. The assistant poured out the cups that were on the table from the previous gusts, poured a tiny bit of tea into them, swirled the cups, poured the dirty tea from there, and then poured our chai into them.

Once the president finished with the next group, he turned to us to listen to what we had to say. I handed him a short presentation on paper and started speaking. As I paused to let Reshad translate, the President started yelling at the people who just walked in and sat down. I then realized that I needed to cut to the chase. I then told Reshad to just tell the president that we wanted to help them develop a national swim and water polo program. He sat for a few seconds, flipped through the presentation, then proceeded to tell me that they have had many Americans and Westerners who have promised the world and have not done anything for the Olympic Committee. He then told us that they already had a national swimming program, which just started at the end of last summer. He finished by saying that he did not have any more time to speak with us.

As we were walking out, the president said that he would have the swim chair contact us and that we should speak with him directly with what we wanted to do and that the swim chair would update him with any progress.

As Reshad and I walked out, I was thinking about the hour that just transpired. The 55 minutes of waiting and listening, followed by the three minutes of our “discussion”, and the final two minutes of walking out of the building. Even though we were not of interest to the President of the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee and definitely not taken seriously, I was determined to follow through with this.

Afghanistan National Olympic Committee III

I had my presentation ready and was prepared to meet with the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee about building a national water polo program. Reshad and I left from Pol-e-Charki after work in his car. Traffic was very bad because there was a huge funeral precession going through downtown Kabul. We were in traffic for hours and the Afghanistan National Police would not let us get near the National Olympic Committee building with a vehicle. I even wanted to start walking there from an adjacent football field but the Afghanistan National Police again told me no. I tried multiple times to contact the people from the Olympic Committee that I was supposed to meet but no one answered their phones. This was a very unsuccessful and tiring day as we were unable to meet and we were stuck in traffic for hours.

As an update, I finally was able to get a hold of someone from the National Olympic Committee and they were not even at work today. They assumed that I knew they would be closed today because of the funeral.

201st Corps Swim and Water Polo Team

It is such an honor to be coaching these athletes. The first few practices drew huge crowds and there were dozens who were wanting to join the team as well. The "20 best athletes" were chosen by the 201st Corps' Sports Officer Mohammad Tahir with very careful selection with strict requirements.

The athletes are very committed. I have come to the realization of why through my discussions with the athletes individually and as a group: All of the athletes, along with most Afghans I meet, are very serious about sports; and that someone is taking an interest in them. In the United States, you sometimes have trouble getting everyone to show up for practice, they have a birthday party to go to or they have to go get their nails done. Here, even the hopefuls were out there everyday, knowing they wouldn’t even get to go in the pool. Unless, of course, they were out on a mission. That’s why we needed more athletes. I told Mohammad Tahir that we could use ten more. He said, ‘They’re not good for you." Athletes who show up everyday to watch a practice for weeks are good for me.

Eventually the original twenty were expanded to thirty guys, but this meant more men in the water, some who were struggling swimmers. Even though I was careful for what I wished for, I still had my hands full and needed help. Steve Scott, a Lieutenant Commander in our beloved Navy and the mentor for the base commander, volunteered to coach. Adding Steve allowed us to work in two groups. Steve took the novice swimmers and developed their strokes, while the advanced group worked on their game. Each of our groups made great strides.

Constructing goals proved to be one of the tougher challenges. I downloaded plans for the goals, and the eager engineering department went to work, but having only seen football (soccer) goals, they came back with small, heavy frames constructed of steel. The goals had to be placed on the deck

The view from the pool deck was very different from pool decks in the US. I have never had an armed guard at the pool before and the scene from the pool can be rivaled by few pools. Coaching this team is unlike anything I have ever encountered.

Who knows where this will take us...





The athletes of the 201st Corps Swim and Water Polo Team line up for warm up.

Afghanistan National Olympic Committee II

Reshad and I were finally able to contact the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee via email and phone. A nice gentleman there responded to one of my emails, telling us to call him. Reshad called and spoke with him, as he had limited verbal English language skills. He told us that he would like to set a meeting with the President of the National Olympic Committee. It will be in one week's time. I better start working on a presentation for this.

Afghanistan National Olympic Committee

It has been very difficult to get a hold of anyone at the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee. I have been trying to contact them for the past few weeks to inquire about aquatics programs that they may have within Afghanistan. But I have had no success in the contact department thus far. I have sent emails to many different email addresses and have called many different phone numbers with no success. I may have to take a trip to the National Olympic Committee, in Kabul, with Reshad (The linguist I work with) soon. I will send him first to see what he can find out.

Water Polo in Afghanistan

I currently work with the United States Army as an administrative mentor for the 201st Commando Battalion, Afghan National Army. Here since January 2008 I’ve enjoyed my job and the soldiers that I support. The Special Operations units, both American and Afghan, are instrumental in fighting the war on terrorism and are influential in helping Afghanistan become a stable country and one that can sustain itself. These units have taken casualties in the past and unfortunately, because of their missions, there is a high probability that they will take more in the future. I live and work on an Afghan National Army base named Pol-e-Charki. It is about 15 miles east of the capital, Kabul. Near our compound, there is an unfilled swimming pool. Scouting it numerous times I realized that there is a great opportunity to help people and do something I love at the same time: Coaching. I have been in several coaching situations in my career but none have prepared me for my current coaching opportunity.

As a quick background of seldom mentioned information about Afghanistan, there are an estimated 33 million citizens. These people mostly live in poverty. With the exception of highly developed parts of cities, most of the Afghan population lives in mud-brick buildings. Many people beg for food, water, or anything that you are willing to give them. Shoes are a luxury in some areas and many of the people who do have shoes, do not even have shoes that fit. Prior to the US and coalition forces helping the people of Afghanistan, the Taliban was in control of the country. While the Taliban was in control, most people were not allowed to attend schools, especially women. Less than 30% of all the people in Afghanistan are literate and only 12% of women can read or write. The Taliban did not allow music, athletics, telephones, cell phones, televisions, computers, or internet. Outside of major cities, very few people have access to electricity.

Afghanistan has a few major sports. Until recently and even at present, most of these sports are recreational only and do not have developed structure. These sports include running, football (soccer), volleyball, and cricket. Until recently, none of these sports are played at the local, regional, or national level. People run for pleasure only, very few do it for exercise. The only time people run in competition, is between friends. Volleyball seems to be the most played sport for Afghans and from observing them play, I would have to say it is their best sport. I cannot find the origins of why the Afghan’s love that game or why they are so good at it. I believe Afghanistan would have the best chance, out of all team sports, of making an Olympic bid with volleyball. Cricket is the least played, out of the team sports, which I have seen played in Afghanistan. Some Afghan’s obsession with cricket would be from British control of Afghanistan from the 1800s until 1919. Generations must have fully enjoyed the sport and taught it to their children. There is not much else that is known about it.

Football (Soccer) is the most widely known sport and as equally popular as volleyball. Most competitions are between people within a village and rarely between two villages. In my time here, I have seen many different versions of the soccer ball to include volleyballs, a plant that looked like a gourd, round watermelons, patched rubber, and what looked like bubble wrap taped with duct tape are some of the many examples. Football goals are as creative as the balls they shoot them in, clothes marking the ground, shells from mortar rounds, weapons, sheep or goats, rocks, trees, or rickshaws. My first experience of coaching in Afghanistan was in the sport of soccer. I was working with other Americans, a French soldier, and Afghans with trying to create a football league. We each took soldiers out of the units that worked with and developed teams. We were practicing a few times a week to hone their skills and teach them the international rules. Teaching basic fundamentals, like throw-ins, was an experience in itself. One day, in February, the Pol-e-Charki Base Commander decided to put barbed wire around the football field. This did not stop us from playing. However, once the Pol-e-Charki Base Commander, started sending his military police officers, with drawn weapons, to tell everyone that they could not use the field until the field was made to be perfect, we had to stop playing. The field has not been opened since that day.

Swimming is another pastime of Afghans. There are a few rivers, lakes, and reservoirs within the country. This is where the majority of swimming is performed. But there version of swimming differs as it is completely recreational. Proper stroke technique or the teaching of it is completely nonexistent. Based on a survey conducted in June of 2008, of 300 people, there is an estimated sixteen pools in the country, all located in the major cities. It is also estimated that less than 20% of the population knows how to swim (Paddling or treading water without drowning) and less than 2% of women know how to swim. Just like in athletics, women are not allowed to swim in public areas. The only opportunity that women learn how to swim is if they learned to swim before they were six years old, or if their family is rich and has their own pool.

Many of the Afghan soldiers are anxiously waiting for the pool to open as well. As it is hot, all of the buildings here have no air conditioning, and there are very few trees to find shade in, what is a better way to beat the heat than to jump into a pool? There are other uses for this pool that I have seen already. The Afghan National Army uses it as a reservoir as the water tower on the west side of the base is inoperable. I have also seen soldiers use the pool to do their laundry when the water is high enough for the soldiers to reach.

It is unknown when the pool was actually built. The buildings around the pool were destroyed during heavy fighting in different wars. The pool was rehabilitated a year ago but the pool was not open very long last summer. There is no pump or recirculation of water. No heating element, covers, lane lines, seating, or anything else you expect in a pool area. It is just a 25 yard pool with a bed of dirt lying on the bottom.

Once the pool does open, I still do not plan to jump in. There is no chlorine, bromine, or any other pool chemicals to keep the water safe. To add to the sanitation issue of the water, in Pol-e-Charki, there is no potable water. According to Safewateronline.com, the water and sanitation infrastructures in Afghanistan are severely damaged and non-operational. However, this information only includes where there are water and sanitation infrastructures in place. The United Nations specifies that almost all of these water facilities are only within major cities. The CIA World Factbook states that Afghanistan has “inadequate supplies of potable water” and the website lists almost every waterborne disease, known to man, that are in this unhealthy water. According to figures from the United Nations Children’s Fund, nineteen percent of those living in the cities, and only eleven percent of those living in the countryside have access to safe drinking water.

Another issue about this facility is the access to pool time when it opens. The pool is not a priority for the base commander. I have even offered my services to teach the Afghan soldiers how to swim in exchange for a few hours of pool time a week. The base commander’s response was that the pool is for soldiers to have fun and it should not be used to make soldiers work hard. In addition to this negative response, I recently located a company that was willing to ship free pool chemicals so we can keep the pool sanitary. Again, my request was turned down because if they need water for the base they may need to get it from the pool and it cannot be chlorinated.

Even with all of these setbacks, I am still as excited about teaching these Afghans about water polo as they are to learn. Soldiers that want to learn how to play “swimming football”, are so excited that they go to the pool everyday and see whether it is filled or not. These soldiers are amazing, to say the least. They have endured hardships that most Americans and the western world cannot fathom. They have had their homes destroyed, family members killed, have had to live in exile in other countries, little or no education (Most soldiers only have a 3rd grade education and most of their wives have had none), and they only get to see their families for a few weeks a year and some do not have direct access to contact them as telephones are a relatively new utility here, but they still find ways to smile, laugh, enjoy camaraderie with their friends, and be able to get excited about new things.

Their swimming apparel will be their army physical training shorts. No swim suits for these guys. They would be too embarrassed to wear them not because they fear jeering from their friends but because Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is a very conservative culture. Men do not walk around with their shirts off and women are required to be covered (Whether completely covered with no skin showing or everything but their face being covered). Swim suits are not needed but I do require some other equipment that is vital to the sport of water polo. These items would include balls, caps, and water polo goals. Bahram Hojreh, from Los Alamitos Water Polo, has done an outstanding job so far by donating caps, balls, a ball bag, air pump, a coach’s whistle, and instructions on how to build goals. I cannot wait until these items arrive in the mail. Now I just need to find the wood and metal to build these goals.

Through extensive research, through the internet, United States military, and through citizens of Afghanistan, there are no known swim teams and definitely no known water polo teams. This just might be the water polo polo team in Afghanistan and maybe even the first aquatics team. But some of these soldiers, who will come out to play water polo when the pool opens, may not be playing here in a year. Some will finish their duty in the army, some will be moved to another base, and some will be killed in the line of duty. We will see how the first water polo team in Afghanistan fares in its inaugural season.

A reminder that Afghanistan is in the middle of a war. The remnants of this building are down the hill from where the Camp Pol-E-Charki pool is.

Staff Sergeant Arif, a Commando in the Afghan National Army, stands next to the Camp Pol-e-Charki pool, where he plans on learning to swim and play water polo in.

A view from the pool deck of the Camp Pol-e-Charki pool. The pool offers a commanding view of the surrounding area for as far as the eye can see.

201st Corps Swim Competition

I just witnessed something amazing. I went to a swim competition at the Afghan National Army (ANA) base at Pol-e-Charki, Afghanistan. There is a 25 yard pool that is approximately 10 yards wide. There were hundreds of soldiers at the pool for an intramural competition. The cheering was loud, the athletes, who were soldiers, were giving their all, and there was nothing but smiles. I have never seen so many people excited about a swim meet before. I was also so impressed about how well the athletes swam, considering that most of the soldiers never swam in a pool before today.

Required

I was told by my family that I need to document on a blog my upcoming venture. This will be my first time blogging and I hope that all who read will enjoy.