Luma in Outcasts United Essay Sample

There are around 26 refugees in the world right now. In 2020 the Olympics added a refugee team. While this book is not about a refugee Olympic team, it is about a refugee soccer team. Luma knows something when it comes to coaching a sports team. To put in perspective Luma stopped coaching a dominant girl's soccer team for a team of refugees. These refugees came from challenging situations, like one player who watched their father get killed. In the book Outcasts United by Warren St John, Luma was a head coach for a soccer team full of refugees who went through tons of struggles throughout the season. The team showed resilience by getting over their efforts and working hard. During the book, Luma was leading a dominant soccer team for YMCA, but she left the team to coach a team of refugees. When Luma came home after meeting the potential players, she realized that "When I got to know the families and their struggles, I knew I could not fail, I couldn't quit when things did not go right. I was on the hook to succeed" (St. Johns 62). This elucidates that Luma knew the families' struggles before going on her team, and she was going to make sure she did not fail the team.

After Luma left the girl's soccer team, YMCA kicked the Fugees off their field, causing her to find another field. She ended up getting a field, and in practice, she wanted to make things clear. She wrote some rules for her team, such as "I will have good behavior on and off the field. I will not smoke. I will not do drugs. I will not drink alcohol. I will not get anyone pregnant. I will not use bad language. My hair will be shorter than the coaches. I will be on time" (109). The quote illustrates that she has an appetite for excellence, and she will make sure that if anyone does not want to be resilient, they will not be on her team.

 By her making those rules, players got pretty upset. One player responded by saying, "Why do you have to cut your hair?' Mandela Ziaty asked. 'You play with your feet the hair doesn't touch the ball" (110). The quote shows that some players will try to start something with the team no matter what. Luma shows resilience toward this because she ends up cutting everyone that does not follow her rules. The under 13s team was dominant as the season went on, but the under 15s team was still trying to figure it out. Sadly a player on their team ended up getting shot.

The following practice, Luma made a speech, "What makes people join a gang? Luma asked the boy's race said one, money, protection, to be cool, to be men" (195). The quote shows that Luma can stay calm through stressful situations, and she is showing resilience by being able to recover quickly from a traumatic event.

The season went on, but the under 15s team was a disappointment. Luma showed frustration with the team by banning her best player on that team for ball hogging. On the other hand, the under 13s team lost their season's final game by a game-tying goal. At the end of the game, Luma told the team, "The Fugees season is over. you had it" (287). The message of this quote shows that the Fugees went through a tough road all season and we're only one play away from the championship.

To conclude, Luma shows that she is resilient by getting over all the challenges she faced throughout the season, but she was not able to complete her goal by winning a championship.