Pease On Earth: October 2012

The coming of Fall brought cooler weather, a new group of PCVs to Azerbaijan, a new school year, shorter days and most excitingly, FRISBEE SEASON! After fulfilling the AUFL PCPP grant in September (thanks again to everyone who contributed!), the league was officially given the green light. My village along with 5 other teams--Dashkasan, Xatinli, Agstafa, Qovlar and Shamkir, compose the West division. So far, we've had 2 tournaments. The first was in Tovuz. I was able to make a team in my village with the help of the two captains I elected. Both boys are my English students, but I got to know them better during Tovuz Summer Camp. They were natural leaders amongst their peers, and I planned to harness these skills for our village's frisbee team. I printed up permission/information forms that each interested student's parents had to sign. I held an open practice for everyone who wanted to participate in the tournaments and selected the team based on their performance. I repeatedly told the group that I wasn't looking for the best frisbee players. The players' display of teamwork, respect, and effort guided the selection process. I consulted the two captains and sent home permission slips with all of the students who impressed me in those three areas. It was pretty amazing to see some of these kids, who at other times I've seen make total buffoons out of themselves, particularly in the classroom, really show up and put forth the necessary effort. When given the opportunity, these kids transformed. Despite the captains' reluctance, I allowed some of the younger students to participate. They aren't as strong as some of the older students, but they admire their older peers and I want to include them in order to develop their skills and build their confidence from the ground up. Before practice one day, one of the captains informed me that they'd decided on a team name together. The Frisbee Devils. Pronounced like Dee-vils.

The first tournament was in Tovuz. Not knowing how the first tournament would go, I brought 16 players, which ended up being enough for two teams. They divided themselves based on skill, so from then on out, I've lovingly been referring to this second team as my farm team. Most of these players are smaller and younger, but they showed me at this tournament that they've acquired some skill! They strung together some impressive passes and ended up winning their game at the tournament. The Frisbee Devils took on Dashkasan and Xatinli at the Tovuz tournament. The first game against Dashkasan was a great start. Dashkasan scored first, and for the most part, the game went back and forth. Ultimately, we dug in our heels and nailed the last two goals to win 7-5. The second game was against Xatinli. This game brought out a different side of frisbee competition. After we went up a point or two, Xatinli became frustrated and the game got much more physical than it should have. Players from both teams blamed the other for the tifts. The other PCVs and I had to step in a few times and substitute players off for arguing and getting up in the other players' faces. Nevertheless, the Frisbee Devils came through and took this game 7-0.

One of the things we're trying to promote with this frisbee league is the idea that sports are more than wins and losses. Easier said than done. At times, these kids get so carried away with the idea of competition, especially since they have the pride element of representing their respective villages, they lose sight of what's brought them all out there in the first place. When they lose, they feel incredibly deflated. When they win, they're on top of the world. Scoring points carries similar sentiments. I'm making an effort with my team(s) to show them at practice that what we can be proud of is how we play. When we practice hard, work hard to improve, learn new things, and play well together while showing respect to each other and the other teams, we have something to celebrate. My experience with sports taught me that when all those things come together, it's usually reflected in the score of the games. But not always. And that's the beautiful part about sports and competition. Understanding that aspect doesn't happen overnight. Especially when you're a 15 year old boy. This is the first organized sport most of these kids have ever played in. Therefore, while they have the opportunity now to compete in tournaments, all the PCVs involved have been working really hard to promote respect, teamwork and sportsmanship.

At the end of the Tovuz tournament, I was very happy with my kids. The skills they developed at practice transferred to the games. They stepped up to the plate and showed sportsmanship, even when it was difficult for them. I think in that respect, they even surprised themselves. When I informed them that we had special guests from Peace Corps who came to watch the tournament, my Country Director, Macie Whittington, and two Peace Corps Staff members from Washington D.C., they went out of their way to welcome them to Tovuz--in English!

My Country Director and American Peace Corps staff guests with some of the players

Lining up after the game

"Good game" hand shakes after the game against Xatinli. Peace restored.

Thumbs up for teamwork and respect!

My favorite frisbee picture so far.

After two more weeks of practice, the second tournament was in Agstafa. This time, we knew what to expect in terms of numbers and competition. We organized some semblance of a double elimination tournament bracket. We started off by re-announcing the rules to all the teams and implementing a a red card/yellow card system for fouls. The PCVs agreed to try this method to crack down on any physicality because in reality, frisbee is not a physical game. This took no more than a brief explanation because all the kids are familiar with soccer. We used pink and yellow index cards, and this method ended up being quite effective. As soon as we showed that we weren't kidding about the no touching rule, and a few of the players were cautioned with yellow cards, their desire to play and not be ejected overrode the temptation to be unsportsmanlike. We took the first round to become familiar with the teams' levels (a couple of teams had different players and every team came to this tournament with two more weeks of practice), we were able to match up teams so that no one got totally stomped. This kept competition lively and fair. While my farm team tucked away three more wins this go around, they had to play hard in all of their games. They came from behind twice to win! The top two teams in this tournament were the Frisbee Devils and Dashkasan. They tied the first time they played. We had them play each other again to determine a tournament champion. This game was close, and for the most part, the play was back and forth. The competitiveness was there but for the most part, they kept it in check. In the end, the Frisbee Devils came out on top. Everyone left this tournament in good spirits. The organization, sportsmanship and overall understanding of how the tournament works were all improved from the first tournament. I saw one of my captains shake hands with and hug the best player from Dashkasan after their second game. It was awesome.

A team building activity I did before we left my village for Agstafa. They had to carry their teammate across the line without dropping him. This went much smoother once they picked up on the activity's strategy: putting all the big guys in the front of the line, little guys in back.