Plans to celebrate 40 years of soccer at Wabash are definitely under way. Thanks to the enthusiastic contribution of our own Tom Runge and Brent Harris, the day has been picked, September 2, and the participation of Dr. John Fisher, the "father" of Wabash soccer, promptly secured.

Last January, a few days on the job, as I was searching our soccer web site for statistics, lettermen, award winners, and soccer alumni, I then realized that the first official soccer game schedule started in the fall of 1966. What a great opportunity, and for me a lucky coincidence, to bringing back our soccer alumni and celebrating the tradition together!

Timidly (well, not really, if you got to know me there is very little shyness about me and how I do things!) I approached our AD, Vernon Mummert, and our Dean of Students, Tom Bambrey, to propose a celebration. They readily gave me the OK and when Brent Harris received confirmation from Dr. Fisher about his availability for the Labor Day weekend, we knew we definitely had something going on.

Honestly though, I didn't expect to have so much support from the Wabash community (yes, I am sorry, I was, still am, a new kid on the block), particularly our fantastic alumni connection and, of course, Tom Runge and his staff.

Tom surveyed the soccer alumni for the best date and number of participants. They all picked Saturday, September 2, and based on the preliminary assents, we should have between 50 to 75 soccer alumni on campus for the celebrations.

Roughly, the day schedule will have the alumni register in the Student Lounge at the Allen Center between 9 and 10:30 am, Saturday, September 2. We will have a "welcome-care- package" for each alumnus, which will most likely contain a special custom made hat, pin and a celebrating T-shirt.

At 11:00 am, the Varsity team will play its first season game against Alma College. During halftime, Dr. Fisher and some of the '66 team members will be recognized with a brief walk to center field. I am sure Brent Harris will have some nice (and funny) things to say over the PA system!

At the end of the game, and concurrently with the Sphinx Club tailgate party for the football scrimmage versus Wheaton College, a BBQ lunch will be †served to our soccer alumni and their families.

The glorious, and much awaited, alumni soccer match will start at 3:00 pm, with one team coached by Dr. Fisher and the other by yours truly. Two halves of 30 minutes (or at least until the players have any gas left in their tank!) with a ten minute break, or fifteen, or twenty, or... whatever. I am still accepting submissions for the referee and assistant referee positions. Any takes?

After the game and a short walk (for some, it may feel like a long way) to the locker rooms for showers, massages, physical therapy, visits to the trainers room, ice bags, tapes, and band aids, we will all head upstairs for the evening celebrations.

The reception will start at 5:30 pm inside Chadwick Court with a buffet dinner scheduled for 6:15 pm. We are planning to have Dr. Fisher and the members of the '66 team recognized and awarded a token of our appreciation for their milestone contribution to the soccer program at Wabash. We will have many speakers, including Dr. Fisher, Tom Runge, our AD Vernon Mummert, possibly Dean Bambrey and hopefully our new president, Dr. White. Of course, I won't be able to keep my mouth shut and I'll give a little speech myself about the "State of the soccer program."

All in all, I am sure it's going to be a great day, full of memories, friends, love, and most important, the pride that keeps floating†in the air here at Wabash, year after year.

I am so grateful to have found a place where if you ask for help, many hands raise up and you find yourself surrounded by people who care as much, or even more, about what you are most passionate about, the human connection.

It's going to be good. I can't wait!