THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 11, 1995 TAG: 9510100088
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 17 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY GARY EDWARDS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Long : 108 lines
THE SKIES WERE gray and drizzly the first day, but spirits were undampened as 323 teams and about 5,000 players took to 44 fields at 12 sites in three Hampton Roads cities.
The teams came from as far away as Canada to play a sport known everywhere else in the world as futbol/football.
To Americans, it's soccer.
Last weekend, the Beach FC Travel Soccer Club hosted the 12th Annual Columbus Day Soccer Tournament - an event that has grown by leaps and bounds, from modest beginnings to a status of being one of the biggest youth tournaments in the country.
At its inception in 1984, the tournament fielded about 100 teams and used two sites, said tournament director Karen Knott. Boys between the ages of 10 and 19 participated.
``That year, we played at Princess Anne Park and here (Lake Taylor High School in Norfolk),'' Knott said. ``We had about 25 people who volunteered then.''
That number has grown to between 250 and 350, she said. In addition to the host city and Norfolk, the Tidewater Community College campus in Chesapeake kicks in five fields for tournament play.
The tournament has become a year-round effort, according to Beach FC president Tommy Jamieson.
``We really start the push about August,'' he said. ``But we'll start working on 1996 as soon as this is finished.''
Volunteers stay busy. They do everything from lining the fields and maintaining them, to selling food and T-shirts, posting scores and answering questions about Beach restaurants and attractions and the best way to get to them.
Red Wing Park site coordinator Joe Alvey kept a walkie-talkie in his hand all weekend, keeping the event running smoothly. On Saturday morning, he dispatched athletic trainer Ellen Wineberg to an adjacent field to look after a woman's bee sting. (She was OK). He eyed the clouds with a rueful grin and said rain wouldn't stop play, unless conditions became dangerous for the players.
The attention to detail has paid off handsomely. The Columbus Day tournament makes local cash registers ring to the tune of about $2 million, tournament publicity chairman Emily Mills said.
Participants say that it's money well spent. Players, parents and coaches all voiced high praise for both the level of competition and the organization.
Bob Riley and Tom Geiser drove down from the Cleveland area with their two sons. Derek Riley and Chris Geiser, both 12, play for the Ohio Premier club. The sons and fathers find the 500-mile drive well worth it. Their club played at Red Wing Park, just a couple of miles from the Oceanfront resort strip.
``We travel all over for soccer and this is definitely one of the top tournaments in the East,'' said Bob Riley. ``We look forward to it every year.''
``The kids enjoy it,'' Tom Geiser said. ``It's like a mini-vacation. It's still nice enough to go to the Beach, to go swimming.''
Kayin Jeffers traveled even farther with his family. The 12-year-old plays for the North Scarborough Scorpions. North Scarborough is a suburb of Toronto. The Scorpions were one of five Canadian teams to make the trip.
The humidity and rain of the first day yielded to blue skies and gentle breezes Sunday. If the weather was inconsistent, the play and the atmosphere were not. The huge field was pared down to semifinalists and championship matches by Sunday afternoon. Those spectators who had teams still in the running remained along the touchlines, exhorting their favorites.
Robert Mills coaches the Beach FC Cyclones in the 12-under division. Mills remained even though his team had been eliminated.
The Virginia Beach lawyer is a long-time soccer loyalist and an ardent supporter of the sport. He played soccer at E.C. Glass High School in Lynchburg and at Virginia Military Institute.
``Soccer is the fastest-growing youth sport by far,'' he said. ``This could be a 500-team tournament. In fact, we turned away about 60 teams.
``It's a growth industry. It's played year-round and it brings families together.''
That's certainly true of his family. His son, Edward, plays for him. His wife, Emily, coaches daughter Valerie, 8.
Mills said fund-raising accounts for about $500,000, or approximately a quarter of the revenue needed to host the event. All revenue from concessions goes back into the coffers of the Virginia Beach Soccer Club.
Mills said it's gratifying that the tournament has grown, but he said that it has barely scratched its potential.
One that even rainy skies failed to dampen. ILLUSTRATION: Photos by L. TODD SPENCER
Players for the Roanoke Stars and the Springfield Wolverines get
tangled in front of the goal.
Roanoke Stars goalie Luke Hellkamp reacts to a goal scored by his
teammate Will Gwaltney.
Photos by L. TODD SPENCER
In this sequence of photos, Stanley Addo of the Prince William
County Vikings heads the ball against Korey Gannon of the Roanoke
Stars, as goalie Luke Hellkamp moves in . .
. . . As the Stars Hellkamp dives to make the stop and slides
through the sloppy field, both Addo and Gannon seem to have the same
reaction to the close call.
COLUMBUS DAY SOCCER RESULTS
[For a copy of the results, see microfilm for this date.]
by CNB