I felt awful that I didn’t get the chance to say a few words at your reception today. I hate speaking publicly and as your husband always would tell us “shut up and let our pads do the talking”. I took this lesson very seriously and would always strive to let my actions speak louder than my words. However, I couldn’t let this day pass without letting you know the impact that you, your family, and the Coastal Tritons had on my life.I will never forget walking into the reception hall at Sacred Heart Church and hearing you preach about how important you believed academics were, and that the Coastal Tritons would uniquely have a rule where you needed a 2.0 minimum GPA to play, similar to High School football. Just went to show how deeply you cared about the well being of the kids that would play in the league, both on and off the football field. I believe the league may have doubled in size that day as my parents signed up my brother, sister, and I. My parents, like many on the board that year, were “voluntold” that they would have positions. “No” was not a word you were accepting that night, and as I came to learn, not a word you would ever accept happily.What a journey that first year was as we spent countless weekends putting flyers on cars and literally walking up to every kid in the park and asking them to join the league. By some miracle you all made it happen and at the time I couldn’t wrap my head around the impact you starting this league would have on my life and the lives of many others. You see, growing up I was known as the angry little kid and I absolutely hated football. I had only played flag for a year as a wide receiver (funny right) and was sort of that kid that you made run routes but never passed to. When my dad told me I was playing for the Tritons I despised the idea, and as he would tell you, he literally had to drag my little 8 year old butt to practice every day for those first two conditioning weeks to try to keep up with the 13 year olds.My whole perception of the game changed once we put the pads on and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I remember my dad pulling me aside and telling me “With these pads on you can hit the guy across from you as hard as you want and you will be actually praised for it.” Soon after I realized that I had found my absolute favorite thing in the world, all thanks to you. I finally found a place where I could just go out and be me, and it changed me as a person in so many ways. My love for the game was unreal, and little did I know the Coastal Tritons would introduce me to another love of my life, your Godchild.Although it wasn’t easy we made it through that first year “The Coastal Tritons way”. Some players having backwards numbers on our jerseys, not winning a single game but never getting out hit, serving top sirloin steak at the snack shack, and I think we were the only pop warner team in San Diego to have a Homecoming game, with you being our Homecoming Queen of course.I wouldn’t trade those times for anything in the world. I want to thank you again for making it possible for me to go to Hawaii with the team in eighth grade. I remember you and your husband saying “This team isn’t going to Hawaii without you”. You told me to come up with as much as money as I could and not to worry about the rest. I believe I showed up with a bunch of “I owe you’s” and got on that plane for one of the most memorable trips of my life.If it weren’t for this game I am not sure I would’ve had the opportunity to go on to get my degrees, and I am not sure the man I would’ve became. I will forever be indebted to you for introducing me to tackle football, some of the best friends in my life, and the greatest memories of my childhood. I know my story of what you bringing this league has done for me is just one of hundreds.Thank you, I love you, and will do everything in my power to honor your legacy through my action.Your self-proclaimed favorite, Anthony
