| Meet three sports stars who have far more going for them than just stamina |
| By Rana Kamaly |
| Spanning the length of the Rizkana kitchen wall is a huge board covered in writing penned neatly into time slots under days and weeks in a calendar. Here lies Nadia Rizkana’s daily schedule for her three young sons’: sports, music lessons, tutoring, crafts and just about any other activity a child could participate in.The Rizkana brothers — Youssef, Hussein and Ismail — may seem like three regular-looking young men, but with talents in every field imaginable, the siblings have benefited from a unique mix of family bonding, their parents’ dedication to their education and health and their own commitment to becoming not only jacks of all trades, but masters of them. From the time each child learned how to walk, the parents have tried to instill a healthy lifestyle in their children. The three attend Modern English School (MES) where the very first interest they picked up was sports, introduced to their daily routines as naturally as food or computers. Since then, sports have become one of their many passions. Karate, squash, athletics, rugby, shooting and, of course, football, the boys have taken to them all. The Bundle of Energy Walking into 10-year-old Ismail’s room is like entering a museum of medals: some 30 medals from sports competitions are interspersed along the walls with the colorful art collages he’s made. In April, he won one gold medal as part of MES’ basketball team and a second gold for the 150-meter dash in a regional competition for British schools in the Middle East. “When I run, I can see only see the end line, and at that moment nothing else matters,” says Ismail confidently. His energy is all over the place and he just can’t stay still. On the schedule board, his name is penned next to appointments for karate, squash, football, basketball, and athletics such as jumping and running. Ismail’s parents and teachers see great promise in his running and athletic skills, so his parents are searching for the best training facility for him. The youngster is also eying a future on the national squash team, following in the footsteps of his brother, father and uncle, all champion squash players. Model of Concentration Since the beginning of this year, Hussein has added two championships to his resume: national squash champion and the national shooting champion, both in the under-16 boys division. Though only 14, he is going to start competing in men’s championships for more experience and a greater challenge. For a champion in two very different sports, he’s very down to earth. Ask him about his achievements, though, and he responds with a shy smile, “aadi, yaani” — it’s nothing special. Hussein’s love for shooting is seemingly genetic. His grandfather was the head of the Egyptian Shooting Federation and his uncle is a duck hunter. It was the latter who took him on a hunting trip and introduced him to the sport. “I saw it all and I just fell in love with it,” Hussein recalls, “even though at the time my uncle wouldn’t let me shoot.” Hussein started shooting competitively two years ago and says the sport requires a lot of concentration. “I have to shut the whole world out,” he says, gently petting the family cat sleeping on the sofa beside him. “I can’t think of anything except my performance and the target.” He trains twice a week for about two hours per day and says his biggest challenge is “if I am tired, it’s very hard to train because I will not be able to put my head fully in the game as I can’t concentrate.” The Artist Now when Hussein goes on hunting trips with his uncle, the older man lets his nephew take a few shots. “But I am still not very good with moving targets, but I will improve,” the boy says with determination. Youssef has his share of sports memorabilia, including his black belt and trophies from rugby championships with his school team. What stands out in the 18-year-old brother’s room, however, are the guitars and gallery-quality artwork, all painted and drawn by him. While all three boys took piano and art lessons at some point, Youssef has embraced the creative arts the most. He has an eye for beautiful color combinations, evident not only in his abstract paintings but also in the fabrics and decorations he personally picked out for his room. Like his younger brother, Youssef seems shy at being interviewed but speaks confidently about his artwork. “I prefer modern portraits with combining all different colors of acrylic or oil. I love this style more, as its a representation of our modern somehow abstract lives.” Youssef says. He is also into photography. “I try to take pictures of the streets we may see every day in Cairo but in a different unseen view.” Although there are no recent additions to his sports medal collection — he stopped playing rugby after dislocating his shoulder in February — Youssef is still physically active and is studying to be a personal sports trainer at Gold’s Gym. Raising Champions You often hear of child athletes being pushed by their parents, but the Rizkanas are gladly running to keep up with their children’s interests and talents. The parents have made it their life’s mission to provide their children all the opportunities needed to excel. Hazem Rizkana, the man of the house, is a lawyer who puts in long hours to to support his family. But whenever he sees a glimmer of any talent in any of his kids he just takes it to the next level. A squash player himself, Rizkana is constantly looking for the best practice facilities for his sons, and he is actively involved in monitoring each boy’s progress and how they can improve. When Hussein starting showing a talent for shooting, Rizkana sacrificed his home office in the basement and is now renovating the space as an indoor firing. Nadia Rizkana, the boys’ mother, is the keeper of the calendar, balancing her sons’ schedules with seemingly endless energy. “I move with a schedule in hand for all three of them which is sometimes hectic especially when [we have to fit in] Arabic or religion lessons,” she says. “But I enjoy it and I keep adding whatever they want into that schedule. I am like a ticking bomb who alerts them of all different activities.” Nadia’s positive energy must be contagious, as all the boys seem calm and happy. “We don’t have any problem with time,” Nadia says. “Other parents tell me that during examination time the kids should stop sports, but I think the exact opposite. They go regularly even if they have exams. They take two hours three times a week but they return from practice fresh for studying and with more concentration. Sports are part of our lives, and it’s a healthy way of keeping them busy.” Schoolwork remains a priority, and the boys maintain high grade point averages. “The one thing they have to do extra is to concentrate more than 100% at school to save time at home,” Nadia notes. As another time saver, computer time and television is only allowed on weekends, the mother explains, “because it distances them from family and the world. I feel like they are zombies when given more time on the computer. In summer it’s more lenient though.” Maintaining a healthy lifestyle extends to the kitchen and the bedrooms. The parents limit the junk food their kids are allowed and frown on late nights. The boys go to bed and get up early, even during the summer vacations. A former athlete herself, Nadia reveals a hint of maternal ambition when she talks about the obstacles to helping her boys achieve in their chosen sports. “I played squash in the national team and coaches used to care more. They used to come with us to the tournaments and give use more time and feedback. But now this rarely happens. My kids go to tournaments without any coaches, they don’t even bother to ask what happened later, and there is no encouragement,” she says with obvious disappointment. “It’s very hard. [Coaches] don’t want to make champions, they are just after the money.” Since there is no support from the coach’s side in squash, “we try to be present [at practice] most of the time, at least once a week. My husband goes with Hussein to shooting, since he [Hussein] thinks it’s a male’s sports and it won’t be so nice if I go, so Hazem goes along with him. And I handle the squash,” she explains with a sarcastic laugh. Asking the boys about the challenges of their super busy life and athletic ambitions only yields mild confusion. Hussein is doesn’t mind the multi-tasking: “I have time to fit in everything I want, and at the end of the day I still have energy.” As long as the kids are willing, Nadia says, the parents are too: “Why should they choose one thing or another if they can do them all?” |
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