Celebrating the Beautiful Game

Celebrating the beautiful game

By Don Fennell

December 07, 2009

These are the difference makers. The men and women, girls and boys, who make their community a special place. Their efforts are by and large altruistic, except for wanting to see others happy or successful.

Courtesy: Richmond Review http://www.bclocalnews.com/richmond_southdelta/richmondreview/sports/78723792.html

These are volunteers, whom without much of what we take for granted would be impossible.

So step up and take a bow, Roger Barnes. And Jeff Pawer, Chery Ternes and Heidi Lyons. You too Rudy Genzel and Cheryl Dunham.

First and foremost, it’s because of your love of soccer and your organizing skills that Richmond Futsal ’09 last weekend at the Richmond Olympic Oval was a reality at all.

It was last January when Richmond Soccer (combining both the girls’ and boys’ associations) hosted its inaugural Futsal Fiesta with 102 teams in action. Because of you, this year’s five-a-side spectacle was just as spectacular.

First impressions are important too. Thanks Bil Koonar and Kelly Jackson. Jenny and Brianna Ho, Jim Brady andCarolyn Taylor. And Ellocent Robinson, Angelica Cabrera, Fatima Kadeche, Trump Yan, Ken Tu, Daniel Monk, Mei-Fah and Jessice Leonard. Thanks, too, to Chenoa van Boogard, Evan Sackman, Tiffany Lau Monica Chen, Rachel Moir, Luke Gilmore, Amanraj and Jasmine Mann, Jacob Quail and Cole Metecalfe. Your warm smiles helped to kick off each day’s activities in style.

There are always questions at an event this expansive. Ithak Mendel and Lou Fuchs usually had the answers along with Mike Malana, Kelsea Farley, Jonathan Raich, Rob Crawford, Katie Pickering, Fiona Martin-Muir, Daniel Yoshi and Claudia Law.

Getting to where you want to go is always a plus. But it can be an adventure in the oval, which is big enough to house four jumbo jets wingtip to wingtip. Helping to make the trek stress-free were guides Nasrin Ali, Tristan Coatta, Remy St. Cyr, Daniel Sekimoto, Rachel Moir, Raymond Quan, Farris Kapana and Joe MacDonald.

On the field of play it helps to have things go smoothly. And starting on time keeps it that way. Field marshals Alison Monk and Kiran Altaf, Imran Ali, Niki Frias and Jessica Tran did just that. So did Gigi Wong, Deanna Pooransingh, Cameron Stokes and Glen Kirkland. And Connor McFayden, Theo Lorenz, Courtney Johnson, Max Tagesen, Andrew Chan, Katztan Magor and Wyatt Pinder.

From 12 years old to 70-plus, these volunteers made a difference. A positive difference. Thanks to their efforts, local kids from four to 17 had a chance to experience a couple of days of soccer they’ll long cherish.