Leaving for Regionals in Babati

We're leaving for Babati in a few hours and Zach just received a phone call from the Tanzanian Athletics Foundation informing him that each club is only allowed to bring 6 athletes to regionals. For bureaucratic reasons having to do with budgets and personnel, he was also given the news that the national competition scheduled for next weekend has a 50/50 chance of being rescheduled or cancelled all together. Frustrated, Zach had to give the news to the girls first thing this morning and had to choose which girls would be attending. So unfortunately, only the girls who will score points for the team are being allowed to travel today. The girls have been very understanding, but you can see the disappointment in their eyes.

I am still excited to see Zaituni, Natalia, Rehema, Faizila, Anastazia, and Juma run. Plus, my trip to Singida will also give me the opportunity to meet the 2 girls that have been tentatively chosen for the Athletic-Scholarship Program. They have both been highly recommended by their primary school teacher for not only their academics, but also for their running potential. This is the same school teacher, Mr. Massong, who helped Zach to identify some of his most promising athletes. I am thrilled that I will get to personally meet both girls and their families before the program begins. This will be the beginning of a long relationship with these girls, one that will hopefully see them graduating from US universities, running in international competitions, and most importantly, doing something great for their country.