Soccer Becoming the New Rez Ball
July 11th, 2010 | Published in Culture, Education, History, Social Issues, community | Comments (0)
Kim Baca, Native American Times
Soccer fever is upon us, and for the children of the Pueblo of San Felipe in Albuquerque NM, soccer is the new “rez” ball. It’s interesting to note that soccer was started five years ago in the Pueblo by Notah Begay a professional golfer who grew up in the area.
“… After injuring his back, Begay saw what diabetes and other harmful diseases did to Native people while giving motivational speeches on the reservations. He decided to start a foundation focusing on decreasing diabetes and obesity in children one starting with his own community. Begay chose soccer as one of the vehicles because it was a sport he enjoyed playing as a youngster—the game also involves multiple players who have varying skill levels…”
Mike Ansera, a volunteer soccer coach from the Pueblo, and a cousin of Begay, explains that in the beginning, it was challenging to explain the game to the elders of the tribe.
” In the village growing up, it’s always been about baseball, basketball or softball,…Now it’s soccer and it’s become second nature. No one says, ‘What is soccer?’ Now it’s, ‘Are you going to play soccer?”
There have been positive results since the game began in the small community of San Felipe. The children get much more exercise and lead healthier lives. The children are also getting better grades in other subjects in school. Parents are becoming involved and some are volunteering their time to the program. The exciting news for the village is the new soccer field scheduled to be completed this fall. The entire community is getting involved.
Read the story and share your thoughts!
