THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 6, 1995 TAG: 9510060625
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 90 lines
When the kids at the D'Angelo household awaken early Saturday, they will prepare to go their separate ways.
Anthony will head for Tidewater Community College's Chesapeake campus to play for the Lafayette Admirals Under-16 boys soccer team.
Justin will take off for Kempsville Recreation Center to join up with the U-15 Beach FC Fury.
Kevin's destination is Lake Taylor High School in Norfolk, where his U-13 Beach FC Spirit squad will be playing.
All three D'Angelo boys play at 8 a.m.
Their parents, Gary and Colleen D'Angelo, will be torn as to where to go. They haven't dismissed the idea of drawing straws.
``When you're missing one kid's game, you feel terrible,'' Colleen said.
But in the D'Angelo family, when the Columbus Day Soccer Tournament rolls around, one only has so much time to mourn a missed game. There's seemingly always another right around the corner.
Justin plays again at 11 a.m. Kevin at 1:30 p.m. Anthony at 2 p.m.
And wherever Gary and Colleen stand, they will be able to turn around and see . . . another soccer game.
Over two days, the Columbus Day Soccer Tournament will offer 500 games at 44 fields in Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake. Over 5,000 participants on 323 teams in 33 divisions will partake in the annual event that brings an estimated $2 million to the area.
This is actually one of the D'Angelos' less taxing weekends.
``At least it's all in town,'' Gary said. ``When we have one playing in Roanoke, one in North Carolina and another in Virginia Beach, that's when it gets really tricky.''
The D'Angelos are pros when it comes to the art of travel soccer. The three teenage boys - the older two attend Salem High, the youngest Salem Middle School - have all been playing on travel teams for the last four years.
Gary and Colleen finally decided two years ago that if they were going to continue traveling to all of these soccer tournaments, they might as well go in style. They purchased a Dodge Ram conversion van and furnished it with a television, a VCR and a Sega Genesis.
Usually, they pile more than their own kids into the van. And just in case anyone gets lost in the parking lot, they can look for ``DNGELO'' on the license plate.
Coincidentally, there is another brotherly trio playing this weekend.
The Fishburnes - Eddie and Mary Ellen and sons John, Jimmy and Patrick - once lived in Virginia Beach and played in the same soccer programs with the D'Angelos. Like the D'Angelos, the Fishburne brothers are 16, 15 and 13.
Colleen D'Angelo on Wednesday contacted the Fishburnes, who now live in Fairfax, to set up a Saturday dinner date.
``I haven't seen them in a while,'' said Justin, who was once a teammate of Jimmy's. ``I look forward to seeing them and catching up. Jimmy's on a pretty good team; they're playing in a higher division than we are.''
Justin remembers years past when Saturday night dinner conversations have centered around goals scored, games won or lost, hot teams and questionable refs. He figures it'll just double with the Fishburnes at the table.
If any of the D'Angelos forget their agenda for the weekend, there's a notebook on the kitchen counter that lists the schedules of each family member.
Fortunately for Gary and Colleen, they drew volunteer duties registering teams on Friday night. There have been years when their duties overlapped the kids' games and nearly exhausted the parents. Like the year Colleen had to open a concession stand at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday and operated it until 8:30 that night.
``On Sunday, Kevin's team won its division and I was so tired I could hardly walk over to see him get his trophy,'' Colleen said.
``The other tough game-day duty is field marshal,'' Gary said. ``It's your responsibility to make sure the game starts on time, bring the game balls, be responsible for any needed medics, make sure the refs and linesmen get paid and stay in contact with the rules committee in case there are any questions.
``You just hope when you're a field marshal that nobody gets hurt and no arguments or fights break out.''
If the kids ever fought for their parents' soccer attentions, Colleen says they stopped doing so long ago.
``They understand,'' she said. ``You just can't be everywhere. We always used to go to the younger one's games because we thought he needed the support. Now the older one's a high school junior. We may only be able to see him play for a few more years.
``We actually reach a point each season where we try to count how many of each of the boys' games we've seen and try to even it out.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by TAMARA VONINSKI, Staff
Gary and Colleen D'Angelo, background, will watch sons Justin, left,
Anthony and Kevin in the Columbus Day Soccer Tournament.
by CNB