Download or read book We All Wore Blue written by Emerson Robbins and published by Bookbaby. This book was released on 2019-09-25 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a true account of a Seattle area youth soccer team that started out as an ordinary neighborhood recreational team, and not a very good one. The team hadn't won a game since first formed, three years earlier. The team was made up of suburban neighborhood kids, mostly from white middle class families. This all began to change when an experienced coach from Southern California moved into the area and took over the team. It wasn't more than a year or two later when a tall African boy who spoke limited English was sitting in the grass with wide eyes watching the team practice. The coach soon invited the boy to join the practice. He later learned that the boy and his family had just immigrated to the U.S. after having spent prior years living in a Kenya refugee camp. The boy had a brother, a year younger. Both boys had some decent soccer skills, but were far from being star players. They'd never played with a real ball before - only bundles of rags tied together and they hadn't played on a real team before, on a real field, with uniforms and proper cleats. These brothers from Ethiopia were invited to join the team and soon after told some other boys in their ESL class (English as a second language) about how much fun they were having playing soccer for this team. Soon, a boy from Nepal joined the team. Then a boy from Japan, then from Gambia, Fiji, the Netherlands, China and so on... Within a few years, the team was completely transformed, now with more players from other countries than suburban white kids. The team went on to win numerous league titles and two Washington State Championships. The team's accomplishments, however, are but a small part of the story. Though most of the families could barely afford even soccer shoes; most of the moms and or dads could cook, which was their loving and delicious contributions. The team held get-togethers where the various families would bring dishes from their native countries - virtual International buffets. Under normal circumstances it would be highly unlikely that most of these folks would have even spent a few minutes together. Yet, the parents, the players, the siblings bonded, becoming friends, though all very different economically, racially, religiously, culturally and more....Many of these immigrant boys when on to graduate college, though few in their family had even finished high school. Along the way, the coach and others helped many of these boys. Some otherwise may have joined gangs or been involved with drugs. Instead, most of them learned important values such as responsibility, a strong work ethic, how to be a team player and many other valuable life lessons. At a time when immigrants are insulted and belittled by our President and other political leaders, these boys grew up to become responsible adults and contributors to our economy. This was a unique team and in a small way, they showed those who knew them how our nation and world could be if we all embraced our differences rather than judging others by our own limited culture, beliefs and narrow upbringing. Though almost a decade has passed since the team played its last game, many of the boys and families still remain close. If you asked any of these boys, I'm sure they'd tell you that this International team provided them with some of the greatest experiences of their lives. The parents would likely say the same, as would their Coach. We All Wore Blue is a truly inspirational story that anyone who has ever played, coached or just loves sports or who likes reading feel-good stories is sure to enjoy.