Pilot Cup begins with 1,800 players

Christine Carrillo

Referees blew their whistles Wednesday afternoon, kicking off the

first day of the long-awaited Daily Pilot Cup competition.

About 1,800 students throughout the Newport-Mesa area will head to

the Costa Mesa Farm Complex this week to participate in the soccer

tournament that began Wednesday and continues through Sunday, the

longest the tournament has been held.

“[Most] of the kids playing in this tournament play in other

tournaments, however there are kids in this tournament that have

never played soccer before,” said Kirk McIntosh, the organizer of the

event. “This tournament introduces soccer to a lot of kids ... and

the kids get to play with their school chums, so it has a little

different atmosphere [for a tournament] because they’re playing for

their school.”

The Pilot Cup has reached its participation high with 48 boys’ and

48 girls’ teams in two separate divisions, third- and fourth-grade

students and fifth- and sixth-grade students.

Including public and private school students from Costa Mesa and

Newport Beach, the competition has become a communitywide event that

gives students a chance to showcase their soccer skills and their

school spirit.

While students have become quite enthusiastic about the event,

teachers and administrators have developed a similar affinity for it.

“It’s kind of a way of being involved with the kids that allows

for a different perspective of both them and me,” said Kaiser

Elementary School Principal Stacey Holmes, the only principal who

will serve as a coach during the tournament. “I think it enhances the

kids’ motivation at their school.”

Always looking for the educational in school activities, school

officials appreciate the benefits of their participation.

“I think that sports are a very important part of a student’s

overall development,” said Ken Killian, principal at Rea Elementary

School, a former Pilot Cup champion school. “I think the teachers’

have an interest to work with students in an atmosphere beyond the

classroom. I think this is a very healthy competition. ... It’s often

mentioned throughout the year.”

Although not all schools within Newport-Mesa have jumped on the

Pilot Cup bandwagon, McIntosh still has hope that next year will

bring in more students, more teams and more volunteers.

“We get a tremendous response from the kids ... but we’re still

not getting that extra effort from the parents,” he said. “I

guarantee you that kids want to play; [next year], we’ll just need

someone to pump it up.”

* CHRISTINE CARRILLO covers education and may be reached at (949)

574-4268 or by e-mail at [email protected].