Thursday, February 25, 2010

Kibera

I just finished up at the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa. It was great watching the kids progress during my time there. Many of them have put together some really nice crossing combinations, a few can do the pushup, and some have mastered complex wraps and rope releases. A small group of residential students are now training during their 6 a.m. exercise sessions.

One of the Academy students shattered the 30-second speed record set in Tanzania. It now stands at 60, making him the fastest speed jumper in East Africa. He's 9 years old.

I arrived in Nairobi last night, where I will be teaching with Carolina for Kibera (CFK). CFK was founded by Salim Mohamed, the late Tabitha Festo, and Rye Barcott, an MBA from Harvard. Here is a video of Rye with staff members in Kibera that will give you an idea of the challenges faced.

Thank you for all of your continued support. It means so much to these kids.

Amani,

Mike

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Saltare!

Six very good friends of mine are competing for the title of America's Best Dance Crew on MTV. Saltare (Latin for "jump") is comprised of team members Lee Reisig, Brittany Fortier, Lisa Brown, Billy Jackson, Chaz Robinson, and Tyler Perez. Read more about Saltare here:

Saltare

These are some of the top jumpers from the U.S., and they will do a great job representing the sport in a new arena of competition. Tune in each Thursday at 10 PM ET/PT. Congratulations, and good luck!

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Back in Mombasa

After a few short stops in Tanzania (Tanga, Morogoro, and Dar es Salaam), I headed to the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa for my first round of teaching in Kenya.

A teacher conference was held here in last weekend. Teachers flew in from around the world, including the United States, Switzerland, Zambia, and Qatar. One teacher uploaded this video earlier in the week:



Here is what he said: "This was an informal demonstration given by Michael Fry on January 29, 2010, at the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa, Kenya, for a group of teachers attending a workshop there. Michael is spending the year in Tanzania and Kenya promoting jump-roping as a competitive sport. Here he explains what it involves and his hopes for the future development of the sport, and demonstrates some of the skills involved. For more information about his project go to: http://www.oneworldonerope.org/. "

There is some serious talent here. Look for more updates soon.