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International Wheelchair Tennis Championship Nariyuki Kanegae from Japan Photo: Nariyuki Kanegae Their participation taught me that if people believe in themselves and make the best effort they can whenever possible, they can do almost anything. I went to the International Wheelchair Tennis Competition at the end of May, 1997. This year, the competition was held in Iizuka City which is in Fukuoka prefecture, Japan. About 50 foreign players and about 100 Japanese players joined the competition. I assisted two New Zealand players. They had artificial legs, so they belonged to the "Standing Class" which is the class for the people who can't walk well. My hardest work was interpreting for them because they often asked me very difficult questions about Japanese culture and customs. Some of the questions were difficult to answer even in Japanese. So, I thought that I have to study more about Japan before I go abroad next year. Photo: Nariyuki Kanegae This year, about 50 foreign players and about 100 Japanese players joined the competition, and I assisted two New Zealand players. By the way, I was really surprised by one of the New Zealand tennis players. I couldn't believe that he had an artificial leg. He made an effort which I couldn't imagine. I was really moved. Their participation taught me that if people believe in themselves and make the best effort they can whenever possible, they can do almost anything. I hope to join the competition next year also because it will be a good experience for me again and I want to see the players again More volunteer experiences: Volunteer Work with Children | International Work Camp Return to: Our Volunteer Experiences | Issue 4 | Home Page TOPICS Online Magazine - ©1997-2007- Sandy and Thomas Peters - topics.mag@gmail.com