 |
| Masaki Kashiwagi |
"Using volunteer service leave for the development of Zimbabwe's volleyball culture"
I taught volleyball in Zimbabwe for 18
months from October 2006. I worked for
a university and coached the university volleyball team, teams
at nearby elementary, junior high and senior high schools,
amateur clubs as well as the national team. One thing I always
kept in mind was to let people feel the three joys of sport: the
joy of playing, the joy of watching and the joy of teaching. These
people had never been coached before, and they improved
their skills every day.
When I saw this, I felt
the joy of teaching
at a level I had never
felt in Japan. I also
trained local people to
become coaches, not
just athletes, in order to ensure that their skill was maintained. And even now, after
returning to Japan, I look forward to watching the development
of the athletes I trained. I believe that this will lead to mediumterm
and long-term development and support for Zimbabwe's
volleyball culture. I look forward to visiting Zimbabwe in a
few years and playing volleyball on the unkept grounds using
old balls with the athletes I trained. The local people who I
met through this experience supported and inspired me to
constantly stay positive and search for each others' strengths.
This enabled me to act more proactively. I hope that I can create
an environment that helps others to be positive, just like the
local people there are. As a founding member of the Yokohama
Beach Volleyball Federation, I now am using my experiences in
Zimbabwe to serve as
a bridge between the
local community and
top athletes.
 |
|
 |
At the Zimbabwe national volleyball camp
(Kashiwagi is on the far left in the second row) |
|
A practice session |
|
