Bibs, Balls and Bombshelters
By Matt Furtek
We arrived at Eschol on a rainy day, and discovered that we would be coaching in a bomb shelter, which has to be the smallest space I have run a session in to date. Seeing as there wasn’t adequate space to kick a ball about, we decided to adapt, improvise and use our surroundings. Before we knew it, in front of a group of expectant eyes, Jamie and I had mustered up the deadliest assault course known to man!
I know what you’re thinking, and yes, of course it had hula hoops in it. Can you have a truly great assault course without them? We also had a few benches, commando crawls and a crash mat at the end for the more adventurous. It was essentially a morning of make-it-up-as-you-go-along-ism, which for any coaches reading this I’m sure you can fully relate to.
There’s nothing like a little pre-military taster session on a rainy Wednesday morning! Feeling content in our work, we headed inside for some well deserved coffee.
We returned for the afternoon session, which was due to take place outside due to the weather having a change in fortune. Although once again, things were going to be a little bit different. Jamie and I had been asked earlier on to create and run a few activity stations for a fun day for the kids, due to the entertainer being impressed at what she had seen earlier. We are now assumed obstacle course masters at this point, which obviously we are not. But fear not, and stick to a few simple rules when you’re out of your comfort zone; nod, smile politely and act accordingly!
The afternoon was a success overall, with bibs, balls and hula hoops a-plenty. We had some great music to keep the tempo high, and all the kids (including the Entertainer’s) had a great time. With enough excitement for one day, we were ready to wind down.
But not without one last little surprise… The music changes to an upbeat, Israeli-esque folk tune, and everyone gathers in a dancing formation. Jamie and I had hopes of sitting out for a little breather, but that soon turned out to be a fool’s hope, as we are whisked into the routine.
