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Fighting Malaria

Macoumba Kandji of the Houston Dynamo (photo via Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com)

Dynamo star who overcame malaria fights for something bigger than MLS Cup, David Beckham

Nothing But Nets, a global, grassroots campaign that raises awareness and funds to fight malaria, got the kind of start not even the most talented writer could script — unless of course your name is Rick Reilly. Back in 2006, the then-Sports Illustrated columnistwent to his attentive audience and asked for help, “I’ve never asked for anything before, right? Well, sorry, I’m asking now.”

Like many, Reilly realized an imminent need for something and wanted to see just how powerful his voice was. His mission was to help kids who were dying at unprecedented numbers from malaria, a disease spread by just a single mosquito bite. A simple inexpensive net would prevent the spread of the disease and in turn save thousands of lives.

His request was simple: “Donate $20. Bang. You might have just saved a kid’s life,” was the closing line to the article, which later proved to be life changing for so many.

Statistics show that a child dies from malaria every 60 seconds. Kandji was one of the lucky ones.

Nothing But Nets (NBN) was born and the campaign has continued to remain strong, thanks in part to many folks in the sports world. One Houston athlete taking a stand is Houston Dynamo forward Macoumba Kandji.

Kandj is no stranger to the devastating disease and he is asking for help that goes far behind the game even as he prepares to play one of the biggest games of his life — the MLS Cup vs. the LA Galaxy on Saturday.

Kandji, who goes by “Mac”, volunteered to be a spokesperson for the NBN campaign because he knows firsthand the effects of malaria. At the age of 14, Mac was hospitalized for malaria. Born in Senegal and raised in Gambia, Kandji knows malaria is a sad truth for many kids growing up in those areas and throughout Africa.

Statistics show that a child dies from malaria every 60 seconds. Kandji was one of the lucky ones, not only overcoming the disease, but also becoming a professional soccer player with one MLS title already under his Adidas belt.

Macoumba Kandji of the Houston Dynamo (photo via Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com)

Having already scored four goals this season for the Dynamo, Mac is now focusing on two kinds of nets — one he hopes to kick a goal in against the star-studded LA Galaxy (you might have heard David Beckham is playing his last game for them), and another that can save the lives of millions of children throughout Africa.

‘What they [NBN] do is just amazing. I told them my story and that I wanted to help. I want to do everything I can to help the kids in Africa and protect them,” Kandji says. “They are saving lives.

“As human beings, we should all want to help and I’m asking my fans to do whatever they can to help protect kids so they don’t have to go through what I went through as a kid.”

Sobering Statistics

There are more than 200 million cases of malaria each year, and more than 600,000 of those infected die from the disease, mostly in Africa. Children under five are at greatest risk — accounting for more than 90 percent of deaths from malaria. The World Health Organization reports that half of all families in sub-Saharan Africa have at least one bed net, and malaria rates have plummeted by more than a third in the past decade.

Nothing But Nets provides everyone — from students to CEOs, bishops to basketball players — the opportunity to join the fight against malaria, a leading cause of death among children in Africa, by giving $10 to send a net and save a life.

“As human beings, we should all want to help and I’m asking my fans to do whatever they can to help protect kids so they don’t have to go through what I went through as a kid.”

“Sports is part of Nothing But Nets’ DNA,” says Chris Helfrich, director of Nothing But Nets. “Mac Kandji understands firsthand what it means to suffer from malaria. Having a soccer star like Mac spread the buzz in support of our campaign means that many more fans will join the fight against malaria and protect families in Africa from this deadly disease.

“Helping is so simple: It just takes $10 to send a net and save a life.”

While passionate and very much focused on helping NBN as an official spokesperson, Mac is also still fully focused on the championship trophy.

“Once we got in [the playoffs], we just started beating teams,” he says. “This team is really strong and deep.”

This article was featured on Culture Map, Houston’s Daily Digital Magazine in the sport’s section.

November 30, 2012/by Jayme

Photo Courtesy of Nigel Brooks | Houston Dynamo

Bald is Beautiful

Soccer

Photo Courtesy of Nigel Brooks | Houston Dynamo

Somewhere long ago, we as women grew up thinking men going bald signified really old men, like our fathers. Sure they were wise, and great providers, but sexy-I-want-to-touch-your-hot-body-hot? As if!

Our dads and grandpas were bald — how on earth can that be sexy?

Some world-class hot-bodied athletes sporting bright orange jerseys are changing all that. It’s true — Bald is Beautiful.

At least it is when the Houston Dynamo are behind it, shaving their heads to help give cancer the boot. For the fourth straight year, the Dynamo held a shaving party to raise money for children’s cancer research. Added bonus? Some of the young cancer patients got to shave the hair off the soccer standouts themselves.

This year’s campaign is voluntarily led by second-year forward Will Bruin. After he finished the “main event” (as he called it) of getting his head shaven at BBVA Compass Stadium Tuesday, he chatted about the very worthwhile campaign and a cause that’s become very near and dear to his heart.

Having participated last year in a Bald is Beautiful campaign led by former Dynamo player Mike Chabala, Bruin took it upon himself to become the face . . . er bald head . . . of the cause.

“During the past year, I have found great joy and have met some remarkable people during my visits to local children’s hospitals,” Bruin said. “One such person I met was a high-spirited young lady named Rosa. Unfortunately, Rosa passed away recently, and while I only knew her for a short time she always felt like a friend that I have known for much longer.

Photo Courtesy of Nigel Brooks | Houston Dynamo

“Visiting with children like Rosa has made me thankful for the opportunities I have been given in my life and has motivated me to make a difference.”

Rosa used to refer to Bruin as “the cute soccer boy” who’d light up her days. That’s the same way plenty of women all over Houston feel about the well-built Midwesterner.

“It’s so awesome. I love going to the hospital and being a part of these people’s lives,” Bruin said. “It puts a smile on not only their faces but mine also. It’s awesome to see the patients I’ve made relationships with through the years and to have them come out and shave my head as part of the cause — it was really fun for all of us.”

Then, it was time for Bruin to go bald.

When asked how he felt about his new hairstyle, Bruin was clearly in good spirits.

“It’s awesome,” he said. “I can feel the breeze going through my hair again, but I’m going to have to put sunscreen on it! For the past three or four months I guess you could say I’ve been growing my hair out for this cause.

Photo Courtesy of Nigel Brooks | Houston Dynamo

“I guess to be fair, I wasn’t really growing it out because it’s so thick I had to get it trimmed every once in a while. But I did it so people wouldn’t really notice (the previous haircuts). This is a big deal for me and I’m honored to be a part of it.”

While Bruin is happy to go bald, he admits it isn’t necessarily the best look for him.

“Well, I didn’t shave today so I have a shaved head with kind of a beard-thing going on — this is a new look for me. I might not recommend it to anyone,” he said.

As for on the field? “I hope it makes me more aerodynamic for Thursday’s game,” he said.

Bruin wasn’t the only Dynamo to go bald. Joining him in parting ways with their locks were all-star goalie Tally Hall, defender Bobby Boswell, 19-year-old goalie Erich Marscheider, midfielder Colin Clark, midfielder Brian Ownby, goalkeepers coach Tim Hanley and head athletic trainer Theron Enns.

Dynamo fans can support the campaign by donating directly to Dynamo Charities on behalf of Bald is Beautiful (be sure to reference “2012 Bald is Beautiful”), with all donations benefiting the Curing Children’s Cancer Fund. Those who participate will also have the opportunity to have their heads shaven at Thursday’s home match against Real Salt Lake.

For a donation of $10 or more, fans can support the cause and help find a cure for children’s cancer. Additionally, fans can purchase the Bald is Beautiful ticket package for $49.99. The package includes two tickets to the game, two Bald is Beautiful T-shirts and the opportunity meet Bruin following the match.

For more information, check out the Bald is Beautiful website.

This article was featured on Culture Map, Houston’s Daily Digital Magazine in the sport’s section.

September 7, 2012/by Jayme

Sprints, weights & dedication: Blanca has what it takes to be a Dynamo Girl

Cheerleading

Military Appreciation Night by Chris Beveridge

In preparation for Sunday’s big and final home game of the season against the LA Galaxy (widely and popularly known as “David Beckham’s team”), I thought I’d change things up a bit and profile a girl off the field rather than a guy on the field.

In sort of a True Life-meets-Real World kind of way, here’s a sneak peak at the life of Blanca Guerrero – talking about all things Dynamo Girl and some things not.

After hanging out with Guerrero and peeking into one of their practices, boy do I feel like the Heidi Montag of the world (stupid, idiotic, mislead, etc.). For whatever beguiled reason, I pictured these girls huddled up making glittery “G-O D-Y-N-A-M-O!” posters, practicing the art of fishtail-braids and perfecting their synchronized claps.

In no capacity did I envision repeated sprints, weight training and definitely not burpees. It was like a sequestered CrossFit camp with 20 girls in perfect shape bouncing around in sports bras and sweating to the beat of their love for soccer.

Yes, exactly like every single guy’s fantasy — but these girls have a purpose.

Blanca. Photo Courtesy of Quy Ngo

This is Guerrero’s fifth season as a Dynamo Girl (DG), her third as a captain, and she is only one of two remaining girls still on the squad from the first season. All impressive stats indeed, but it’s what goes into being a DG that makes her worth talking about. Not to mention those ridiculously toned abs and high-wattage smile that gets her additional points.

Organization is the key

Guerrero explained that aside from the traditional halftime and sideline dances and cheers we’re all accustomed to, there is so much more that goes into maintaining appearances and the status of being a DG.

The girls have multiple practices each week that usually last four hours (from 6:30-10:30 p.m. to accommodate everyone’s work and school schedules) learning and perfecting new choreography, strength and conditioning workouts, active involvement in the community, going over appearance schedules and other monotonous tasks to keep the girls on track and in shape. This is their repetitive schedule for about nine months out of the year from the time of tryouts in February to the end of the season which we all hope lasts into playoffs in November.

Blanca spends her days from 8 to 5 as a customer service rep processing orders and ensuring everything goes as planned remedying any hiccups along the way, which sounds an awful lot like what she does as captain. Her duties as captain not only consist of cleaning up the choreography to ensure it’s ready for game day, but also things like processing and updating excel spreadsheets. Yes, being a DG captain requires a computer and a few Microsoft Office products.

Dynamo Girls. Photo courtesy of Quy Ngo

“We have so many appearances to keep track of and I try to rotate the girls through all the fun events. At the end of the year, the girls are required to attend at least 20 appearances so I have a spreadsheet that I have to keep updating to track it all. It’s a very important part of our job because each girl must be in good standing in order to try out again next year,” Guerrero explains.

And yes, that means everyone goes through the tryout process every year, she adds. It’s a way to keep things fresh and keep the girls on their toes.

Intense schedule

Aside from all her DG practices and appearances this week already, Guerrero’s intense schedule looks like this:

Monday – Woke up at 6:30 a.m., went to work from 8-5 (where she spent her lunch break grocery shopping). After work she headed straight to CrossFit in Katy where her workout of the day (WOD) was four rounds for time of: 400 meter run, 30 box jumps on a 20” box, and seven power snatches with a 50-pound bar, where she clocked an impressive time of 20:15.

Then she headed home to cook chicken fajitas with grilled squash for her and her husband. (They try to follow a Paleo diet which consists of eating lean meats, lots of veggies, fruits, nuts and seeds which also explains her great physique.)

Tuesday – Woke up at 4:50 a.m. to do a CrossFit workout from 5:30-6:30 where her WOD was five rounds of rowing 500 meters and running 400 meters. She finished with a time of 29:55 (which counts both her and her partner’s time). Then she headed off to work from 8-5 and, afterwards, immediately went to DG practice at the University of Houston followed by a trip to the grocery store and home, where she cooked another healthy meal.

Wednesday – Woke up at 7 a.m. and headed straight to work another 8-5 day. Then headed to CrossFit “to get beat up again” as she puts it. This time she didn’t tell me her WOD, presumably because she’s exhausted. Then she headed home to cook some homemade baked wings and sweet potato fries.

Exhausted and just getting fatter following her days, I finally asked her what she did over the weekend. She told me Saturday was family day which consisted of an Open House at the fire station where her husband volunteers and on Sunday, she FINALLY took a rest day. She found some time to unwind from a busy and brutal week and prepare for another one. At least the girl takes some kind of break!

Be sure to keep a lookout for Blanca on Sunday as the Dynamo try to defeat the LA Galaxy and work their way into a home field advantage for the playoffs.

This article was featured on Culture Map, Houston’s Daily Digital Magazine in the sport’s section.

October 22, 2011/by Jayme