Fleet-footed boys dribbling deftly, scampering with the ball, nudging it back quickly; dodging amazingly and cruising at the goal post at one corner, gritty girls honing defense techniques and some holding javelin, discus, shot-put and few running around the stadium will make you feel as if preparation for the big battle is on.
Yes, this mindboggling site at Main Campus Stadium may leave you bamboozled; hold on they aren’t professionals, but a pack of spirited students of Arba Minch University getting into their groove and raring to go for the kill when they take to ground at the Haramaya University’s 7th Ethiopian Public Universities’ Sport Festival beginning from 8th to 23rd February, 2014.
AMU Sport Academy has confirmed the participation of 235-member contingent from all five campuses including 212 students (132m & 80f) and 23 academic (coaches) & administrative staff members.
In Athletics, 20 (17 male and 3 female) would via for the honor including running: 100, 200, 400, 800, 1500, 3000, 5000 & 8000 meter races, jumping and throwing shot-put and javelin etc.
Soccer being AMU students’ favorite game, 45 (25m, 20f) of them would play to win, while 15 (10m, 5f) will face the litmus test in swimming; 10 (5m, 5f) would slug it out in karate (world Taekwondo), and eight each will sweat it out in ground tennis, badminton and table-tennis, five would cudgel their brain to checkmate their opponents in chess.
Likewise, packs of 25 (13m, 12f) and 24 (12m, 12f) would play volley and basket ball; 14-member, the only male handball team is ecstatic to make it big this time. Finally, a 15-member cultural troupe (11m, 5f) would represent the array of region’s cultural ethos at the tourney and 10 physically-challenged students (7m, 2f) would partake for the first time in Para-Olympic at the tourney.
Grueling training session to get into shape and develop mental toughness for the selected students has already started since last two weeks. Sport Academy’s nine instructors are training them for the game, who would wrestle it out in altogether 12 sporting disciplines.
The training is scheduled for three days in a week for two-hour; it has been planned in such a way that it would not upset the ongoing examination schedule in the university.
Committed to see the participants acquired the required level of fitness, AMU management has already started special supplement for each individual from January 21. Apart from their regular meal, they would get different food stuffs to compensate the energy drained out during training, said the Sport Academy delegate Mr Ashanafi Lemma. ‘‘This time, our morale is very high and we would go there to win,’’ he added.
Minyichal Wonde, 3rd year Geography student, was among the top eight javelin athletes in the last Sport Festival held at Arba Minch University with the record of 26.36 meter. He is raring to go with the improved performance this time.
Mogesie Ayal, 2nd year Sport Science student, had five medals including two golden to his credit at High School level for sterling show in 100-meter race. In the last Sport Fest, he clocked 12.36 seconds, now leaving no stone unturned to see it improved.
Similarly, a tall Fekadu Shibru, 3rd year chemistry student and shot-put athlete, has had a record of 9.85 meter in the Sport Fest, is pulling all stops to be the winner. ‘‘I am improving day by day,’’ he says.
4th year Electrical Engineering student, Amare Sisay, will be participating for the first time in discus throw. At the first attempt, he chucks it to 23.5 meter, but need to go beyond 28 meter mark to be in the fray. He is all agog to break the 28-meter barrier.
Samuel, 4th year Mechanical Engineering student, though, could throw discus to 24 meter at in the last Sport Festival; this time he is hell-bent to win.
Volley ball coach and sport science instructor, Mr Dirbeba Maddesa, has different story to tell, ‘‘Last year at the Sport Fest, our team could only make it to the quarters, but now we are motivated to cruise into final and ultimately win the medal.’’
5th year hydraulics student Salonawit Girmay, with good past record has represented AMU in Hawassa, Bahir Dar, Ambo and also played in the last sport fest in which they had lost. Draped in white track suit, she evinces hope to fare well in Haramaya Sport Festival.
‘‘I am a defender, says Brook Tadese, 5th year Water Resource and Irrigation Engineering student, hailing from Hawassa, he represented his school many times. ‘‘This time, we are emotionally charged, and despite our exam coinciding the event, we are ready to go at it,’’ he said.
By Philips Joseph