The sun actually shone on son Scott's wedding

  

             September 28, 2013 -- My favorite male soccer player, my son, Scott Partenheimer, married Stevie Neale yesterday on an island in a lake at Camp Ockanickon in Medford, NJ.   They had been engaged since last August.

            We have this thing in our family about bad weather at weddings, including a blizzard, heavy rain and a howling Nor’easter (for Debbie and me on March 13, 2010), so it was a joy to see picture perfect weather in an idyllic setting,  As he had been for Kirsten in 2008 and for Debbie and me, brother Gary, an ordained Episcopal minister, was the officiant.

            Scott is known for backflips, but rather than backflipping to start the ceremony, he just paddled over to the island in a canoe, and after he and Stevie were pronounced husband and wife, they left by canoe.

            As I said at the reception, I was honored to join the Chesla family in Minnesota when Kirsten and Chris married in 2008, and to be accepted by the family of Debbie’s son-in-law, Adam Werner in 2010.  Now I am equally honored to join with the Neale family of Florida.  And reiterating the toast to the happy couple, Scott was best man when Debbie and I were married, so to the best son a man could ever hope for and his new wife: Hoch sollen sie leben! Dreimal hoch!

Women's Pro Soccer Tries Again

             Women’s professional soccer gives it another try tonight – the third – when Portland Thorns FC visits FC Kansas City to kick off the National Women’s Soccer League.  (Clever name for Portland: the city has a huge public rose garden and is nicknamed “The Rose City.”)

            The other six teams begin action tomorrow: Seattle Reign (another clever name) at Chicago Red Stars; Western New York Flash at Sky Blue FC at; and Washington Spirit at Boston Breakers.

            Here’s the Boston Globe’s story on the new league.  And the New York Times did a more comprehensive piece.

            I saw a lot of Philadelphia Charge games in the old Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) and just one (in Chicago) in the Women’s Professional Soccer League.  I doubt I’ll see many in the new league as it has by-passed Philadelphia, for now at least.  But best of luck to the league and all the players.  As the Globe notes, it may be the last chance for the women's pro game in the United States.