MOSTResource.org

Resources on Muslims for the Entertainment Industry

  • Story Bank
    • Business & Technology
    • Entertainment
    • Culture & Lifestyle
    • Medical
    • National
    • Faith
    • Sports
    • Women
    • World
  • Resources
    • Faces & Places
    • Statistics
    • Infographics
    • Research / Reports
    • Quick Takes
  • Perspectives
  • Events
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • Staff
    • Parent Organization
    • Videos
  • Story Bank
  • Business & Technology
  • Entertainment
  • Culture & Lifestyle
  • Medical
  • National
  • Faith
  • Sports
  • Women
  • World
mostresource storybank video

Explored Our Story Bank Yet?

Our curated collection of thousands of stories has helped top Hollywood writers, producers, and creatives. Watch our brief video to learn more.

Sports, Women — October 12, 2017   

In Minnesota, Somali-American Girls Make History on Swim Team

Original article by Kelly Smith published in the Star Tribune on 10/11/2017

Photo Credit: Star Tribune
Photo Credit: Star Tribune

It was only just two months ago when Suhan Mohamed and Nimo Gohe first learned how to swim, and now the two Somali-American teens are making history by becoming the first Muslim girls to join their high school swim team in St Cloud, Minnesota. “I don’t think they understand what barriers they’re breaking down in the community,” says Apollo High School swim team coach, Alex Badger.

Mohamed and Gohe say they have felt nothing but support by their peers and coaches at Apollo High, who encouraged them to become trailblazers. “They didn’t make us feel like we didn’t know anything,” Mohamed, 18. “They were so nice to us.”

In recent years, Activities Director Dave Langerud has met with Muslim parents to encourage their daughters to join sport teams and as a result, some students have taken up soccer and track. As the new swimming coach, Ms. Badger set a specific goal to recruit girls who may have never considered swimming. Mohamed and Gohe joined a swimming team with mostly white students who had been swimming for years. “I didn’t see other Somali kids who swam,” remarks Mohamed. “I was just excited to start.”

To accommodate the girl’s Muslim faith, Ms. Badger found black burkinis and full-body swimsuits, and received a rare waiver from the Minnesota State High School league which allowed the girl’s to compete. When Mohamed and Gohe showed up for practice one day, to their surprise, they saw the rest of the team had traded in their usual red bathing suits for modest black suits. “They’re putting themselves out there and setting an example for other girls,” team captain Rachel Warner comments. “And it takes so much courage.”

Though the girls haven’t won any races (yet), the team already considers them winners and role models. Mr. Langerud says he is amazed by what Mohamed and Gohe have already accomplished. “They’re going to be the biggest advocates for other kids. They’re going to change the world.”

Read more ...

Our Experts Are Here To Help

Want to start a conversation with our experts for help with your project?

Related Articles

  • M Film Lab Now Accepting Applications for Screenwriting Program
  • American Eid – Interview with Director Aqsa Altaf
  • Post vaccine, Muslim travelers are heading to… Israel

More From The Story Bank

Post vaccine, Muslim travelers...

Last year the Abraham Accords were signed between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan. This marked a public normalization of relations not seen in decades. And with this new … [Read More...]

Meet the first Muslim head...

As new head coach for the New York Jets, Robert Saleh is making history as the first Muslim American to lead a team in the National Football League. The Lebanese American is also the third Arab … [Read More...]

Meet American’s Youngest...

According to The Hill, Bushra Amiwala "is part of a new generation stepping into politics." In 2019, she was elected to the Skokie Board of Education in Illinois, making this Pakistani-American … [Read More...]

Riz Ahmed Is Oscars’ First...

Riz Ahmed has become the first Muslim nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role at the Academy Awards for Sound of Metal, not long after Mahershala Ali made his own history with two Best Supporting … [Read More...]

More Women Study Physics in...

A recent report from Physics magazine finds that physics departments in many western universities have a "significant gender disparity, with far fewer women than men taking up the subject." However, … [Read More...]

Enter your email to receive periodic updates

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

About | Contact Us | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy© 2002–2022 MOST ResourceMOST Resource globe


We use cookies to improve your browsing experience and to collect anonymous data to enable us to manage our website. Our Privacy Policy is a complete disclosure of our data collection policies, including the choices you have to control information we might collect. Your use of this site represents your consent to our Privacy Policy.