Having lived in the United States for 32 years, Raul Heras of Marshall speaks perfect English, but has a pleasant Spanish accent he cultivated in his homeland, Spain. He slips in and out of the two languages comfortably and without thinking. His wife and five children -- and their dog -- are all bilingual.
At last fall's end-of-season party for the Warrenton Youth Soccer Club, Heras, director of the club, wandered from table to table speaking with parents and joking with the kids. He knows everyone in the club and they know him.
As Heras stood at the front of the room at St. John's Catholic School discussing the children's trophies, a man came up to him speaking rapid Spanish and looking a little lost. Heras smiled at him and answered his question.
The man's face lit up at finding someone in the room who spoke Spanish. The two men enjoyed an animated discussion punctuated by laughter.
Heras is a good listener in any language.
Heras, along with his wife Diane and friend Oscar Blanco-Alcala founded the Warrenton Youth Soccer Club four years ago because, according to Heras, "Diane and I wanted to offer playing opportunities for the Hispanic community in Warrenton, as well as the chance for kids to play in small-sided games.
"Diane and I had a vision of a club that was more involved in the community." The club holds food drives for the needy each season and offers a college scholarship every year.
That first season, 21 soccer players signed up. Current registration stands at 450 recreational players and 70 travel team players. And the club will be sponsoring its first tournament this spring.
It's a lot of work. Is it worth it?
Heras said, "It is most definitely worth the effort. Unfortunately, we are getting so big that more parent participation is required to keep the club functioning."
A couple of years ago, WYSC added an adult league. Play is relaxed and "for fun." Some teams are made up of all Hispanic players and others are mixed. If one team is down a player, one or two players may be shared. It's all for the love of soccer.
Why is soccer so important to the Hispanic community? Heras explained, "Soccer is important to
all communities,
except here in the states. I love soccer because soccer brings back part of my youth from back in Spain."
When Heras talks of Spain, he does so with a wistful sigh. How does he feel about his native country? "Miss it, miss it, miss it.
"I try to go back every two or three years for extended vacations. In between, I try to go back for shorter vacations."
Although the call of Spain is strong, Heras' family is pretty settled in Marshall. He works as an advisory specialist in research and development (a fancy name for computer programmer, he says) for a Reston firm; Diane Heras is a clinic aide and helps translate for English as a Second Language students.
She's a good listener, too.
Good meetingI would also like to thank all those wonderful people who participated in the first-ever Hispanic gathering that was held on Jan. 31. It was great to get to meet others in our community that share a common interest -- in wanting to reach out and embrace the growing Hispanic community. I look forward to having another possibly in late April. For those interested in participating please send me an e-mail and let me know your ideas.
On another note, the annual "Hispanic Heritage Day Festival" is quickly arriving. The organizer and contact person is Chris Edwards. If you have any questions or would like to participate in some way, please call him at 540-349-1916 or e-mail him at
ChristopherEdwar@aol.com. I look forward to seeing you all there!
Jackie Hitchcock is a realtor for Rainbow VIP Long and Foster. She may be reached at jackie.hitchcock@longandfoster.com .
©Times Community Newspapers 2007
