Pick-up soccer unites cultures
Diverse groups come together to play
By Brian Bradley
Staff Writer
It was a Monday. At 6:45 p.m., the sun was lazily setting beyond the west side of U-Md.’s Symons Hall while endless cars on Route 1 stood still behind its intersection with Campus Drive and Paint Branch Parkway. In the middle of it all, a flurry of activity defied a lethargic scene as Latinos and non-Latinos hustled and weaved across a plot of grass they transformed into their soccer field.
The engineering fields across from Glenn L. Martin Hall have hosted pick-up soccer games for years, uniting people of many different cultures.
“I’ve been playing here since 2006,” said Asitav Mishra, 29, an Indian-American U-Md. graduate student in the school of aerospace engineering who has experienced this fusion of cultures.
“Most of the time, [engineering graduate students] spend [their] time researching, then during the evenings, [we come out here]; it helps us prepare for our intramural games … I see some French, some Italians, Brazilian[s] and El Salvadorians [playing here] [sic],” Mishra said.
The games bridge gaps between people of different ethnicities, according to David Ramos, a Colombia native who finished graduate school at this university in August. “You will meet here not only Americans, but [also] Africans and Europeans,” Ramos said.
Playing pick-up soccer on a college campus in the United States is different than playing in other countries, Ramos added.
“When I was playing in Colombia, people were arguing a lot; you don’t see that here,” Ramos said. “People are usually very friendly, so if you come, you know you’re going to come back home without any injuries.”
Fourth-year aerospace engineering graduate student Imraan Faruque pointed out a contrast between certain players on the field.
“There’s two different crowds on this field: the big, burly guys where you’re going to get bumped around and hit a bunch and, then, the largeer guys where you’re going to get your shins all scraped up,” said Faruque, a native of Alexandria, Va.
In addition to Mishra and Faruque, freshman architecture major Betsy Nolen uses these casual contests to supplement her intramural and club games.
“We have people who have never played before and people who are on the club teams,” Nolen said.
Faruque started coming to the games thinking that it might be a great way to meet people.
“[Other players and I] will occasionally exchange a [Facebook] message, but I haven’t made any best friends on the field,” Faruque said.
According to Ramos, people come and go throughout the course of the games, which usually begin around 6 p.m. and last until dark or until the fields close.
“It’s kind of a cultural thing how [Latinos and non-Latinos both] play soccer,” Nolen said. “It’s something we share.”
Short URL: http://www.lavozlatinaumd.com/?p=151
Posted by
Comfortably, the article is actually the best on this worthy topic. I harmonise with your conclusions and will thirstily look forward to your next updates. Just saying thanks will not just be enough, for the extraordinary clarity in your writing. I will immediately grab your rss feed to stay abreast of any updates. Admirable work and much success in your business dealings!
Hi!. Thanks for the blog. I?ve been digging around looking some info up for a building project, but i think i?m getting lost!. Google lead me here ? good for you i guess! Keep up the good work. I will be comming back over in a few days to see if there is updated posts.
Tremendous This really is one of the best sites I’ve ever browsed on this subject.
Hi ? very good site you have created. I enjoyed reading this posting. I did want to write a remark to tell you that the design of this site is very aesthetically pleasing. I used to be a graphic designer, now I am a copy editor. I have always enjoyed working with computers and am trying to learn code in my spare time.
Best wishes to get a particularly clear and useful put up. I am surely a violator of lots of these guidelines. I quite often acquire personally conflicted when writing a blog put up because I see myself personally writing more than folks would like to learn, but I feel that I be required to do the topic matter rights by completely covering it. I feel that by subsequent some of these rules I end up cutting out essential aspects to the dialogue. I guess you have to uncover a stability.
Good day. I precisely did some internet surfing and discovered this website internet site. I proceeded to go as a result of this web website release and it’s actually extraordinary.I truly seriously get pleasure from your website.Completely, the piece of writing is in assurance the very greatest on this undoubtedly worth though topic. I added it and i?m hunting forward for your approaching internet site posts or weblog posts. I also observed that your web web site has some incredibly excellent linking accomplished to it. I will correct apart take keep of the rss feed to keep knowledgeable of any changes. Remarkable records you received correct right here.Make sure you protect up-date on your excellent present.Many thanks a ton.
I absolutely adore reading your blog posts, the variety of writing is smashing.This blog as usual was educational, I have had to bookmark your site and subscribe to your feed in ifeed. Your theme looks lovely.
I think I will bookmark this thread
Nice website. Thanks!
good
I’m pleased for this helpful brilliant web page; this would be the form of topic that sustains me although out the day.We’ve constantly heard been lately looking shut to in your web-site correct following I observed about these from a close friend and was delighted when I was in a very position to acquire it following seeking out for some time. Being a eager blogger, I’m happy to view other most people taking effort and adding towards the neighborhood. I just needed to remark to exhibit my being familiar with for the publish because it is especially inviting, and lots of writers do not get the credit they ought to have. I’m good I’ll be again yet again and will ship a couple of of my friends.
Well, this should be printed and trown from airplanes over major cities.
I have read a number of the reviews in your web site currently. And I like the way you write. I had it to one of my bookmarks and definitely will be checking shortly. Please visit my own web site too and tell me how you feel.
Una foto muy buena.
Thanks for the informative article, it was a good read and I hope its ok that I share this with some facebook friends. Thanks.
I just read through the entire article of yours and it was quite good. This is a great article thanks for sharing this informative information. I will visit your blog regularly for some latest post.
hey, thankyou for the post – really interesting, learnt a few things!
I would like to thank you for the efforts you have created in composing this post. I am hoping the same finest work from you in the future as well. In fact your creative writing abilities have influenced me to start my own BlogEngine blog now.
hello…
really good article. Ready to hear more next week,my blog http://talonmpgraham.blogdrive.com/archive/20.html Many Thanks….
hello…
really good article. Ready to hear more next week,my blog http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474979436348 Many Thanks….
really good article…
I have spent a bit of time going through your posts, more than I should have but I must say, its worth it! http://dress071.iblogger.se/ many Thanks….
hello…
Hello there thanks for the quality post! http://polly11.jigsy.com ,i had a great read.appreciate your article,My problem has been resolved….
very helpful…
I preferred to thank you for this good article. http://wsdxj.schoolnet.co.nz/ I by all odds liked every little bit of it…
Great…
You did a great job! http://denna.socialgo.com/members/profile/1/blog-view/blog_2.htm...
quality post…
I have spent a bit of time going through your posts! http://deneen.blogturk.org/37729/What+Nicholas+Kirkwood+do+next.html ,i had a good read….
really…
Fat women and girls always worried because of their ugly shaped bodies. They want to wear expensive and stylish outfits . http://aeghynh.iblogger.se/ but they can not wear these outwears…
Greate…
It’s such a great site! http://www.zimbio.com/Mark+Scheifele/articles/XY1Z56mfJOF/NHL+Draft+Winnipeg+Jets+Choose+Mark+Scheifele Great post, I just bookmarked it on Digg….
Great One…
I must say, its worth it! My link, http://betty11.blogcu.com/,thanks haha…