Players Mentioned
Coleman Crutchfield's Notes from Zambia
January 03, 2010 | Men's Tennis
Princeton sophomore tennis player Coleman Crutchfield is spending his winter break in Zambia, assisting at the College Racquet Club in the capital city of Lusaka.
Day 4
Today we drove north to the copper mining town of Kitwe. The group that made the four-hour journey included Teddy Chambisha, Sydney Mateta, Lennox Changala, Caroline and I. Kitwe used to be a center of tennis life when the copper mines were doing well in the 80's and 90's. There were numerous tournaments and the junior tennis programs were crucial in the youth development. In fact, many of the men we were with grew up playing tournaments in Kitwe. Today the productivity of the mines has declined and so has Kitwe. We visited numerous tennis clubs in the area and found that the bar is well kept but the tennis courts can barely be called courts. Yet we believe that tennis still has tremendous potential in the area. While many may feel the poverty is too great for tennis development, College Racquet Club wants to expand from Lusaka to Kitwe. To summarize Lennox Chambela, "the youth used to play the sport with passion, and they still will if given the opportunity. If you give them one free racquet then you will capture their soul." In fact, some believe poverty can be an opportunity for tennis development because the kids use tennis as an escape. Tomorrow we drive back to Lusaka.
Day 5
Today we drove back to Lusaka from the Copperbelt. When we arrived in Lusaka around 2 p.m., I toured around the townships to see where the coaches and kids come from. The townships are stricken by poverty, but the College Racquet Club program gives these kids opportunity. It provides them education, competition, and the pleasure of working hard at a sport they love.
