Oct. 14, 2013
By Greg Mescall
If you asked athletes at the 2013 Junior Olympics to go 16 hours each day without food or drink, they would probably assume you were crazy.
But no one had to ask Omar Trad of the 16-and-Under Rose Bowl Water Polo Club—in fact, he didn't think twice about it.
A practicing Muslim, Omar competed in the largest water polo tournament in the world during Ramadan—the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and one of the five pillars of Islam, which requires a month of fasting from food and drink during daylight hours.
But Omar's month of fasting included four days of high-stakes water polo and some three weeks of intense practices.
While his teammates loaded up on water and sports drinks during games and inhaled calories to recover for their next match, Omar declined all offers of sustenance. Despite his sacrifice, he didn't miss a beat, playing at a high level and helping his team to a 4-4 record and a 22nd place finish. Anyone who has played in the Junior Olympics—or even a weekend tournament for that matter—knows how truly impressive this is.
Omar was ready for the challenge.
"Oh man, this is going to be difficult," recalled Omar upon finding out that Ramadan, which moves back 10 days every year, would fall during Junior Olympics. "I accepted the challenge, I knew I had a responsibility toward my teammates to pull through and pull my end of the weight and fulfill my role as a teammate. I had to contribute to the team regardless of my fasting."
What else went into that challenge exactly? It involved waking with his family at 3:30 a.m. for a pre-dawn meal. He would load up on carbohydrates, water, anything to provide energy throughout the day. Then he went back to sleep and woke up later to begin a day free of food and drink. Throughout the day he would try his best to stay in the shade or rest in his parent's car to conserve energy. During early evening practices Omar would exit the pool at sundown for a quick meal before returning to finish training with his team.
While some parents might be concerned or find it hard to believe their teenage son could go an entire day without eating, Omar's father Tarik was prepared. He had been through this before. "I didn't worry because his brother [Yusef] had done the same thing," Tarik said. "He surprised me when he wanted to do both [play water polo and fast for Ramadan]. Both boys surprised me as water polo is such a physically demanding sport, and they know that fasting during Ramadan is mandatory while water polo is not. It shows how committed they are to both. When his older brother fasted during water polo, it was more in the fall with just some high school tournaments on the weekend."
That said, the Junior Olympics provide a different animal, with so much competition in a short amount of time. "It was eight games over four days in the middle of the summer," said Tarik. "Omar is very strong willed, I knew that if he decided he wanted to do it, I was going to support it."
Omar developed his own way of handling hunger and thirst during each day.
"When you are focused on the game, you don't think about very much else," said Omar. "I think mentally if you are worried about eating or drinking, it takes away from your game. You shouldn't think about trivial matters; you should focus on your teammates—it's the least you could do."
It is that team-first attitude that has made Omar an asset not just to the Rose Bowl team but his squad at Crescenta Valley High School where he is a junior this fall. Jan Sakonju coached Omar's brother Yusef and now Omar, and he's not surprised by either of their sacrifices.
"Omar is a true team player. He puts forward his best efforts every day at every practice and expects the same from his teammates. He is thoughtful and reflective after each game and constantly thinks of how he can improve and how his team can improve," said Sakonju. "It is no surprise that Omar would compete at JOs while fasting for Ramadan. He did the same in order to be able to practice as much as possible last year and not miss anything. In preparing all summer for the JOs, it would be hard to keep Omar out of the competition."
It's all-deserving high praise for a young man who was an Academic All-American last year with a 4.2 GPA and who's set his sights on some of the top academic collegiate institutions in California. While he admits he might be a little vertically challenged to continue water polo at the Division 1 level, he still has two seasons left to continue working at a sport he loves.
And while Omar was going to fast with or without water polo during this year's Ramadan—and presumably for many years to come—his love of water polo and dedication to his faith that makes his story special.
"I'm a proud Muslim, and I think it is important to let people know, as people might be intimidated [about being active during Ramadan]," he says. "I'm just a normal kid; you can do sports, and you can still play and be an active Muslim."
When the sun finally went down during Junior Olympics and the fast broke, the Trads filled their plates and gave thanks.
"It's kind of like Thanksgiving—you're hungry, and you wait and wait until it's time to eat, thinking you can eat everything in sight," says Tarik. "In reality, after 10 to 15 minutes, you're quite content."
A well-deserved feast for Omar Trad, who put his faith first and water polo not far behind.
This story appeared in the Fall 2013 issue of SkipShot Magazine
