Soccer Tourney Wrapup

Thank you for playing in the 2009 Kickin' Cancer Soccer Tournament.

The first Kickin’ Cancer Soccer Tournament is in the books and I am proud to announce the champion: Orange Talent. It was a great day of soccer and fundraising for the Jimmy Fund. I would like to thank all 134 players, their friends and family who came by to watch, the sponsors, my family, and the Amesbury Sports Park staff for making the entire day one that I will never forget.

If you would like to check out the photos from the day, please visit this site. Photos are available for purchase with the proceeds going to the Pan-Mass Challenge and the Jimmy Fund.  Shortly, I will post some of my favorite pics from the weekend for everyone to see.

Orange Talent, 2009 Champs

Orange Talent won Division A and defeated the 2nd seed from Division B, C and J Team in the semifinals. Then they faced off, in their 6th match of the day, against the Boston Breakers, a team representing the front office staff of the WPS team, which had won Division B. Orange Talent showed their pace and skill in the final, scoring on the counterattack a couple of times, and delivering a well-deserved trophy to their case.

I spoke with many players and friends during the day. I tried to thank everyone personally for coming and participating. My favorite part of the day was at 10:15 AM, as I was starting to stretch out for my first game, standing on the deck, being able to see all 4 games, realizing that my dream of hosting this event had finally become reality.

Orange Talent captain Gino accepts the Kickin' Cancer championship trophy

But now that the trophy has been passed to our first champion, the job is not done. We still need to focus on the goal – making cancer history.  If you would like to make a donation to my PMC efforts, you can do so on my PMC Page.

2009 PMC – 10 days and counting.

Soccer Tournament This Weekend

This Sunday, I (with the help of my family) will be hosting the 1st ever Kickin’ Cancer Soccer Tournament. There will be 13 teams. Why 13? Because it has been 13 years since I was diagnosed and treated for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, which started my personal battle against cancer, not just in my body, but for everyone. My family and I are so thankful for the tremendous turnout and are looking forward to sharing a great day with all of the players! Friends and family are also invited to attend the tournament and partake in the post-tourney party.

Here are the details:

1st Annual Kicking Cancer Soccer Tournament

When: July 19, 2009. First Game at 10 AM

Where: Amesbury Sports Park (12 South Hunt Road, Amesbury, MA) directions

To benefit: my 2009 Pan-Mass Challenge Ride for the Jimmy Fund and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Food buffet and Harpoon beer cash bar available starting at 2:30 PM. Non-players may purchase a buffet ticket for $12. Championship Match starts at 3:45 PM and the Awards Ceremony, Raffle, and Silent auction will happen during the party around 4:30 PM.

Thanks to tournament sponsors:

• Harpoon Brewery
• PUMA
• Kayem
• Boston Ski and Sports Club
• Amesbury Sports Park
• City Sports

Special Thanks to the following companies and groups for silent auction and raffle item donations:

• Boston Celtics
• Boston Breakers
• Team Forza-G
• The Maine Woodturners

Silent Auction Items

• Pair of U2 tickets for Sept. 21st show at Gillette Stadium (starting bid: $100)
• 

  Sample Bowl

  Handturned wooden pieces from the Maine Woodturners Group

  • 4 each:  Bowls made of Northern Maple  (value – $15 to $40 each)
  • 2 each:    Bowls with plates from Northern Maple ($25 to $60 each)
  • 6 each:  Bottle Stoppers made of Apple, Maple, Cherry, Segmented and Misc. ($18 to $25 each)
  • 6 each:   Light/Fan Pulls from Cherry, Maple Black Walnut ($6 to $9 each)

All the bowls are original designs (signed and numbered), naturally cured
and are food safe.

Raffle Items

1. 4 Boston Breakers tickets to July 25 game
2. Boston Breakers autographed team ball
3. T-shirts, hats, DVDs, and jerseys from the Boston Celtics
4. $50 gift card from CitySports
5. trip for 2 on an evening sail in Gloucester Harbor on the Schooner Lannon
6. cool stuff from Harpoon Brewery

Hope to see you on Sunday.