After our first full day at Maison de la Gare I was looking forward to training at Sor-Karate and working out the travel kinks. Sensei Ignety Ba would be there to lead the class. When I arrived at the dojo with Rowan, Mamadou and some other talibe friends, I was greeted warmly. Everyone asked after Robbie, dissapointed that he had not come this time. Many asked me to pass on congratulations to Robbie for his fourth place finish at the WKC World Karate Championships. They had seen the YouTube videos of his performances and exclaimed at the speed and beauty of his weapons katas. They assured each other that with such skill and with Allah's help Robbie would surely earn the gold medal next year. Actually, many people have asked about Robbie this week, wishing he was here too, offering congratulations for his showing at Worlds.
The training was challenging, as it always is at Sor-karate, but very satisfying. Thanks to my regular traditional-style karate classes with Sensei Subhadra at Douvris Martial Arts, I was becoming somewhat familiar with the Shotokan style practiced here. And, my recognition of the Japanese terms for strikes, blocks, and other terms is thankfully improving. As I practiced self defence drills with Mamadou I got the impression that he just could not get comfortable throwing me. But it was fun returning the favour.
Wednesday night I returned to the dojo to discuss the progress of the karate program, and to deliver the Douvris gym bags which were a gift from Cathy Douvris to the tournament team. Ignety had been considering since Monday who would round out the final list of five Maison de la Gare boys who would compete this year, along with the amazing synchro kata team who are National contenders. Earlier this year Omar Balde won a bronze medal in fighting in a WKC qualifying competition, making him eligible for Nationals. The team was very pleased and proud to receive their bags, as well as the water bottles and protein powder I brought.
The team's first tournament of the year will be in Kaolack January 13, 14. They will meet at about midnight, spend all night on the bus to get there, two days competing (their hotel in Kaolack will not resemble those we usually stay at when Team Douvris travels), then all night on a bus to return. #anything for karate. This particular tournament will cost a total of about $540 to pull off (for the journey, registration fees, hotel, food, etc, for all 5 plus the coach). I will find the money for this one, and hopefully for more. Most of the regular Sor-Karate competitors are not able to afford to travel often to tournaments. Competition would be an impossible dream for the Maison de la Gare Team without our help.
Wednesday I did not practice at the dojo, so I could speak with Sensei to review the list of talibes continuing to attend at the dojo, those who returned to their villages. and new ones who are wanting to begin. We also discussed the new idea for the supplementary meals program that Noel Coly came up with. When I saw the kicking drills the kids were asked to do, I was relieved I was watching and not practicing. I am not sure I could have kept up. Mamadou has gotten so fast and is kicking so high, he is definately a good match for Omar now. #teammates.
Some of the older boys have "aged out" of their daaras and have left to return home, and so the number of older boys registered at the dojo has shrunk. But, to my delight, a number of younger boys are ready to start, and it seems their marabouts will allow it. Ignety Ba is allowing an earlier class on Thursday nights so the younger kids will be able to practice at the dojo in order to meet their daara curfews. As happy as I am that some younger kids are starting at the dojo, I think it is still just as important for the older kids too. As the kids age, and are eventually freed from their marabout's requirement to deliver a daily begging quota, they are often left with nothing to do and nowhere to go. They have no education and have not learned a trade, especially if they were new to Maison de la Gare. When Rowan and I went out on a ronde de nuit Tuesday after midnight in search of runaway talibes boys sleeping on the street, we saw many young men who had been talibes sleeping or hanging out at the Gare Routiere, clearly at loose ends and homeless. Having karate as an important part of their lives will offer something worthwhile to boys in this situation.
Friday morning Bouaro led a karate class at Maison de la Gare, with about 20 kids. I delivered all the donated Canadian Gi's, so some kids who had been waiting for uniforms were able to start karate classes today. I had been looking forward to training with them but I had been sick all night, and was still barely holdng it together. Instead, I discussed the new meal plan with Noel and took pictures of the karate kids. I think I felt how Robbie must have felt nearly three years ago when he was determined to teach but could not stand without being sick. A class of about 70 kids was assembled waiting for him to begin. So, he sat hunched beside me on the sand, giving instrutions for me (a yellow belt at the time) to lead the class, call by call. #anythingforkarate.
When Robbie and I were here last time and we trained together with the Sor-Karate Club we noticed the Maison de la Gare kids needed frequent breaks to recover from faintness. We later figured out their weakness was due to not having eaten. When they train at the dojo (nearly every night) they miss
their only certain meal of the day for which they don't have to beg, at Maison de la Gare. But, they choose karate anyway. So Robbie and I organized a meal to be available a few hours before training, twice a week. This had been working well, but as some boys left and others joined, the new kids did not necessarily learn about the meal plan, and some of the old ones began taking the extra meals for their friends. Who could blame them? So, based on Noel's advice I visited a new restaurant, making a deal with the owner for tickets to be presetned in exchange for a meal, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday after karate training. These are the days Sensei Ignety Ba teaches at the dojo. After training, he will hand out tickets to the Maison de la Gare boys who trained that day. As not every kid trains at the dojo every night, this new system allows us to add the third meal per week. And, by having 3 certain, good meals a week, eating after instead of before training should still be effective, as the kids will eat more often.
One of the kids told me on this trip that he thinks I must love karate too much. He followed this up by saying they were very grateful to Allah for that, because they do too.
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