Summertime

The summer’s caught hold in Beirut, and the kids have seemingly hit the beach, a favorite weekend pastime for the Lebanese (and pretty much everyone else stuck in sweltering heat next to a body of water). Only two of the older guys showed up, and one of them was an hour late. There were also only three younger boys who came.

Mac, Coach Rabiah, and one older guy played a quick game with some of the other guys at the Qas Qas court. Afterwards, Coach Rabiah sat on a bench on the sidelines, talking and watching his lone player in a game with some guys on the court not with GAM3. He was itching to get to the beach himself, confessing he hoped his wife and kids didn’t leave without him.

Coaches Rita, Rafi and Talar worked with the mix of mainly younger girls, a few of the older ones and the two young boys. About half the time they were playing keep away, and a sort of race. One of the kids would sit mid-court and hold the ball on their head. There were two lines of kids under each basket and one each would run to the middle to try getting the ball first. A hat was the essential accessory for the kid in the middle and two girls took turns passing a pink one between them.

Coach Rafi was a bit put off they weren’t actually working on anything, but the group managed to get some practice in. Coach Rafi worked on chest and bounce passes and a bit on shooting. The kids loved the shooting. They stood in two lines under the net at one end of the court, taking turns dribbling down court and staying at the other end until they made a shot.
The kids waiting hooted, hollered and cheered their peers on, tensing with anticipation as the ball soared through the are and alternatively jumping and clapping at a score or looking on with a bit of disappointment as their turn took that much longer to come. One little boy was so excited after making a shot he forgot to bring the ball back to pass to the kids waiting, spinning on his heels half-court when he realized his mistake.

With two weeks left to go and the days getting hotter and hotter, it’s to be seen how many make it to the end. There have been some kids who’ve come every single week, and they don’t seem likely to stop. Mac’s planning a feast of grilled meat and chicken for the last practice and trying to get some of the Riyadi players to come, so maybe there will be a crowd. However, Coach Rabiah offered the advice Mac was mulling over a few weeks ago, next year it would be better to end the practices before summer kicks in.