Everybody plays

Deirdre Newman

It’s a balmy Saturday afternoon in December, and the American Youth

Soccer Organization’s season is building to a fevered pitch during

regional competition.

The Toxic Fumes from Newport Beach -- a boys’ team with shirts the

color of a yellow highlighter on steroids -- are duking it out

against the Inferno, a team from Yorba Linda.

Right next to them at the Tustin Sports Park, the Gladiators from

Costa Mesa are battling their adversary.

Parents from the two cities are standing back-to-back. Some watch

intensely while others bop around the sidelines like the Energizer

bunny, cheering their children and team on.

As the games foster a spirit of teamwork among the soccer players,

they also evoke a sense of camaraderie among the parents and bond

families across generations.

“We become part of a bigger family because we’re all getting

along,” Lupe Roberts said as she whooped it up on the sidelines for

the team her son Christian plays on, the Gladiators.

AYSO suffered a public smear earlier this year when the regional

commissioner of the Newport Beach organization was accused of

embezzling more than $100,000 over two years. Anthony Anish was

arrested in early October and still faces a civil lawsuit filed by

AYSO in June that seeks general damages to collect the amount that he

allegedly spent for his own purposes.

The bad press over Anish prompted an outpouring of support in the

soccer community and former AYSO-ers flocked to the organization to

help out, said Chris Sarris, who replaced Anish as the regional

commissioner.

CHILDHOOD OUTLET

There are three divisions within AYSO -- balanced teams, in which

kids are assigned by ability and age; AYSO Plus, a more sophisticated

level in which tryouts determine where kids play; and Pacific Soccer

Club, in which older soccer players compete against other club teams.

For kids, AYSO is a chance to play on a team with kids their own

age and hone their athletic skills. It also sharpens their

competitive skills.

“It’s been a great outlet for our kids,” said Keith Carney, as he

cheered on his son Jake with his 2-year old son, Seth, nestled in his

lap. “I have a daughter in [AYSO], and even this little guy likes to

come and kick the ball around.”

Nicolas Sargeant, who scored two goals in one of the games the

Toxic Fumes played Dec. 13, said he likes playing soccer because “I’m

fast and I like to run.”

Nicolas’ quick bursts of speed on Saturday helped elevate his team

to a 5-0 victory against the Yorba Linda team, their second shutout

of the day.

His father said Nicolas has been playing since he was 5 years old.

“He loves the camaraderie, playing on the team and winning the

whole division,” Jim Sargeant said.

Soccer can also bring siblings closer through a common love for

the sport.

Alanna Duggan, 13, watches her brother Sean, 10, play soccer after

her games are over. She uses her experience to help him up his game.

“Save it, Sean -- it’s yours. Keep your feet down. Good job!” she

yelled one Saturday morning.

Running up and down a soccer field is also a great alternative to

video games and watching TV on the weekends, Sarris said.

And it imparts valuable skills that will serve them well

throughout their life, he added.

“It gives them self-confidence and teaches leadership -- every

week, we have a different captain,” Sarris said. “They learn how to

get along with other people, typical lessons of life. They learn how

to lose gracefully and win just as gracefully.”

A FAMILY AFFAIR

For parents, AYSO is the glue that binds families on the weekends.

For many, Saturday soccer games are a more tangible harbinger of fall

than the leaves turning colors.

“A Saturday without soccer? We wouldn’t know what to do with

ourselves,” said Carol Gaylord, whose daughter Gwen plays soccer.

Gaylord said that she and her daughter and other soccer families

also get together to watch the World Cup, so their daughters can see

professionals at work.

Even grandparents can’t resist the exhilaration of Saturday soccer

games, joining their children to root on their grandchildren.

“Everything is positive, positive, positive, positive

reinforcement,” said Pat Palmer, grandma of Tristan and Sandy. “I

like that atmosphere.”

Parent Mary Kanotz is an uber-soccer mom: She has two daughters

who play, she coaches one of them, and she plays in an adult league.

Her embrace of soccer helps fuel her daughter’s passion, Kanotz said.

“The more involved you are, the more respect they have for it

because they see it’s important to you,” Kanotz said.

When parents are at the games, cheering their children on, most of

the parents are usually civil toward the coaches and each other, said

Susan Palmer, whose two children Tristan and Sandy play soccer.

“Everyone is really nice and supportive of their teams and their

kids,” Palmer said. “Every so often, there’s an obnoxious parent out

here, but not very often.”

After every game, the members of each team shake hands or give

each other high fives and run thorough a tunnel of cheering parents

and siblings.

Each division has an assistant field director who makes sure

soccer players are treated with respect. Newport Beach’s director

Steve Rasch, who joked that “no one else would do it.” He is

entrusted with trying to prevent child abuse, whether it be verbal or

emotional.

Newport Beach’s was also the first region to teach its coaches the

Safe Haven program, which trains volunteers on issues such as child

safety and how to talk to children.

GETTING BACK UP

After news of Anish’s alleged embezzlement broke, the Newport

Beach board met and confirmed its resolve to deal with the situation.

The board talked to vendors, and many of them agreed to set aside

their charges until the division recovered the funds, said Sarris,

who also coaches an under-10 girls’ AYSO Plus team. When fall

registrations started pouring in, the division had more financial

resources to work with, Sarris added.

The board also put out a call to former AYSO volunteer referees,

and many responded, Sarris said. In addition to former referees

returning, the division also got 70 new referees.

Rasch is also one of the returning referees. He said he enjoys

monitoring the games on the field because it allows him to feel like

part of the action.

“It’s a fun way to watch the game,” Rasch said. “I like to

instruct the other referees. I have a fairly thick skin and can get

yelled at and don’t mind.”

As the fall season winds down, the Toxic Fumes are the champions

of their league, and Palmer is looking forward to more victories.

“The entire team is a such a great group of boys, and we can’t

wait to see what happens next,” Palmer said. “I do know one thing --

[my husband], Sandy, and I, as well as all the other parents and

families of the team, will be there supporting and cheering them on!”

* DEIRDRE NEWMAN covers Costa Mesa and may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at [email protected].