Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Bluefield, WV

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June 3, 2010

Commentary: Jonathan’s Hope tournament an example of beautiful game’s soul

By JED LOCKETT Bluefield Daily Telegraph

BLUEFIELD — Soccer has been referred to by many people — myself included — as the beautiful game and the description is very fitting. There are many, many beautiful things about the sport itself.

The sport is gorgeous in its simplicity, just get the ball into the other team’s goal without using your hands. That premise also makes the game beautiful by the skill needed to play it. I have no idea how many times I’ve been wowed by a perfectly-placed free kick or a well-weighted through ball — and a rainbow cross met with a header into an unprotected corner of the net is as wondrous as a rainbow itself.

But there is another side to the beautiful game that is just as divine. The personality of an average soccer player is a giving one, one that cares about his or her teammates as much as himself and one that looks to give back to the game and even to society as a whole.

This nature of the sport’s participants can even have a huge impact on those around them.

Take the case of Tim and Melissa Powell. Their son Jonathan was a soccer player. Even though he was only 4 years old, Jonathan was bitten by the bug of the beautiful game.

Two years earlier, on May 16, 2000, Jonathan had been diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a rare but aggressive childhood tumor. He fought the illness the best he could, eventually getting healthy enough to play at the East River Soccer Complex.

But one night after one of Jonathan’s soccer matches, he relapsed. He passed away on Oct. 19, 2002 at just 4 years old.

Jonathan’s legacy could have been one that was just another statistic. Tim and Melissa had other ideas. They immediately began a charity that helps families with cancer-stricken children cope with the high costs of medical care and the emotional hardships the disease can pose.

They named it after their son, the Jonathan Powell Hope Foundation — or Jonathan’s Hope for short — and immediately began raising money. They have held many fund-raising golf tournaments and they will have their own promotional night at Hunnicutt Field when the Princeton Rays host the Bluefield Orioles on Sunday, Aug. 8.

But there was something missing. That something was a connection to the beautiful game, the sport that Jonathan fell in love with before his untimely death. Working with the East River Soccer Association in the fall of 2007, they partnered in the spring of 2008 to stage a youth soccer tournament.

Instead of charging teams an entry fee, they decided to allow free entry for any team that wanted to compete. Each player would be given a donation form and they would collect money on behalf of their team for Jonathan’s Hope.

Those players raised $20,000 last year.

But it was not just the generosity of the players that made the event a success. The people that run the East River Soccer Complex took out their time and energy to make sure complex operations were running smoothly. They also ensured that each tournament match was staffed by a full crew of United States Soccer Federation-certified officials, one referee and two assistant referees.

The Princeton Rotary Club took their time to run a concession stand, proceeds of which were donated to Jonathan’s Hope. And this year, Appalachian Eye Care has come on board to act as a tournament sponsor.

Overall, the first two youth soccer tournaments benefiting the Jonathan Powell Hope Foundation have raised over $70,000 for families with cancer-stricken children. They expect to raise an additional $40,000 from the 2010 edition set for the East River Soccer Complex this weekend.

Like the sport itself, the event’s scope has grown with teams from Richlands, Va. and Hillsville, Va. set to participate and advance tickets for the Appalachian League game on Aug. 8 will be on sale as well.

There is so much to love about the game of soccer. But there is so much more to love about the people associated with it. Their kindness, their energy and their passion make the sport better, but more importantly can make the world better as well through projects like the Jonathan’s Hope tournament.

They are the reason why soccer is the beautiful game.

Jed Lockett is a sportswriter for the Bluefield Daily Telegraph. Donations to the Jonathan Powell Hope Foundation can be sent to P.O. Box 5527, Princeton, WV 24740, or for more information visit www.jonathanshope.org.

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