The Mineola Athletic Association held a dinner at Massaro's Restaurant recently to honor the three travel soccer teams which concluded their Mineola careers this season. President Fred Wachter greeted the members of the Mineola Bobcats, the Mineola Sporting, and the Mineola Lightning soccer teams and thanks them for their dedication to athletics in Mineola over the past several years. He commended the student athletes, many of whom have been members of MAA intramural and travel teams from the time they were 5 years old and are now going off to college. In addition to praising the players, he also told them to look around at the coaches who were in attendance, who had given many years to coaching and helping the players. Mr. Wachter and the teams gave a round of applause to Coaches Steph Xanthus, Bill Schuler, Bob Walker, Delores Jose, Marianne Wachter and Paul May, for all that they have done over the years.

The Bobcats and Sporting boys teams and the Lightning girls team competed in the Long Island Junior Under 19 Division this year, and all did well, with the Lightning finishing second in the prestigious Waldbaum's Challenge Long Island championship. A strong showing by all of these teams at the farewell dinner showed their appreciation for the MAA's support and their togetherness as team members. Following the dinner many of the players returned to TV sets to watch the US Women's World Cup team clinch a victory on their way to their historic World Cup championship. It was a fitting sign of how far soccer has come in the American sports picture in the 12 years since the members of the Lightning, Bobcats and Sporting first took the field in MAA competition. All who participated in the history of these teams, from attending games and parades to fund raising, sponsorship or cheering on these young athletes, can feel a special pride that their participation has helped these athletes mature into healthy, fit and contributing members of society, and their experience in the MAA will be a source of strength and pride for the rest of their lives. As a sign of their maturity, the evening ended with many of the student athletes coming up to personally thank Mr. Wachter and their coaches for their time, effort and support.