Ron Rowland’s Story
It started with Zlatan.
Zlatan's family came to Des Moines as refugees from Bosnia. He was in second grade with my youngest son, Nathan. Zlatan asked Nathan if he could play for "the Cheetahs", a youth soccer team that I coached in northwest Des Moines. He joined the team in 1996 and would prove to be the first of several immigrant boys to join the team.
Alen was next. Alen was also from Bosnia. He periodically complained when someone would step on his "foot fingers." He brought speed and a determination to score. Being gregarious and fluent in both English and Bosnian, Zlatan and Alen promised to open the doors widely for the Cheetahs into the growing Des Moines' Bosnian community.
But, suddenly, Nathan came home from school and announced, "There's a new kid in school from Africa. His name is Morris. He plays soccer and needs a team to be on. And, he is real good." I talked to Morris' parents and learned that, although Morris was slightly younger than most players on the team, he indeed was interested in playing soccer. His family had settled in Des Moines after fleeing their home in Sierra Leona and spending time in refugee camps.
As I was leaving, Abdul, an older cousin, who had listened to the entire conversation asked, "What about me? Can I play too?" I learned that the much larger Abdul was from Liberia and was only one year older than Morris; the perfect age for the team. He later admitted he first thought he had signed up for an "American football" team.
From that point on, the Cheetahs quickly took on a strong international flavor. At times we were called the "United Nations" team. Abubakar, Sead, Samir, Augustine, Mesa, Hajrudin, Dumo, Mohamed, Jaleel, Abdulai, Jose, Fodiyo, and Prince are a few of the players who took their turns playing for the team. Others would come to a practice to play along with their friends or accompany us to a game in the trusty old blue van that always seemed to hold one more person. Simultaneous conversations in multiple languages competed with the hip hop music blaring from the van. Over the past fourteen years, players from 17 countries, besides the U.S, have participated.
The blending of cultures was not always seamless, but it worked. The U.S. born players were exposed to cultures and traditions of which they were previously unaware. They saw one player agree to let the rest of the team stop at a fast food restaurant after a game, while he quietly maintained his Ramadan fast. They heard of walks across the Sudanese savannah to safety and of rebels raiding villages leaving loved ones dead while other family members hid in the bush.
Over the years the team and players have matured. Some have gone off to college. Others started jobs and families. But, once a year, several players reunite to again play for the Cheetahs, their "family team," in the summer Iowa Games.