Special Feature: Volleyball continues in extreme conditions
The challenging sport of Volleyball is always on a go! It is played in every nook and cranny of the world. Be the indoor furnished sports arenas or in the outdoor extreme conditions, the ball keeps rolling over the net.
We have a perfect example of this in Afghanistan, where Lieutenant Liz Lazzari is keeping the sport alive. Lazzari is working as a Platoon Leader at an American Medical Aid Station in Sharana, Afghanistan. She has a very demanding job in the Forward Operation
Base (FOB) but still she manages her time to work for the promotion of Volleyball.
Liz always had a passion for Volleyball as she played volleyball during her graduation years. She graduated in 2009 from the United States Military Academy West Point, where she was an active member of the volleyball team of Division 1.
She also held the position of team captain of Junior and Senior teams. After the successful completion of graduation, she was offered the job of Assistant Volleyball Coach at the Military Academy. She held the position of assistant coach for quite some time
and then she was deployed in Afghanistan in 2010.
Liz is pursuing her passion in Afghanistan too. She plays volleyball with soldiers and also gets involved with the local inhabitants. Since, the friends and family members of Liz know her passion for volleyball; they keep shipping volleyballs for her.
Liz distributes the volleyball to local villagers surrounding her Base. Furthermore, she has planned to conduct a few volleyball clinics at local schools and orphanages in the area.
Speaking of her experience in Afghanistan, she stated, “I like to get involved with the culture of this country–so much unrecognized beauty. The people are extremely kind and giving.”
Liz is indeed doing a herculean job to promote volleyball in the extreme conditions of war. She has also met the community women but to her surprise they have a lot of binding on them. However, Liz is trying to engage them in the sports activity as well.
Stating the long term objective of FOB, she said, “The goal for us here is to eventually turn our FOB over to the control of the Afghanistan military and so we are teaching them our systems and how we run things and helping them develop systems of their
own. It is very exciting to be a part of the process.”
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