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SEKONDI, Ghana – USS Nashville Sailors took the spirit of its current Africa Partnership Station mission to the sports arena during their 18-day port visit to Sekondi, Ghana, competing in basketball and soccer against Ghana navy teams.
The games, played Feb. 27, were a part of a continuing sports endeavor for the teams. The "international" play began at APS Nashville's first African port visit in Dakar, Senegal.
For the team, the competition wasn't necessarily about wins and losses.
"We just love playing the game, and any chance we get to compete is one that we jump at," said Lt. j.g. Gabriel Burgi, one of Nashville's soccer coaches. "These [soccer and basketball] are great sports played in a friendly environment, and it provides us with a chance to learn about new cultures wherever we go."
The games were played at a soccer field and basketball court in Takoradi, about a 15-minute bus ride from Nashville's berth in Sekondi, Ghana. Both the basketball and soccer teams played outdoors for the event within roughly a hundred yards of each other, making for a unique experience for Ghanaians and America Sailors in attendance, according to soccer player Petty Officer 3rd Class Michael Gaffney.
"You could see as we were playing that some people would bounce back and forth from one game to the other," he said. "It might have been as fun for them as it was for us playing."
The in-game competition was stiff, leading to a 'split decision' of sorts, with Nashville Sailors taking home a basketball win while the Ghanaians won on the soccer field. No matter the results, the general competition and camaraderie that came out on the field was more than worth the short trip, said basketball coach Lt. j.g. Kelvin Boatner.
"This gave our guys a chance to get some competition, but it was just a fun way to spend an afternoon," he said. "We learned a lot about the Ghanaians today. They might be from a different country, but we all have so much in common. Basketball is an international language, and we both showed that today."
That idea was shared by many on the teams, Gaffney said.
"It's all about camaraderie," he said. "There is no language barrier on the field – it's just a bunch of guys out there playing a game."
Nashville is currently deployed as part of APS, an international initiative under the auspices of Naval Forces Africa which aims to work cooperatively with U. S., European and African partners to enhance maritime safety and security on the African continent. APS provides a unique venue to align maritime engagements by utilizing an international team of expert trainers in a variety of military capacities and civilian fields such as fisheries management, port security and meteorology.
To learn more about Africa Partnership Station and its mission, visit the APS Web site at www.c6f.navy.mil/aps_web/index.htm.
| Date Taken: | 03.12.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 03.12.2009 06:07 |
| Story ID: | 31017 |
| Location: | SEKONDI, GH |
| Web Views: | 345 |
| Downloads: | 334 |
This work, Nashville soccer, basketball teams playing for partnership, by CPO Charles Ludwig, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
