VCU Qatar Women's Basketball

Because one of our good friends (English professor Jesse) is the coach of the women's basketball team at VCU Qatar, and because Brett needed some service hours for work, he volunteered to be the assistant coach for the team this season. Now this is a team made up mostly of Arabic girls who have NEVER had a P.E. class in school - EVER. There are a couple of players who played on the ASD team in high school, but other than that, these girls are all novices at the sport and competing at all. To say the least, they are brave pioneers in their own right.
Last year's season was quite difficult, from what Jesse has told us. He would hold a practice and maybe one or two students would show up. Sometimes no one was there. He finally asked his wife (Felicity, who is a graphic arts student at VCUQ) to suit up and infuse a little energy, skill, and camaraderie by joining the team. Felicity would be the first person to say she is no basketball expert, but her British education prepared her far better than the Arabic education had prepared these ladies.
Well, Jesse's idea worked, and soon more players were showing up to practices. They even started gaining some team spirit. The first official cheer that they made up went like this: "V-C-U! Do you see us?!" Now with that small beginning of a team, there wasn't much support from students and staff. Jesse had to beg faculty members to attend the games and cheer. He even bribed some adventurous professors to paint their faces yellow and black and yell like heathens. (I wonder what he had to pay them off with.) Even with Coach Jesse's great ideas and enthusiasm, the team failed to win one game last year. They were even beaten badly by both large high schools - Qatar Academy and The American School of Doha (that game ended with a 2-68 score).


This season was a different story. From the very beginning, the team had a different personality. They felt a little more confident with two experienced players helping out. They also had a more competitive edge and wanted to win. With the program running "smoothly" Felicity was delighted to take her place in the stands instead of playing.

You should have seen their joy-filled, disbelieving faces the first time the team won (against Texas A&M mind you). They won another game two weeks later against Carnegie Mellon. Abbey and I attended the last regular season game (against Northwestern). Brett, Abbey, and I all got some nice swag before the game at the first ever pep rally (shirts, buttons, stickers, and a messenger bag that Abbey proudly wore around the compound for a week). Before our eyes these quiet, reserved Arabic students turned into wild fans. Two ENERGETIC girls from Egypt (yes, they were wearing their hijabs) made themselves the unofficial cheerleaders and led the crowd with drums and dances I never thought I would see performed in public in the Middle East. The ending score brought our team up short but we clearly had won the loud crowd award. Because our fans were so loud, some of the over 40 Northwestern faculty proceeded to embarrass themselves by trying to enthuse their people and banter with our very outspoken cheerleaders.



By the time the playoffs started, the word was out that VCUQ's crowd was a first class operation. Other schools tried to gather support, but nothing compared to our school's enthusiasm. VCUQ made it to the final four. I know that sounds impressive, but there were only eight teams competing. Our girls ended up with a fourth place finish, but they felt like they had been awarded the first place trophy because of the great season of milestones they had.

So what were Brett's contributions you ask? Well, he compiled a very professional looking playbook for the players and the coaches. It was hardly used at all, but the players started noticing all the work and time that these two coaches were investing, and they noticed the energy and time their fan base was cranking out. At the final game I told Jesse that he had started building his basketball dynasty at VCUQ. He just laughed and shrugged off all the heart and effort he had put into this program. He was quick to mention that Brett was the new variable in this year. So Brett and I like to think he had something to do with this season's small successes, even if it was just being the lucky charm. I am just so proud of these courageous women who stepped into this groundbreaking program and gave it their all. Go Lady Rams!

Photo of the Week

We passed this interesting restaurant on the way home the other day, so I snapped a picture. I bet a few westerners have gone in there hoping beyond hope that they could indulge their craving for that spongy cream-filled treat they know and love. But alas, they were sadly disappointed. I really wonder who thought of this catchy name for a restaurant. And notice the temporary signage - maybe they wanted to make sure their name would catch on before calling the neon sign makers. I'm sure they used the alternate spelling so people could differentiate between the two things. Come to think of it . . . . who thought of that catchy name for the sugary shortening in sponge cake snack item? For the sake of the unique restaurant, I just hope the Arabic translation for Twinky means something other than "food that will certainly shorten your life" like it does in English!

January Days

We have been enjoying one of the two best months to live in Qatar, and it is quickly coming to an end with rising temperatures already. We have been busy with Girl Scouts, Abbey's biathlon, dune bashing out by the inland sea, new church responsibilities, saying farewell to friends leaving for Moscow, and keeping our tempers in check when we drive. :)

Here are a few photos of our January adventures:

Early in the month, all the third grade P.E. classes did a biathlon during school. Abbey was nervous but practiced hard. She ran around the high school track twice and swam the length of the pool twice. She had a pretty good time when all was said and done. Way to go Abbey!

Just last Saturday we went to the sand dunes out by Sealine (my first time, Brett and Abbey's second time) with some friends. We have had our Xtera for over a year and a half and not really broken in our 4-wheel drive, so Saturday was the day. We were informed by our knowlegeable teacher (Ephraim) that our Xtera is actually better than his Hummer on the dunes because it is lighter and has better weight to horsepower ratio. And he was right, as we soon found out. Sarah the Xtera was born to dune bash!


After arriving at the dunes close to Sealine, the first step was to take some air pressure out of the tires. I guess this helps the vehicle hug the sand better. That sounded good to me. We didn't want any stiff tires.

Our Australian mate Wayne (on the left) persuaded us to try this new adventure. Thanks, Wayne!

Before anyone could go out in their own vehicle, Ephraim took everyone for a demonstration in his Hummer. Brett came back a little pale and shaky but smiling nonetheless.

This was our first time dune bashing (as our New Zealand and Australian friends call it), so we played follow the leader most of the time. Our fearless leader Ephraim used the walkie talkies to tell us when to shift up or down and when to rev the engines full blast. He had to tame down his style quite a bit for us, so we appreciate his sacrifice. We kept wondering how our friend Frankie would behave on the sand. ( Those of you who know him can guess.) Brett was hooked by the time we left, so my guess is that he will be back on the sand pretty soon.

Our friends Vicky and Steve tried their hands at fishing, but didn't have any luck.

A day at the inland sea wouldn't be complete without a good slide down a sand dune or a close look at a dead squid. Notice the guy under the umbrella up top.

We said good bye to some good friends. The Fryers moved to Moscow, at the coldest time of the year no less. They invited us to visit, but we might wait until a more ideal weather time.

Abbey and some of her Brownie friends got to perform the flag ceremony at the U.S. Ambassador's residence at an Americana for Children activity. They took their responsibilities seriously, but they were all smiles at the end when they got to pose with the ambassador's wife Mrs. LeBaron.

Abbey and some of her Girl Scout friends received some badges for their hard work.