New Friendships Arise From GRC Outdoor Recreational Sports

By: Jackie Nguyen
Staff Writer

Green River College provides a wide variety of sports and clubs options to fit a variety of people.

For some students, the outdoor 6v6 soccer league is a choice to be more involved with the student body and participate in an enjoyable activity. During the winter quarter, two student athletes, Kean Gani and Abdinafa Abukakar, play in a team at the Starfire Sports outdoor 6v6 league.

Their team plays against other 6v6 soccer leagues around the area including the multiple teams Green River College has signed up.  Even though their backgrounds are very different they are both grateful to be in this team because it brought them together.

Gani is a Running Start student that will graduate from Lindbergh Senior High School in the spring of 2020, this is also his second quarter at Green River College. Gani plans to get his AA in the spring quarter and his certificate in Criminal Justice by spring quarter of 2021.  Meanwhile, Abukakar graduated from the Canadian International School at Egypt and moved to the USA to study at Green River College and is planning to get his AA in business in spring quarter of 2021.

There are many reasons why some people just play for fun in their spare time. Usually it is because they either want to get some exercise, make connections, or just to extend their athletic journey. Athletes have a variety of reasons why they continue to practice sports even when it involves such a time commitment in school.

Gani’s dream is to play professional soccer and his biggest inspiration is Cristiano Ronaldo. And for his sports career he plans to keep playing though Green River, which will help him make the connection he needs to further his path of playing professional ball. “I wish to play in the Olympics one day,” Gani said.

Meanwhile, Abukakar is only playing for fun, “I would rather focus on school but playing soccer was a big part of his life so I want to continue to develop this talent, so I can keep healthy and have a way to connect with the student body,” Abukakar said.

Both athletes have been playing for over 10 years, which means that they have devoted to this sport for more than half their lives. It is understandable why they are so interest in the outdoor 6v6 soccer league. Gani has been playing for 13 years in multiple clubs and Abukakar has been playing for 12 years. Last week was their first time playing together and they won 9-6 against another Green River College recreational soccer team.

Through this connection and the similar interest for playing outdoor 6v6 soccer, these two students created a bond of teamwork that would have never happened if it was not for the recreational soccer team. Through the experience of playing, Gani states that “the relationships that I made helps me grow on and off the field and even though it’s only my second quarter at Green River College I have great memories and friends through my time here.” Abukakar is grateful for the opportunity to play at the Green River College’s outdoor 6v6 soccer league. “It was a great way of making friends with similar interests and making new connections with the student body and staff,” Abukakar said.

Even though it is Abukakar’s first quarter at Green River College after moving from Egypt, he thinks that there are plenty of resources to have more connections at the campus through activities and sports. As for experiences with Green River College’s outdoor 6v6 soccer league, “Really fantastic,” Abukakar said. About experiences on the team is “playing through my process of getting to a higher level and connecting with coaches will be beneficial,” Gani said.

These two students found a common interest in the Green River College’s outdoor 6v6 soccer league and now they are good teammates as well as better friends. During practice Gani and Abukakar like to have fun as they know that they are both playing soccer as a pastime and not for competition. Recreational sports are a place to make connections and learn new.

Only with time we will know what the future holds for Gani and Abukakar in this sport and what could a Green River College recreational soccer team awaits for these athletes in the future.

Photo Cred: Jackie Nguyen