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SPECIAL MOMENTS FOR SENIORS
SPECIAL MOMENTS FOR SENIORS
Todd Gilpin, Executive Director at Fort Wayne Sport Club
When looking for the stories behind the sport, sometimes they are only seen by a few. A week with multiple teams securing league championships, amazing goals, and great games. My soccer moments the past couple weeks have been senior nights. These are night to celebrate the seniors and what the game has meant to them. Many of the players will never play competitive soccer again. The behind the scene stories are what make competitive sports, more than just a game.
But my moment this week came at Leo senior night. Four girls that came together through soccer and became best friends. Through several ups and downs in life (loss of a parent being the biggest) these girls have formed a lifelong friendship. If it wasn't for the sport, they would have never met. Coming from Columbia City, Leo, and Decatur, they met playing club at FWSC.
Monday night in Leo was one to remember, at least for me. After their recognition, Leo seniors recognized Columbia City seniors by giving them flowers. Lorelei Nighswander of Leo headed straight for Ryleigh Krill of Columbia City. The embrace brought both girls to tears. To make the night even more special, Anna Ruble (played for Bellmont, currently plays for Purdue Club) drove from Purdue to Leo to surprise her friends. She also made the drive to Columbia City for senior night. Not able to be there was Bri Converset of Bellmont, she was busy helping secure the NE8 title as Bellmonts center back.
4 girls from 3 cities, playing for 4 different teams, brought together by 1 sport. There is so much more to the sport than what is on the field. When asked "why" coaches coach, the answer for me is this. The relationships and bonds formed through the sport.
SOCCER HISTORY IN FORT WAYNE: PART 4
SOCCER HISTORY IN FORT WAYNE: PART 4
After the Fort Wayne Fever’s departure in 2009, the city experienced a decade-long absence of a comparable pre-professional or professional soccer team. The silence was broken in 2019 with the announcement of Fort Wayne FC, a club with a new level of ambition and a direct link to the city's greatest soccer legacy...
SOCCER HISTORY IN FORT WAYNE: PART 3
SOCCER HISTORY IN FORT WAYNE: PART 3
The 1990s marked a pivotal turning point for soccer in America, spurred by the hosting of the 1994 FIFA World Cup. This global event ignited a new wave of interest that rippled down to cities like Fort Wayne, leading to a new experiments with professional and semi-professional teams. One attempt came with the Indiana Kick...
SOCCER HISTORY IN FORT WAYNE: PART 2
SOCCER HISTORY IN FORT WAYNE: PART 2
For decades, the Fort Wayne Sport Club was the city's primary soccer outlet, but in the 1980s, the sport took a bold new turn with the arrival of the fast-paced, high-scoring indoor game. The Fort Wayne Flames brought professional soccer to the city in 1986 as an expansion franchise in the American Indoor Soccer Association (AISA).
SOCCER HISTORY IN FORT WAYNE: PART 1
SOCCER HISTORY IN FORT WAYNE: PART 1
We're creating a series of articles about the history of soccer in Fort Wayne and the first one is available now on Patreon. This first bit of history dates back to a group of German immigrants in the 1920's who founded the Fort Wayne Sport Club and developed some of the most successful teams the Summit City has ever seen.
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