Friday, February 27, 1998
Keeping the faith
FEATURE: Spirituality is integral to UCLA athletes, both on and off the court
By Steve Kim
Daily Bruin Staff
Taboo ...
Not every athlete is willing to talk about religion and faith. But these four Bruins, a Muslim and three Christians, are.
Here is a panel of UCLA athletes who are devoted to their religion and willing to give insight into the way they integrate faith with sports and life in general.
While from different backgrounds, they share their unique faiths as student athletes to add to the diversity of lives that constitutes the UCLA student body. Though distinct, they share one thing; they are recognized by their peers and teammates for displaying their religious devotion synonymously with their athletic prowess.
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Senior linebacker Brian Willmer is one of the most active Christians on the UCLA football squad. Every day, Willmer prays and studies the Bible. He meets weekly with a Christian organization called Athletes in Action, which promotes greater faith and Bible reading among athletes. He attends non-denominational Grace Community Church in Encino, and regularly speaks to different church youth groups of various denominations.
"It wasn't until my sophomore year until I really understood what it was like to have a relationship with Christ. I grew up in a Christian home and understood it, but I never applied it in my life and I never really learned what it meant to have a continual progression in your relationship."
It was also in his sophomore year as a collegiate football player that he experienced a turning point in his life.
"I just kind of broke down. I was just tired of all the false hopes and expectations that this world holds up - hopes in things that we all hold up as valuable, such as success in athletics, pride, ego, financial success, popularity ..."
Willmer has been able to take this new approach and use it on the football field, starting for the Bruins during their recent successful season. He credits his formidable athletic ability and performance to God.
"The most important thing you do is to give God the glory, because he's allowed us to have this opportunity to live our lives. So when I play football I go out there to give God the glory, thank him. I go out there and play as hard as I can within the rules."
As an athlete on a high-profile sports team, Willmer has had his share of incidents that have challenged his values and beliefs. But he says he's worked through that, and feels that most teammates recognize and respect his beliefs.
"Most of the guys are receptive and open to Christianity because everybody's searching for something. Some guys aren't right now and they don't want to have anything to do with it. But most are respectful of who I am."
Willmer's emphasis on giving glory to God instead of to oneself, while considered unconventional, has given him an alternative purpose of being dedicated in his sport.
"It's hard for people to understand that God would love us so much unconditionally. There's more to life than just money, because we came in this world with nothing and we're going leave this world with nothing. I just hope people can understand that."
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UCLA women's soccer player Sommer Hammoud has had the best freshman season anyone could ever want, topping it all off with the honor of being named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year. Such success only comes through dedication and hard work, and she gives all of that to her sport while maintaining her devotion to the religion of Islam.
As a Muslim, Hammoud follows the five pillars of Islam. The first says there is no god but Allah (Arabic for God), and the prophet Muhammad is his messenger. The remaining pillars require prayer five times a day, fasting during the month of Ramadan, giving charity and making a pilgrimage to Mecca, the Islamic center of holiness.
For Hammoud, praying five times a day hasn't really conflicted with her busy class and soccer schedule, because a prayer only takes five to 10 minutes. As for fasting during the month of Ramadan, she makes no compromises about practicing her faith despite a difficult athletic regiment that requires a lot of energy.
"This past month of Ramadan, daylight was from five in the morning 'til five at night. It was a 12-hour period of fasting, so it was a good month. Sometimes, it ends like at eight at night. It becomes difficult when you put sports into it, but I've played entire games fasting. It's hard but you keep going.
"It helps when you have friends who are also Muslims who fast with you. Fortunately, there's a large Muslim community here. They're supportive and excited that someone (who is a) Muslim excels in sports. It's a good thing."
"Before I started college, my family and I used to go to the mosque every Sunday. That became hard to do because I was involved in soccer and games were on Sundays. It's not much of a mandatory thing to go every Sunday, but it's good to go because it keeps you focused on your religion."
Even as the sole Muslim on the soccer squad, and a member of a religion that is not prominent in the U.S., Hammoud says she hasn't come across anyone opposed to her faith of Islam.
"People are pretty understanding. They're usually interested and want to know more. And I like talking about it and telling what it's all about because I'm proud of it.
"You think of the perfect moral person and that's why my religion is trying to teach you to be. Being moral is something I encounter not only in sports but in everyday life. And if you're strong inside, you keep away from the things you might get in trouble with.
"Thank God my parents brought me up around Muslim kids my age feeling it was okay. I know kids who didn't grow up with other Muslim kids and they find it hard. There's peer pressure and some people have slipped."
But Hammoud hasn't. She has proven to be dedicated to her sport, academics and religion. For Hammoud, faith is something she can't do without.
"It's a way of life. It has a lot to do with peace - peace within yourself, peace in groups. It teaches you how to behave, how to act towards others. It basically encompasses every aspect of your daily life."
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I 've been a Christian ever since I was born, but I really didn't like it," said Billy Knight. "Basically, my mom forced me to go to church."
A member of the highly-touted freshman class of the UCLA basketball team, Knight admits he was once religious just because he was born into it. It wasn't until his sophomore year in high school he felt an importance in his Christian faith.
"After my grandmother died, I started reading her Bible. She wrote a bunch of notes in it about where to look if you get into trouble, feeling bad and things like that. So I got more interested in the Bible, Christianity and following God."
Knight reads the Bible every day and attends church on Sundays when he's not traveling with the team, which prays as a group before each game.
Knight considers himself seriously dedicated to Christianity, and tries to spread his faith to his teammates.
"You know, a lot of basketball players aren't Christians. They don't know much about God, so I try to tell them about Him. And if they want to follow Him, they can; and if they don't, that's their option. I try to take away the stereotype about basketball players not being religious; even athletes as a whole."
Knight admits that in a popular sport like basketball, one faces a lot of challenges. He also admits it's easy for one to get caught up in all the fun and excitement.
"Especially (when you're) on the basketball team, a lot of girls come up to you. And then a lot of people come up and say this or that about your teammates, saying they're selfish or no good. You just have to watch out and try to stay pure and not get down on yourself, because right now I'm not playing that much. But I just keep my faith and let God work it out for me."
Even through the peer pressure and taunting from others, Knight stands his ground.
"A lot of people make fun of you and put you down and say stuff like, 'What's up? Don't you like messing with girls?' But if I try to follow all the materialistic things, they're just here now and gone later."
Going against the grain is always a challenge. Knight's faith has been strong enough to keep him dignified. Like many other Christian athletes, he emphasizes giving glory to God.
"I really like what Evander Holyfield did, coming out to gospel music and Bible verses. I want to give God the glory in everything I do in my life."
After his basketball career is over, Knight wants to become a minister or pastor.
"I was thinking about life. I'm not like a really high-profile basketball player, but I'm at UCLA. So I found a calling in my life to preach and tell everyone about God.
"I want to have a homeless shelter and help out orphans or kids less fortunate. I just want to show them that if you follow God, good things will happen, so keep your hopes up."
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One word to describe senior swimmer Lindsay Etter is "consistent." She has consistently been a fast swimmer. She has consistently been friendly and considerate of others. And, she has consistently been religious.
Etter was brought up in a Christian household. A three-time All-American athlete and the UCLA record-holder in the 100- and 200-yard breastroke, Etter prefers to focus on other things when she's in the pool.
"God's given me a reason to swim. A lot of people swim for medals or recognition. Those are all things that go away. They lose their value. Years from now, I'm not going to remember what place I got or what times I swam.
"I'm thankful to God for giving me this talent for swimming and bring me so far - to UCLA, a lot of great friends and memories. A lot of times, I swim what I call 'thank you' performances. Usually, I just swim and use the talent he gave me and every race turns out to be great that way. It's always a hundred percent because if you're doing it for him, it's more meaningful than just a gold medal."
Years of involvement in Athletes in Action, Bible study and church service have put life into a different perspective for Etter. But as a freshman coming from a religious family in Texas, she had to find her own way of practicing her faith in college.
"When I first got to school, it was different because all of a sudden I had to find my own church rather than going to church with my parents. So I tried different churches and found out what pastor and college groups I liked."
Etter now attends Grace Community Church with her boyfriend, Brian Willmer, and shares fellowship with him and her other friends. Since the swimming team consists of numerous other Christians, Etter rarely comes across situations that conflict with her religious values.
Etter's life isn't one of huge sacrifice or revelations. She's not what one would call a born-again Christian. Even though her life isn't filled with religious conflicts or difficulties that needed to be overcome, her faith still grows strongly - consistently.
"For a long time, I used to think of being Christian as like a personality trait. You realize as you go through college that things come and go. But for me, Christ is always there and will be there. That's what God means to me--a friend forever. Knowing that brings me through all situations."