Spring Break
UConn fans 'Kick for Nick'
Fans donate 1,000 soccer balls in honor of fallen soldier
Marc Gauthier
Issue date: 10/6/08 Section: Sports
Peter Leeds of Willimantic, has been the president of the Willimantic-Columbia Soccer Alliance for the past five years. Every year, Leeds and the Soccer Alliance put on a youth tournament in Willimantic. At 18 years, it's the longest running youth tournament in the state and every year the alliance needs to buy new soccer balls to supply at the tournament. This was the year that Leeds thought he had too many soccer balls.
"We've been building an inventory," Leeds said. "And we wanted to get rid of some of them so we thought this was the way to do it."
Friday night, Leeds' friend, and Willimantic-Columbia Soccer Alliance coaching coordinator, Sebby Randazzo drove his forest green pick-up truck to the front of the Kick for Nick dumpster. He jumped out and gathered his youth soccer players around the truck. After a quick team photo, Leeds, Sebby and about 15 kids started unloading over 150 soccer balls out of the truck.
"[The kids] are helping other people out," Leeds said. "They know what they're doing. They know it's patriotic and it's just good for the world."
Leeds turned to one of his soccer players and asked the 9-year old boy if he knew what he was doing with the soccer balls. The young boy knew who he was helping.
At halftime on Friday, Madaras' family, joined by 36 U.S. Army soldiers, was honored in front of 4,409 fans at Morrone Stadium.
At the end of the night, it didn't matter that the Huskies had lost to West Virginia. In the spirit of coming together for a great cause, everybody left Morrone Stadium a winner.
"His passion, even though he was in the army, was soccer and he tried to help little kids," White said. "To play in his memory and to play in this game was big, and not just for the game, but also for Nick."
"We've been building an inventory," Leeds said. "And we wanted to get rid of some of them so we thought this was the way to do it."
Friday night, Leeds' friend, and Willimantic-Columbia Soccer Alliance coaching coordinator, Sebby Randazzo drove his forest green pick-up truck to the front of the Kick for Nick dumpster. He jumped out and gathered his youth soccer players around the truck. After a quick team photo, Leeds, Sebby and about 15 kids started unloading over 150 soccer balls out of the truck.
"[The kids] are helping other people out," Leeds said. "They know what they're doing. They know it's patriotic and it's just good for the world."
Leeds turned to one of his soccer players and asked the 9-year old boy if he knew what he was doing with the soccer balls. The young boy knew who he was helping.
At halftime on Friday, Madaras' family, joined by 36 U.S. Army soldiers, was honored in front of 4,409 fans at Morrone Stadium.
At the end of the night, it didn't matter that the Huskies had lost to West Virginia. In the spirit of coming together for a great cause, everybody left Morrone Stadium a winner.
"His passion, even though he was in the army, was soccer and he tried to help little kids," White said. "To play in his memory and to play in this game was big, and not just for the game, but also for Nick."
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