Soccer Cup was right on the ball...

Soccer Cup was right on the ball

The Sixth Annual Daily Pilot Cup is now over and a resounding

success. This year, 114 teams participated, representing 28 public

and private schools in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa. The number of

children involved was estimated at 2,000. The cup is clearly the

largest and most successful community sports’ event of the year.

As the tournament grows, so do the costs and responsibilities, and

I encourage anyone and everyone to become more involved in next

year’s cup. If you wish to become involved, please e-mail me at

lawofficesofkm@ sbcglobal.net.

Due to the increasing number of teams, our referee coverage for

the games remains the biggest challenge. It is our hope that we can

raise enough funds for next year to hire some local college players

to serve as referees. Since the tournament is supported by donations,

we will need additional donors.

I would like to give a special thank you to: The Daily Pilot; C.J.

Segerstrom and sons; Elks Lodge; CM 900; TSI Media Inc.; and Mariners

Christian School, for their financial support.

A second thank you to Tony Dodero and the Daily Pilot staff for

their outstanding coverage of the tournament. Once again, the daily

photographs and articles gave the cup that extra-special feeling.

Finally, I would like to publicly recognize some individuals who

went the extra mile for the cup: First and foremost, thank you to the

No. 1 volunteer, my wife Suzanne, who matched me hour for hour before

and during the tournament; Jim Collier, the referee coordinator who

also refereed countless games himself. Others of note: Mark Spears,

our webmaster; Cindy Barnard; Gary Rorden; Dennis Brown; Mike Gordon;

Jim Percival; Jeff Grant; Hoyt and Nora Etter; Alex Francini; Linda

Craig; Jeff Ruth; Dave Shultz; Zama Sports; and all school reps and

coaches.

I know there are some who I have failed to list, and I apologize

for not getting to know the many volunteers who gave time to the kids

in our community.

Once again, many thanks.

Kirk McIntosh

Tournament Director

Costa Mesa

Thanks for supporting Pilot Cup

I just wanted to pass along my appreciation for whatever role the

Daily Pilot plays (underwriting? publicity? other?) in supporting the

Daily Pilot Cup soccer competition, this year’s version of which

concluded Sunday. It is wonderful to see the joy and enthusiasm of

the third-, fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade boys and girls playing

with their classmates on teams representing their schools, an

experience that their normal soccer leagues (AYSO and club) do not

offer.

Win, lose or draw, everyone involved -- players, coaches, parents

-- had a wonderful time. And special kudos to Kirk McIntosh, the

brains and inspiration behind it all.

JIM PERCIVAL

Newport Beach