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Dispatches from Haiti: Tony Sanneh, the final installment
Posted by: Michael Rand under Soccer Updated: March 15, 2010 - 1:44 PM
St. Paul native Tony Sanneh, a former U.S. National soccer team member who has played in various professional leagues, was in Haiti for about a week recently, where he ran soccer camps and clinics for kids who otherwise have nothing to do in the earthquake-ravaged areas. In addition, he's also helped with a humanitarian effort. We asked Sanneh to provide updates from his trip. Here is the last of three installments:
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I have only a couple days left in Haiti and each day I realize more and more how much this trip means to me, the kids and everyone involved. I woke, ate some fresh mangos, packed the car and left for the field at 8:30. The under 19 team was already finished and I was to work with the under 17. Joe and Mohamed, the Canadian volunteers, were back and I was very happy about that because my French is still awful. We had a team of sorts and it was working.
The highlight of my soccer year came on a shooting drill. The first cross came to me, I chested the ball to myself and then hit a side volley from about 28 yards away…”Ping” off the post and in. The kids oohed and ahhed and you can probably tell how excited it made me. Soccer is what I do and I like to do it well. It is hard to woo and wow kids by playing simple without exerting your physical presence, but as I struck this ball they were in awe and it made me proud, but I held my smile in. I had to remind myself this was not a World Cup final and these kids were only 17, but it did put a spring in my step. Now with all eyes on me I continued the drill, and all I have to say is that a higher power got involved next. I do not know what possessed me, but as the cross came a foot or so over my head, going away from the goal and away from me, I went after the ball. Running away with my back to the goal 22 yards out I jumped as high as I could – first the left foot and then the right foot for a bicycle kick. I felt my foot strike the ball with that perfect sound, and was eager to see where it went. As my body landed on the hard ground I quickly turned to see the flight of the ball, which went in the upper left corner of the goal. The kids went wild shouting and clapping with eyes popping out. This smile I could not hold back, this was too good. Now as an older player it is nice to see you still can do it from time to time, but also when you are supposed to be someone special it is nice to do something extraordinary to reinforce that message. I do not remember what else happened at practice as I was on a natural high.
After practice we visited some younger teams, popping in and out of youth sessions and stopping in the park to give kids snacks and treats. Most kids get one meal a day by the center and a lot would hide their snacks in their shorts and get back in line for seconds. It was sad to see how hungry they are. We also passed out some autograph cards and the kids finally realized my name was the one on their shirts, and they thought that was real cool. They walked around pointing to card and me and two kids drove their bikes onto the field, decorated with my autograph card as their license plates. The day was a good day, but it would get more interesting.
As the day progressed we learned how poor and desperate many of these kids truly are as we arrived at a field overrun by squatters. We could not even see the soccer field, just a sea of tents. We parked and zig-zagged through the tents until we came to an open space. Some of the tents were literally tree branches tied together with tarps over them. In the middle of the field I met some of the kids and it started an instant game of 3 on 3 keepaway over the full soccer field. My teammates were between 7 to 10 years old. They were pretty good and passed and moved, joked and smiled. Out of the blue I was amazed by a 7-year old, who did 5 stepovers and a rainbow kick, flicking the ball over his head and mine. He was a special child and I’m going to keep my eye on him. After the kids tired me out I got a radio request so I went back to the car. I wanted to give these six kids balls also, and by the time I was done with the interview a small crowd had developed around our car. I gave one of the kids a ball. We walked back to the field and pretty soon 20 kids turned into 200 people. I got a little nervous because the crowd was unruly. One kid swiped and brought the bag of balls down from the car and instantly there was a human pile 6 ft high and it was a free-for-all. It lasted about 5 minutes and everybody was a little shaken up, but nobody got hurt and we learned our lesson. We later went on a distribution tour and practiced the correct and organized way to hand out goods. We gave out soap, toilet paper, tampons, and washcloths to people in the area.
The next morning I went back to the field and ran a session for the 10 year olds. It went really well. The kids were animated and excited. We finished with a game. Parents and people from the tents lined our field. They had a small audience. When It finally ended we took a picture and they chanted a French version “L.A. Galaxy.” It was nice to be appreciated. That afternoon we went to the city and I ended up playing a pick up barefoot game near the water. It was fun, except the taking off my shirt and shoes part.
In the end it was a great trip – I learned a lot, helped a lot, and saw a lot. I made some great friends and connections. I was blessed by this experience. On the plane home as I was looking back upon Haiti it all hit me. It was hard to take. On the ground I was numb to it cause I was always on the go, now it set in, and it made me sad. I feel more and more connected with this community via the soccer field, but I can’t escape the never-ending poverty and destruction. I will do my best to keep this connection going. Upon landing in Miami I feel good. I am almost home and they are not speaking French anymore, they are speaking Spanish.
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