Last weekend was filled with fun and excitement, as the eagerly anticipated Villa Olympic Games were held over two days. Preliminary matches began on Friday for girls, ages seven to ten, in soccer and basketball to qualify for the finals on Sunday. The entertaining games were enjoyed by the players sliding on the slippery gym floor. Early Saturday morning, the games continued with a full slate of every age group playing soccer and basketball, with teams competing hard to qualify for the finals. In addition to these, "casas" played against each other in elimination games of “Pelota Quedmada” ("Dodgeball"). The annual qualifiers are the highlight of the Saturday preliminaries, and for the second year in a row, Casa Kantuta and Casa Esperanza progressed to the Sunday Dodgeball final.
On Sunday morning, preparations were finalized for many guests, including family’s of Amistad staff, university students, youth houses, and children from the nearby orphanages of Ciudad del Niño and Cristo Rey. Each “casa delegation,” dressed in team colors with ribbons wrapped around their heads, processed to the flagpole to the beat of patriotic Bolivian music. The teams held decorated signs with slogans such as “Sports form your charater and discipline” (Boys Youth House) and “I love the Olympics” (Casa Kantuta). After the torch was raced through the Villa, the caldron was lit and the Bolivian national anthem sung. With words of encouragement and support from Lila and Wendy, the representative of Saint Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston, the games were set to begin.
Shortly thereafter, children hurried to the front gate for the start of the day’s first event: the "marathon." This nearly 1.5 mile loop around the Villa and Ciudad del Niño was a joy for children of all ages, whose start times were staggered on this exhausting and hilly course at an altitude of 8,500 feet. While some racers finished victorious and smiling, others were simply happy to cross the finish line, greeted by cheering friends and fans. Nine-year-old Brayan said, “My favorite part of the Olympics is running in the marathon.”
The Montesorri races for the younger children followed, where crowds formed to watch the bottle walk, children rolling in cardboard circles, and the little ones running the mini-marathon around the Villa. The tire roll was another highlight of the morning, with eight-year-old Freddy winning his age division. Freddy also proclaimed, “My favorite part about the Olympics is soccer.”
Indeed, many exciting soccer games followed the communal lunch of pizza and fruit juice. Teams from the Villa, Ciudad del Niño, and Cristo Rey played in highly competitive matches under the bright Cochabamba sun, with a bank of fans cheering from the sidelines. The mamás and tías also competed against the Villa staff, with the staff winning a close match. While soccer was going on outside, basketball games occupied the Villa gym. The slick surface made it difficult to make cuts back and forth, but the children seemed unencumbered by the conditions and enjoyed themselves thoroughly.
After the basketball games, the much anticipated final of Dodgeball was played between Casa Esperanza and Casa Kantuta. For the second year in a row, Casa Esperanza took home the trophy. The day concluded with an awards ceremony for the winners and the distribution of medals, certificates of recognition, and many prizes. Reflecting on the day, Madelen said, “It seems to me that all of the kids played very well in the Olympics this year, including the kids from the other children’s villages.” As the children dispersed to play with their new prizes, one enjoyed the moment of an unforgetable weekend. We thank all of the friends from the U.S. who made this special day both possible and a huge success!
