During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslim communities around the world fast from sunrise to sunset, a physically taxing but spiritually important practice. On College Hill, student athletes who observe Ramadan and whose schedules often involve physically intense practices have had to adapt to fulfill the demands of their schedules.
Lana Khalidi ’28, a member of the equestrian team, starts her day at 4:30 a.m. to have Suhoor, the meal before the daily fast, which typically consists of water and dates, she wrote in a message to The Herald.
“Depending on the day, I either stay up from Suhoor and continue to my bi-weekly team lift, or I lift on my own,” she wrote.
On Monday, for example, after Suhoor and lifting at the Nelson, Khalidi has back-to-back classes until 2 p.m. She then goes to team practice, which runs from 2:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. Finally, she heads “straight to have Iftar,” or the fast-breaking meal, before she showers and completes homework.
N’famara Dabo ’27, a player on the men’s basketball team, starts his day at 4 a.m. in a similar manner. During the basketball season, which overlaps with Ramadan, Dabo’s days are jam-packed.
Each week, the team has “two morning practices and two midday practices,” Dabo wrote in an email to the Herald. “So depending on the day, I go through my day starting with training, then classes, followed by lifting,” he explained.
After a long day, Dabo then sleeps “until the evening” and then wakes up “right before sunset” to break fast.
“Usually after breaking my fast, I feel tired and all I want to do is sleep, but if I do that, my schoolwork will not get done,” he wrote.
Pearson Hill ’28, a student athlete on the football team, has more spread out practices since his sport is currently off-season.
On Mondays and Fridays, Hill completes speed training and lifts, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays, he has afternoon lift sessions. Meanwhile, Wednesday practices are spent on the field, where Hill participates in conditioning, “football drills and (going) over the plays.”
After waking up around 4:30 a.m, Hill quickly eats something before starting his fast. Hill breaks fast after Maghrib, a prayer that is performed just after sundown.
All of these athletes told The Herald that they battle fatigue throughout the day. For Khalidi, the exhaustion isn’t just physical.
“I am often lethargic and hold a lot less strength and patience,” she wrote. “Especially as an equestrian, patience is necessary when around horses.”
But she finds her resilience to perform all these tasks in spite of her physical state “encouraging,” and her “ability to push through increases mental strength,” she wrote.
Though they face similar physical struggles through their busy days, each athlete described different challenges as their greatest obstacles.
For Dabo, it’s finding a balance between sleep, schoolwork, fasting and basketball.
“Going to sleep, waking up in the middle of the night, then going back to sleep and waking up again a couple of hours later is difficult,” Dabo wrote. “I do not get enough sleep.”
Khalidi wrote that because many dining halls close before she is able to break her fast, she sometimes has trouble finding nutritious food options.
The conditioning regime during Hill’s practices on Wednesdays present the biggest challenge for him.
“The rest of the day is just like, no water and no food, so it’s hard to recover,” Hill said. “But I always get through the day and get work done,” he noted.
For all the athletes, supportive coaches, teammates and training staff help them through the exhausting days. Khalidi said her team and coach are “always happy to accommodate” her needs, and Dabo also said his teammates consistently check up on him.
“My trainer also makes sure I have the supplements I need since I spend more than 12 hours without food or water,” Dabo wrote.
Hill also finds support from his teammates, saying that “it goes a long way.”
“I can always be myself or talk to players about it,” he said. “They’re supportive or ask questions and help out where they can.”
For Dabo, Brown Athletics does a good job of supporting student athletes. He noted that one thing they can continue to do is ensure “athletes have access to food after sunset and flexibility when needed during intense practices,” he wrote.
Beyond fasting, the athletes also take time to observe Ramadan by connecting to their faith and aiding their communities.
“Ramadan means being mindful of my interactions with people,” Khalidi wrote. “Being gracious to others, being considerate of how I present myself and ensuring that I am going through my day as similarly as possible to how I would normally.”
For other student athletes celebrating the holiday, Khalidi recommended they “take it day by day, and give (themselves) grace.”
Dabo wrote that the month of Ramadan provides time to “get closer to God, to be appreciative of all the small things that we often take for granted and to reflect on your behavior.” He added that he also hopes to “build good habits, be kind to others and give to those who are less fortunate.”
“Ramadan can be challenging, but it is also a very meaningful time,” Dabo wrote. “I think giving yourself grace and staying focused on why you are doing it helps a lot.”
Lucia Santiago is a senior staff writer covering undergraduate student life.
