Boycott The World Cup?

   In Brazil, no less, the winner of more men's World Cups (five) than any other nation, protesters are calling on  fans around the world to boycott next year's Cup.  Seems like people there get just as upset as here when the government spends huge sums of money to build sporing venues while overlooking other basic needs.

  As reported in the June 21 issue of the New York Times, the government is spending more than $13 billion to prepare for the World Cup.

   “I think Brazilians are feeling insulted to see that there was political will and large investments to construct big, FIFA-quality soccer fields,” said Antonio Carlos Costa, 51, a Presbyterian pastor and leader of Rio de Paz, a group that combats social inequalities in Brazil. “And when these stadiums went up, the people saw that there was not the same political will to use public funds to build the same standard of schools, hospitals, and public security.”

The End of JAGS

It begins with registration at the Mercer County Park HQ Tent. 

Nobody else is dwelling on the last JAGS, so I guess I shouldn't either.  But I'll miss it.

It was a great run - 33 years - for the tournament and for me as the college coordinator for more than 10 years.  Next year for the first time in nearly 20 years I won't be spending Father's Day on a soccer field.

Of all the long-time committee members at Mercer County Park this past weekend, no one really said anything about the end of an institution in youth soccer.  Work Friday and family commitments 

The sun is coming up at MCP at 7 a.m.

Sunday prevented me from going to breakfast or dinner with everyone on those days, which was my loss because they are such good people.  As I have often said, the tournament seems to run itself because everyone knows his or her job very well and does it very well.  But that would not be giving enough credit to tournament directors Tom Bayless and Rick Firth, who along with many others have put in countless hours every year to make this event work so well.

On my end, I've enjoyed meeting many college coaches, many of whom such as Joe Russo (TCNJ), John Sumoski (Wilkes), Christa Racine

Setting up the HQ tent early on Saturday.

(Drew), Erik Burstein (Kutztown), Rick Brownell (Arcadia), Nick Juengert (Stockton), Tim Dempsey (Mansfield), Kevin Davies (Centenary) and others, I consider friends even though I see them only once a year.  Many return year after year with the same school, others show up new to the job.  Now, many are younger than my own kids.  One who was here this weekend was a teammate of my son's in Medford nearly 20 years ago and is married to one of my former players.  I love hearing the coaches stories of the season just past, of seasons to come, of their own backgrounds in the sport.

The sausage sandwich with pepper and onions is huge.

The weekend was not without nostalgia.  I followed some of the same rituals I have for years: an early stop at the Dunkin Donuts at Sloan Avenue and Quaker Bridge Road before heading over to Mercer County Park; carrying the box of college coaches' profile books across the grass slickened by morning dew and setting up the table at the headquarters tent; the Italian sausage sandwich lunch at the concession stand Saturday, riding the golf carts around the site to make sure all the college coaches were happy.

And watching the games brought back memories.  There were smiles and laughter: The joy of scoring a goal, winning a game, advancing to the championship,  parents and girls hanging out with friends between games.  There was tension.  Players being a little nervous if a coach from one of their colleges was there.  And there were some tears: the frustration of giving up a goal, of losing, or worse, of an injury.  They are scenes played out thousands of time each year on soccer fields around the country.  They are scenes that have been part of my life for so long.

Sunday John Esposito and I talked about my good friend, Joe Dadura, who died last December.  Not surprisingly, John mentioned what a good age group coordinator Joe had been, trying to do the best for all the teams, not just his own.

But it's over.  I watched a good U16 championship game between the Randolph Rampage and the South Jersey  Elite Barons '96 (Barons won, 2-1) and that was it.  I drove my cart back to the HQ tent, said goodbye to John Esposito, Bill Gosselin and Tom Bayless and drove home for a Fathers Day dinner.

The 33rd (and last?) JAGS

   When I went to the JAGS Tournament Committee meeting Sunday before last I was shocked to hear there will be no JAGS next year and perhaps ever.  President Tom Bayless told the group that the Special Olympics will be in New Jersey this time next year and has locked up every field in the area for Father's Day Weekend and the following.   The week before would conflict with Sunburst.  Two weeks after Father's Day is getting into the Fourth of July and it would be particularly tough to get the older teams.

  So the 33rd Annual will be this weekend and that may be it.  Tom said at the meeting and reiterated to me today that he thinks when you stop having a tournament it can never come back.  Not sure I agree, but Tom has been in this game a long time as a coach and administrator and sadly, he may be right. 

   Tom said he's tired (the same word Medford Strikers president Len Imielinski used when he stepped down after many years) and given his years of service I can understand that.  But the JAGS League will continue and I am hoping some new blood from that group will step up and continue the tournament in 2015.

   I have many fond memories of JAGS, going back to when my daughter, Kirsten, played there for the Medford Strikers some 20 years back.  My good friend Joe Dadura and I coached many games there.  I recall at U15 seeing our girls being applauded by parents from a Maryland team as they ran by on a warm-up run, with calls of congratulations for winning the State Cup a few weeks earlier.  At U16, state champs again, we lost by a goal to the Weston (CT) Wild Things who went on to win the national championship that summer.  At U17 we had lost to Wyckoff in the State Cup but beat them, 1-0 in the JAGS final.  With the Xtreme we actually won JAGS twice, as I recall.  But perhaps the most memorable game was one that was meaningless in the standings.  It was against blood rival TBAA Comets and neither of us could advance to the next round.  The game was scoreless as time was running out.  Kasey Makowski, who later went on to captain Canisius, broke loose on goal and shot the ball towards an open net.  Before it got there, referee Ralph Elias blew the whistle and said time had expired, no goal, game ends in a tie.  Five college coaches watching spoke to me or e-mailed later and said what a terrible call it was.

   As JAGS college coordinator for more years than I can remember (at least 10), I had the pleasure of meeting so many coaches from around the East and more important passing on what little advice I had to players who wanted to play in college and their parents.  Also got to watch a lot of good soccer. 

   It's been a great run and I've enjoyed every minute, starting from the moment then-tournament director John Esposito recruited me to do the college thing more years ago than I can remember - at least 10.  But my job was fun and easy.  People like John, Tom, Rick Firth, Bill Gosselin and so many others put in countless hours year round on the tournament and the league so girls in New Jersey could play soccer.  They made JAGS the great event that it has been for 33 years.  I only saw them once a year but always looked forward to it as I look forward to one more time this weekend.