Thursday, Sept. 13, 2007
Tempie Holden, 16, wrapped her arm around 14-year-old Narod Haroutunian’s shoulder and embraced her Friday as if they had been longtime friends.
Though Holden, a junior at Fairmont Heights High School in Capitol Heights had just met Haroutunian, of Beirut, Lebanon, both share a bond for hoops she hopes the two will keep after Haroutunian returns home.
‘‘She’s really nice,” said Holden, a shooting guard for the girls’ basketball team. ‘‘And she’s been in most of my classes. She’s a great basketball player too.”
Six girls and six boys from Lebanon participated in a free two-week visit to the United States as part of a partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Sports Diplomacy program and World Learning, an organization promoting international experiential learning opportunities. Many of the visiting kids said they learned about the opportunity through their club basketball coaches in Lebanon.
George Wake, Fairmont Heights boys head basketball coach, said Fairmont Heights parent Kelli Davis suggested the team visit the school. Davis works for the state department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, which manages the sports diplomacy programs.
‘‘When she heard there were 12 Lebanese basketball players coming over she thought what better place than to come here where her children go,” Wake said.
The one-day trip to Fairmont Heights came at the end of the group’s stay in the U.S. The players spent their first week in Las Vegas watching International Basketball Federation qualifying rounds for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, and visiting the Tarkanian Basketball Academy and local Boys and Girls Clubs. They arrived in the District last week and stayed at the National 4-H Youth Conference Center in Chevy Chase. The players participated in basketball clinics at American and George Washington universities and picnicked in Rock Creek Park.
But Davis said the interaction with other kids their age, socially and athletically, is what the Lebanese teens looked forward to most. They also played at Frederick Douglass High School in Upper Marlboro on Sept. 6.
‘‘All the kids there said that was the highlight of their trip,” she said. ‘‘They got to play in front of 1,000 of their peers and that’s not something they’re able to do in Lebanon.”
The visitors were welcome additions to classes at Fairmont Heights. English teacher Robert Caldwell had some players in his classes throughout the day.
‘‘Some of the female players, they seemed very shy,” Caldwell said. ‘‘But [the class] started asking questions like where they’re from, what sports they play and they seemed more at ease.”
After a morning scrimmage, some classes and lunch, the boys and then the girls scrimmaged in a sweltering school gym filled with boisterous students in maroon, white and khaki uniforms. Students cheered wildly for each team as they scored and Lebanese players turned around and pumped their arms, encouraging students to get louder.
Bashir Akhdar, 15, said he thought playing basketball in America would be different than in Lebanon but realized neither team was inferior to the other. But Akhdar did notice some differences.
‘‘The high schools are different here,” Akhdar said. ‘‘They’re bigger. Back in Lebanon, all grades, elementary, middle and high school are mixed together. The guys are huge here, they can jump too.”
Nada Alameddine, 15, also noticed how much bigger schools are in America, but noticed students did not have nearly as much homework as she did. Alameddine also noticed a different level of play between both countries.
‘‘Back home we used to watch the NBA, but in America, they play much better than back in Lebanon,” Alameddine said. ‘‘It was fun and it was nice to learn a few things from the Americans.”
Senior Joseph Fearn, 17, said in his four years at Fairmont Heights he has never seen the school work up such a frenzy over a pep rally. Students swarmed Fearn, a power forward from Kentland, and members of both teams as they walked to the gym before the scrimmage.
‘‘It’s been a great experience to meet a different coach and meet different players,” Fearn said. ‘‘There’s not too many differences [in how we play]. The game is still the same.”
William Hughes, Fairmont Heights girls basketball coach and the school’s parent liaison, said the visit was a great experience for his team and he hopes they will have overseas friendships.
‘‘They just see the country on TV,” Hughes said. ‘‘Now they can get a better understanding of where they’re from.”
E-mail Natalie McGill at nmcgill@gazette.net.
