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ENHANCEMENT PLANS | Services, Inc. came about. In addition to Soccer and Lacrosse, I have worked with numerous high school student-athletes, representing nearly every sport, as well as lesser-known sports such as Fencing, Rifle/Pistol, Crew, Cheerleading and even Chess, to name a few. GRECCO SCORES SCHOLARSHIPS FOR THE LIJSL LATINO TEAM
In the spring of 2006, Pat Grecco, the Long Island Junior Soccer League scholarship committee chairperson, was watching a completely Latino LIJSL team, the Sag Harbor Jaguars, play at the Peter Collins Soccer Park in Plainview, L.I.
Most of the Jaguars were born in 1989 in Colombia. All spoke Spanish fluently and English at different levels. They are the children of blue-collar workers employed by upper class Hamptons residents.
After the match, all the Jaguars approached Grecco, an East Northport, L.I. resident, and introduced themselves. Grecco had the idea to help these kids earn scholarships to college.
So she organized a College Workshop in Spanish at the LIJSL convention in Melville, L.I. last March.
"Special thanks to LIJSL President Addie Mattei-Iaia who offered to send a van to pick up the team out in East Hampton and the league for funding this event," Grecco said.
New York Maritime men's coach Rocco Morelli and SUNY-Old Westbury men's coach Jason Warshaw spoke in Spanish to the Jaguars and their parents about college entrance requirements and the admission process, scholarships, college life and college soccer.
With half the team graduating from high school this past June, Grecco was able to secure soccer scholarships for three players.
Peter Alarcon, son of the Jaguars coach with the same name, will attend Lasell College in Newton, Mass. and studying sports medicine.
Eric Lopez and John Romero have also received scholarships, to play for the new men's soccer program at Briarcliffe College in Bethpage, L.I.. Ironically, while playing and studying at Briarcliffe, Lopez and Romero will be living on the SUNY-Old Westbury campus a short corner kick away.
But that leaves seven Jaguars, all now high school seniors, with no place to play since half their LIJSL teammates have graduated.
"I want a LIJSL coach and team to reach out to these boys so that they can find a team to be able to continue to play club soccer," Grecco said.
"Secondly, I would like other Latino kids to know that you can play college soccer on scholarship and the LIJSL can help you to do so."
The next College Workshop in Spanish will be held at the LIJSL Convention in Melville this March.
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