Alive and Kicking Article Response

Alive and Kicking was one of the best articles I have read so far in my sport studies classes. This article was about young refugees from all over the world that moved from hard living conditions and violent societies to Clarkston, Georgia. This remarkable story would not have been possible without a young woman who guided the refugees to greatness. Luna, a Muslim from Jordan was a soccer coach who one day saw the refugees playing soccer in an apartment complex parking lot. Since then she went to that parking lot every day, at the same time to play soccer with them and learn about their devastating past. Luna Then decided that coaching them as a full soccer team would be a great thing for them. It was a rough road at the beginning and the other teams that they played were very discouraging and mean. It was also hard for the refugees because there were a lot of gangs around Clarkston; it wasn’t the nicest area in Atlanta. Yet, within two years her remarkable story went public and many organizations donated money and support to the team and things skyrocketed from there. The pinnacle of success and joy for Luna was when one of her players got accepted into a four year university to play soccer. She felt that she had succeeded and had a great impact these kids’ lives. In my own thoughts, I was very much moved and I wish that every coach were this committed to their players, families, and community.