DR. YERA TELEH KEITA talks about his VOLLEYBALL EXPERIENCE AT ST. EDWARDS SECONDARY SCHOOL
The game of volleyball was not a popular sport at St. Edwards secondary school when I started attending the school, as the school was well known for producing track and field athletes and soccer players most of whom will play for the school and Edwards sports club in the country’s top division one soccer league. In 1978 my third year at St Edward's the school appointed a new Physical education (PE) teacher in the name of Mr. Bockarie Kamara Aka O’bokay to take over the sports development of the school. Mr. Bockarie Kamara was a young man, a former student of the school. Mr. Bockarie while a student at St. Edwards secondary school had represented the school in soccer, athletics, and cricket and had excelled very well. But he was unable to represent St. Edwards secondary school in a Volleyball tournament because the school did not participate in any volleyball tournaments at that time. At the time of his appointment as the school’s PE master, he was one of the best Volleyball players in the country representing the Republicans Volleyball team and had just represented Sierra Leone in the Volleyball tournament at the 1977 Festac sports tournament in Nigeria organized by the West African sports federation, where Sierra Leon claimed a Bronze medal in the volleyball competition. Mr. Bockarie’s main goal when he took over as the PE master at St. Edwards was not only to make the school excel well in athletics, soccer, cricket, basketball, and Volleyball but to be a mentor to all the student-athletes at the school.
Even though Mr. Bockarie was a Kingtom native like myself, as we both were residing at the Kingtom Police barracks at the time and he was a player for the Republicans senior Volleyball team who were using one of the barracks tennis court venues as their practicing grounds. I was never interested in playing the game of volleyball until one Monday morning as I walk past the school notice board I saw the notice that all interested students who wants to play Volleyball for the next inter-secondary school volleyball competition should wait at the school games room at the close of the school time. I was eager to play volleyball for my school and I was one of the first to report to the games room.
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At the end of a month training session, a team was assembled and I Yera Teleh Keita was selected as part of the team that would represent the school. The other students selected were Abu Iscandri, Amidu Bio aka Goh Bio, David aka Bo Gari, Thomas Clarkson Williams, David Zibo Konteh, and James Kajue. It was then decided by Mr. Bockarie that there would be a regular training session every day after school.
During this period Mr. Bockarie had encouraged me to join the Republicans Volleyball team as one of their junior players. I will train after school with the Edwards school team till 3 pm, go home and then at 5 pm I will go to the Kingtom barracks tennis court and prepare the court with the help of another junior player we will sweep the court, and fix up the volleyball net for training with the Republicans senior players. I was training as a setter for the school, and I was one of the youngest players on the team I was training so hard for my first school tournament. There were two outstanding senior players representing the school at the time in the name of Abu Iscandri (Aka Dae Dae Worp) and Amidu Goh Bio who were prolific spikers.
After several weeks of practicing, the inter-secondary school volleyball tournament started. St Edwards secondary school was placed in group B against the likes of Albert Academy Secondary School, Muslim Brotherhood secondary school, and Model secondary school. Our first game was against Albert Academy, they were not a strong team so we were able to beat them in 3 sets to 0 a straight-set win. The most disappointing part was that there were more Albert Academy students present and supporting their school than St. Edwards students, just because volleyball was not a popular sport at St Edward's, and the administration and students did not care whether we win or loose. But we were playing with the pride of being an Edwardian representing our school. Everyone on the team was also very inexperienced like me, but we were able to conquer how fears and won the game with ease Goh Bio and Abu Iscandri who were our senior players were able to shine and we had a deserving victory. Even though it was my first school volleyball tournament, my performance was far above average and I was credited for my setting.
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We were able to win all our games in Group B, the only difficult game was in the semi-final against Prince of Wales secondary school. One of the country’s best young players Charles During was a student at Prince of Wales and played for them. But before that game, Mr. Bockarie had put me and the whole team through a series of blocking exercises while training with the school, and after school, I will train with the Republican volleyball team of which Charles During was a team member. Mr. Bockarie had taught us that in volleyball, blocking is the first form of defense. We beat Prince of Wales in the Semi-Finals and I was very outstanding in blocking Charle During their star player. Abu Iscandri and Bio were our key spikers and I not only did well in my blocking but was outstanding in setting the ball for our key spikers. The other players were very good in defense as well and together we were a very exciting team to watch. However, in the finals, we lost to Amadiya Muslim secondary school which was a more experienced team in a set of 3-2. While the loss was disappointing that did not diminish what we considered an otherwise accomplished tournament. It was a great experience because I learned the basic foundation that I needed to do better and progress as a volleyball player.
In 1980, the school volleyball team had other students added to the team. The team that year had me Yera Teleh Keita, Abdul Sasso, Shookia Ayub, Thomas Clarkson Williams, Bo Gari, Abu Iscandri, and Sorie Dumbuya aka Sorie Borbor who was also a player for the Republicans Volley team. In that school tournament, St Edwards secondary school won every game and we defeated services secondary school in the finals. It was a really tough game as services was a military school that had good players who were being trained by military officials. Sorie Dumbuya was the star of the tournament, with Abu Iscandri alongside him, and as a setter and I was able to provide outstanding setting way above school standards to enable a victory and a first school volleyball championship for St. Edwards Secondary School. It was after our first championship win that volleyball began to gain momentum at the school, as Mr. Bockarie had organized mini-volleyball tournaments every other year alongside the school sporting calendar.
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In 1981 and 82, we had new students join the school volleyball team, Francis Kpaka, and Henry Soyei who were experienced players, and we had a very strong team but unfortunately, there were no volleyball school tournaments during that time.
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In the 1983 school year, the school inter-secondary school Volleyball competition was held. During this time I was in my sixth form and was a senior and more experienced volleyball player playing for the Freetown Club of Oness at the western area regional club competition. I was the captain of the school’s volleyball team and the team was strengthened with the arrival of Prince Duwai who was a player for the military team at the club level. The players at that time were: Yera Teleh Keita (me), Prince Duwai, Henry Soyei, Tom Ghanda, Dauda Sandy, Edward Clackson Williams, and Amadu Hunter Conteh. This was a far more formidable and experienced group of volleyball players and there was a great buzz of expectations within the school, an expectation of a second school championship. Again we were placed in Group B and we won all our games with outstanding victories Amadiya secondary school also won all their matches in Group A.
