With the second annual Nina Brekelmans Running Camp for Girls now in full swing, we want to introduce a few of the people in Amman who make it possible: Coaches Mohammad Al-Sweity, Batoul Arnaout, and Ibrahim Abu Asbeh.
Each of them knew Nina personally, and they have committed their time and energy to help the Foundation fulfill Nina’s mission of expanding opportunities for women in Jordan’s running community. Their combined experience as competitive athletes, coaches, and community leaders proved invaluable for our success in 2016, and we are thankful to partner with them again in 2017.
Mohammad Al-Sweity
Mohammad Al-Sweity has been instrumental to building the camp. As our head coach, Mohammad Sweity plans the weekly training sessions and leads the girls through workouts. He shares instruction on proper running form, stretches, warm-ups, and cool-downs and gives the girls insights into the art of racing. Last year, Coach Sweity gave a poignant presentation on the spirit of running and racing, during which he shared stories about Nina and her time as an athlete in Jordan. When Nina was drafting her Fulbright proposal, she specifically cited Coach Sweity as partner to engage for her research, so we are so thankful to have him on board. In his free time, Coach Sweity is an esteemed ultra-distance runner in Jordan.
Batoul Arnaout
Batoul Arnaout also joined us during the inaugural year and assisted with workouts, group activities, and event planning. As both a competitive athlete and the founder of a local organization that promotes sports in society, BOOST: Better Opportunities and Options for Sports Today, Coach Batoul is well-versed in overcoming the challenges that face young women in pursuing athletics in Jordan. This year, she talked with the girls about how running improves self-esteem, promotes a positive body image, and fosters strong and healthy relationships within the community. Batoul is an amazing and inspirational athlete, and we're similarly thrilled to have her support.
Ibrahim Abu Asbeh
Last but not least, Ibrahim Abu Asbeh has worked closely with us since the beginning to transform our idea of a camp for girls into a reality. Coach Ibrahim was the catalyst for meetings between our Fulbright team and the leadership at Sports City, which helped us secure access to facilities for the athletes, obtain a sponsorship for lunches during the camp, and gain access to the Sports City running trails to host the race. In addition to helping us with the camp logistics, he also coaches the athletes during each of the practices. In 2016, Coach Ibrahim surprised us all by initiating a series of relay races that ended up being one of the most fun and memorable episodes from camp. He has poignantly spoken about his friendship with Nina at the camp, and we're so grateful to have his involvement. In addition to being a runner in his own right, Coach Ibrahim is also the General Secretary of the Jordanian Athletics Federation.
Many thanks to Coaches Sweity, Batoul, and Ibrahim for the time and effort they are dedicating to the camp and race!