His favourite sport ‘has a spirit’

William Lubenda is an 11-year-old Grade 5 student at Shaughnessy Park School who, like most active kids his age, says phys-ed is his favourite class at school

“Because I get to run around, play games, and have a lot of fun with my friends,” he explained.

William loves playing sports. He likes playing soccer, volleyball, basketball, and badminton to name a few.

“At school we have a lot of fun. There are so many of us that love sports. The sport we play changes depending on the day. The same when we play near our house in the neighbourhood. We have fun burning our energy and being active. I have lots of fun with my older brothers, too. They help me a lot,” he said.

Of all the sports he plays, soccer is his favourite, a trait that runs in his family, as I once wrote about his older brother John, who played for FC Northwest.

“I am not sure what it is about soccer but I really love it,” William said. “It is like the game has a spirit. I like watching soccer ,too. I like to see what older players are doing and then to try their moves. I know if I want to play at a high level when I am older that I will have to be very dedicated and practise a lot. That is my goal.”

William lives in Tyndall Park with his mom Mapendo, his brothers John, Erick and Mihigo, and his sister, Feza.

“I love my mom. She takes great care of us. She has to work very hard so I want to make sure I bring lots of respect to her,” he said. “I am very thankful to her for all she does. I want to work hard with all I do and to make my family proud.”

William is a fine young man with a great smile who is capable of achieving whatever he puts his mind to.

“I want to be a soccer player when I get older. I am going to work really hard and be disciplined. If I do those things I think I can accomplish my goal.”

William knows he must strive to reach his dreams, so his advice for other young athletes is simple:

“Work hard and never give up.”