The Mud And Rain

She had always been interested in soccer, even as a kid, however her grandmother constantly stopped her from playing because of her gender. With help from the YMCA, she formed three teams of differing age groups all having the same name of “the Fugees,” short for refugees. This team faced more challenges than Luma thought. From fighting for a place to play, to arranging convenient times and locations for all the boys, and even having to get all the significantly different boys from a dozen of different countries (Congo, Burundi, Sudan, Liberia, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq, etc.,) to play together as a

Ever since I could remember, soccer had been in my life. If there was a soccer team that needed a coach, my father was always the first to volunteer. There were almost too many strenuous weekends spent hours away from home for soccer tournaments to count. My entire family, consisting of my parents, my siblings, my dog, and myself, packed in a mini-van heading to a city that I had never heard of for soccer games. But when I entered high school, all that would soon go away. I kept playing the same sport that I always had, although now I had to wake up at five in the morning for six hours of high school soccer practice in the smoldering summer heat in order to make the high school team. High School sports were more competitive than anything I had done before. I put in as much effort as I could to make the Varsity High School team, staying out past dinner to practice even longer. I was utterly divulged in soccer and trying to be the best I could be. Soon, I would regret placing a game over spending time with my family.

On February 28, 2005, I experienced one of the most exciting events that anyone could ever experience – winning a State Championship. The day my soccer team made history is a day I’ll never forget. However it is not just that day we won the title, but the whole experience of the preceding season that got us there. From start to finish, my team’s 2004-2005 season taught me that the platitude is true. You can do anything you set your mind to.

At the age of ten I was the most energetic, go-lucky, confident girl. I excelled at my beloved sport, soccer. I had been playing since I was just a mere five years old, far longer than the other girls. Playing so long had helped me be at a higher level of skill than most of the other players on my team.

Approximately four years ago, twelve of us accepted a position on team that none of us, not only knew anything about, but also did not expect much from. We were twelve individuals that were seeking a college soccer experience at the division I level and if you ask any of those girls back then, none of them could have predicted the reality of the four years that we would ultimately spend here. This team had experienced heartbreak in freshman year on many levels, battled through the pain of losing in the semi-finals of sophomore year, and again losing in the finals last year. To be a part of this program is unlike any experience I’ve had before. There is always a supportive and positive environment; there is always progress being made every

Two years ago I played my first high school soccer season and it was one of the best experiences I had related with this sport, but what made it special was the last game we faced. Just like Forrest Gump quoted, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.” This is how the surprise started; some friends and I were moved up from freshman team to the JV team and we were excited to compete for some game time. Even though we had very low chances, we gave our 100% in the few training sessions we had to earn a spot. Friday night arrived; I was frightened and shocked to face the best team in our district.

Working with the homeless helped the volunteers gain an understanding and awareness of the issues that the homeless face, fostered self reflection on what is important in life, became more at ease in interacting with the homeless they encountered outside of Street Soccer USA, and also formed friendships with the homeless. Some of the volunteers became motivated to work for other sport-for-development programs or programs involving social justice. The authors learned that “A key ingredient to establishing both these bonding and bridging relationships is that the volunteers actively played the game with the homeless players in practices and matches, instead of standing on the sidelines in a typical coaching role. As well, volunteers engaged in numerous social activities with the homeless players, such as having cookouts together, going to cultural events, and simply talking and sharing before and after

Eden Prairie Soccer has been a part of my life since I was four years old. All the experiences soccer has given me throughout the years helped make my mission trip to Haiti so successful. While in Haiti, football (soccer) is a huge form of entertainment among the children of the village we visited. The experiences the Eden Prairie Soccer Club has made it possible to connect with the children in Haiti through soccer. First, soccer has taught me many ways how to communicate on the field, through hand gestures, body language and verbal cues. In Haiti, there was a language barrier so hand gestures and body language became crucial when communicating to the children. These gestures were not just helpful when playing soccer, but also when playing

‘Outcast United’ is a book by Warren St John based on the incredible tale of a refugee soccer team and how a small town in America transformed to find unity in diversity. The book ‘Outcasts United’ expounds the story of the challenges and triumphs of a group of refugee players, the strength and determination of an exceptional woman who coaches them, and their neighbourhood. Clarkston, Georgia was an ordinary town in the south until the government designated it as a refugee settlement centre in the early 1990s. as a result, the town became the first American neighbourhood for hundred of refugees fleeing the war-torn zones such as Iraq, Sudan, Afghanistan, Liberia, and others. In the long run, Clarkston was filled with a higher number of different cultural groups, replacing its previous homogenous community. Unlike in the past, now there were women wearing hijabs, scents of curry and cumin, and children of different colours playing on any open space in the town. At that time, Luma Mufleh, an American-schooled woman of Jordanian descent also resided in Clarkston, Georgia. It is Luma Mufleh’s right actions that resulted in the foundation of a refugee soccer team, with the objective of establishing unity among different culture groups, and to keep children off the streets (Outcasts United, 2009). In the story, so many problems occurred for refugees in their new community, but my main focus in this essay will be how to use specific tools to reduce the

One Saturday morning, 18 year old's Dalton and Jersey Ashtin were getting ready for their big soccer tournament this weekend for their school this weekend, Lee’s Summit High School. It was the Sporting LS soccer cup. When Dalton and Jersey were getting dressed their mother called “You ready?”

Over the years, playing soccer has taught me what it takes to succeed. From months of tough practices, I have gained a hard work ethic. From my coaches and fellow teammates, I have learned to work well with others in a group, as it is necessary to cooperate with teammates on the playing field. But most important, I have also gained self-confidence. If I fail, it doesn't' t matter if they mock or ridicule me; I will simply try again and do it better. I realize that it is necessary to risk failure in order to gain success. The

This story is about a group of young boys who had a big dream. It all starts off where the few young boys are watching a normal game of football (soccer.) They have wanted to play for a while now and they are definitely thinking about playing. Many people in their town didn’t have the guts to believe they’d do it, but even the group of boys didn’t quite believe in themselves, at the start, but from learning about this amazing story, you definitely would believe these few kids with their passion to begin an amazing sport. This sport was something that every single one of those boys put effort into by building a wooden pitch right on top of the lake holding up their town and everything in it. Here are a few reasons why this small - to - big soccer team has touched me and what I’ve learned from them.

Soccer is a team sport. This may seem redundant or obvious, but I find it is often forgotten. A team is more than just the group you play some sport together. A team is your support system for life. They help you through your troubles and cheer you on when you need the motivation. Without my team, I would not have come as far as I have. I’ve learned that no matter who you are or where you are in life, you always need a team, just not the usual sense of a team. I struggled my first semester of college, both on the field and in the classroom. Looking back, I realize why – I had no one on my team, my life team. I was trying to do everything myself and failing miserably. By the second semester I swallowed any self perpetuated pride and

Athletes of all ages and genders experience various behaviors based on performance, level of difficulty, and skill level. This study will examine a youth girls’ soccer team as they learn basic skills and teamwork through practice drills, game play, and tournament competition.

The school required a test for admission, so the competition was getting fierce. The teachers focused a lot on our academics and tried to squeeze as much time as they can from us to study. As the result, we were not allowed to play soccer during our free time because it hinders us from studying. Maybe it is human tendency to break laws, but the gang of us didn’t want to conform to that rule so sneaking a soccer ball to school and keep it away from the teachers became an everyday challenge. It was amazing the kind of ideas we came up with for this task. Soccer added spices into my otherwise boring school life, and it served as a channel between me and my fellow classmates. Through soccer we found a common ground, that we were able to know each other more and support each other no matter what happens. It gave us a sense of unity, and it was very important to me. Even now I cherish the pact I had with them back then - the support that helped me to stay on the right track during my rebel teenage years.