AMMAN: Jeddah United women’s basketball team came back richer in experience after their four-day sports and cultural exchange program in Amman.
They were hosted by Alriyadi-Aramex Club.
Apart from the matches against Alriyadi and Shabab Urdun clubs as well as visits to religious and historic sites, the most enduring moment of their visit was the session with Jordan’s Basketball Federation Women’s Basketball Committee chairperson, Taroub Khoury, and national coach Sirsa Naghaway at the federation’s offices.
The resilience and innovation of Khoury struck a chord with the Jeddah United team.
Khoury was a basketball and handball aficionado before plunging into a third sport — swimming — during her school days.
She told how after being named school basketball and handball player of the year in 1976, she went on to captain the school teams in these sports at the School Pan Arab games.
At the 1979 event, apart from leading the handball and basketball teams, she was asked to compete in the breaststroke event in swimming, and her efforts in the games landed her the gold medal.
But, like the Jeddah United players, Khoury’a first love is basketball, and it is in this sport she is still excelling today.
In 2001, she established a team for “Basketball Players Over 30 Years/Jordan,” and the team now participates in the Jordanian National Championship.
Khoury formed this group based solely on her desire to play more basketball.
The roster changes every year, but there are regulars who form the backbone of the team.
Aside from the fitness benefits, the camaraderie and team spirit brings a positive energy to the court.
Jeddah United lost both games played during the tour, but the Jeddah outfit was satisfied participating.
In the first game JU lost 16-38 to the Alriyadi-Aramex team, and then in the second it lost 29-49 against Shabab-Alurdun.
The Jeddah United players were honored by the teams after the matches with handmade Jordanian souvenirs.
Jeddah United team consisted of Jeddah United Sports Co. co-founder and captain Lina Almaeena, Jude Linjawi, Batool Baroom, Shatha Baksh, Sara Alabbasi, Buthaina Albaity, Hadeer Sadaga, Layla Moukayes, Lara Khouli participated in the matches.
The team managers were Maaly Alabdali and Sara Almaeena.
“The score was expected, especially with the experienced Jordanian teams competing internationally throughout the year and being supported by a federation, but the experience that our team enjoyed is priceless,” said Alabdali. The tour also included a visit to the Aramex headquarters, where Iyad Kamal, the chief logistic officer and the president of Alriyadi, gave a presentation of the company and answered questions that some team members had regarding Aramex as a global logistics services company.
The Jeddah team also visited historical and cultural sites especially Jerash, Petra and Wadi Mousa, where historians believe that prophet Moses drew up water from the rocks. They also saw Ahl Alkahf (Men of the Cave), the site in the holy doctrines.
In Amman, the JU team visited Alruwwad foundation in Jabal Natheef.
The foundation is dedicated to improving the quality of life of communities and individuals in the Arab world.
The Jeddah United players, following their four-day experience, agreed that they needed to practice more to compete with international teams.
They also were happy at having an enriching shared experience on and off the court.
