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CHS Girls Varsity Soccer Coach Idris Senyonjo
in action at his tournament in Uganda |
Coach Idris Senyonjo has been serving as our Bulldog Girls Varsity Soccer Coach since 2020. During that three-season stretch, the team has played to a record of 25-14-11 while representing our school with great sportsmanship and pride. This winter, Coach Senyonjo traveled with his family back to his native Uganda where he did a lot more than just vacation. He saw an opportunity to bring joy, competition and fun to Ugandan kids by holding a soccer tournament.
Below is his own account of his winter "vacation." It's a great opportunity for all of us to feel grateful for all that we have here in Canton and to remember that sports are really about community and not all of the other distractions that can get in the way of the basic enjoyment of the game.
We, in Bulldogland, are very proud of Coach Senyonjo for his work in Uganda.
Coach Idris Senyonjo's account-
Growing up I never thought I would ever want to coach soccer. Growing up in Uganda, soccer is what everyone begins playing by about the age of three. As a result, soccer has always been a part of my life. Fast forward to now and I couldn't see myself enjoying that many things as I do coaching the sport I love.
Because I grew up in Uganda, I make an effort to go visit my family at least once every year. Every time I visit, and look out the window as we drive through the city, I see kids out on dirt-filled soccer fields playing from dusk till dawn and this always brings memories and a reminder as to why I love the game and am obsessed with it.
This past December I decided to do something that hadn't been done before in the country. I decided to put together a free soccer tournament for the kids who would love to play soccer but due to one reason or another, cannot afford to play in an organized soccer event.The tournament was for both boys and girls. It was the first of hopefully many more tournaments within Kampala, Uganda. Nothing was more gratifying than seeing 400+ kids out there playing soccer and enjoying the opportunity to be noticed by various coaches and youth organizations that would otherwise not have been possible for most of these kids.
Having a chat with lots of the kids over the weekend of the tournament actually made me realize that something like this was even more important to them than I had even imagined.
Soccer has always offered many youth in the country a way out. Whether its an opportunity to be good enough to one day represent the country, or a way to stay away from associating with the wrong crowds or even as the only way for them to stay in school seeing that a scholarship is the only way they can get an education, one thing is for certain, soccer is everything to them.
I also do want to thank all the families here who contributed lots of gently used soccer equipment that were part of the items presented to some of the players at the tournament.
