SWIM, SHOOT, SCORE, RIDE: A HIT WITH THE KIDS
Jaydip Sengupta
XPRESS
July 09, 2009, 09:10
Dubai : It’s been more than a decade since the Hobbies Club embarked
upon organising activities for children during the long summer break
and this year’s Rashid Summer Camp has already proven quite a hit.
Designed as a venture to keep students busy during their school
holidays, the youngsters have been lapping up the opportunity to
liberate their sporting spirit with activities such as horse riding,
shooting, swimming and football.
Located at Al Awir just off the Al Ain road, the Hobbies Club comes
to life just as the sun begins to fade away on the horizon.
Shouts of "up down, up down" fill the air and you might be mistaken
for thinking that it’s a tough physical training drill going on inside.
But as you enter the tent, you are greeted by the sight of eight
creatures of the equine variety jogging around in a specially designed
area and mounted on them are excited youngsters having the time of
their lives.
Then you hear again the cries of "up down" and you follow them to
Arif Al Abbar, chairman of the Hobbies Club and the man behind the
hugely popular camp.
He’s exhorting the youngsters to not just sit on the horses but to rise
and fall with their movement. "I think they are enjoying themselves,"
says Al Abbar.
Indeed they are, with the next group raring to take their place for
the next round of activities.
Thirteen-year-old Abdullah Ebrahim Hettawi is one of those who is
waiting anxiously for his opportunity to saddle up.
"I love animals and horse riding is my favourite activity here," he
says. "It’s summer holidays now and I hate sitting at home. This is one
place where I can do the things I like," adds the class IX student of
Omar Khatab School Dubai, who dreams of being a psychiatrist one day.
The children are from schools all across the UAE, mostly Emiratis,
but there are also a few with roots in other countries. Ahmad Naeeme
is an Iraqi from the Al Noor International School, Sharjah, and the
16-year-old is wide-eyed with amazement at what he sees before him.
"They have got great facilities. It’s my first time here and I have
come here with friends. I love the football and swimming part," he
said. It’s obvious he loves football as we watch him excitedly take
the field moments later.
The camp is open to everyone and about 30 girls are expected
to join. "We have a very liberal policy on entry here," says Al
Abbar. "Although we have activities like Quran memorisation, it’s not
mandatory and children from other religions are also welcome to join.
We welcome girls as well as we have special activities like learning
certain etiquette besides those of shooting and horse-riding."
Watching the shooting trainer with rapt attention is Garbis Ohans
Bagduyan, a 14-year-old youngster of Armenian-Syrian parents. A student
of Al Maarifa International Private School, Sharjah, Bagduyan says:
"My favourite sports are shooting and quad-biking in the desert."
The camp will operate till July 20 and children like Bagduyan will
get the chance to live their dreams over and over again.