It’s not all about winning for some

Ashoff featureAYSO Region 57 Boys Under 10 soccer coach praises opponents’ team by presenting players with medals after loss.It was just another season-ending game for Andy Austwick and his AYSO Region 57 Blue Barracudas Boys Under 10 soccer team. One final game in a tough season in which his team hadn’t won a game.

And as the Blue Barracudas gathered at midfield after their 6-0 loss to the Blue Thunder in a playoff pool play contest, it seemed like one final postgame handshake with a victorious team.

Until something quite unexpected happened.

Blue Thunder Coach Rich Ashoff shocked parents and coaches from both sidelines by skipping the traditional handshake. Instead, he presented each of the nine Barracudas players with a personalized sportsmanship medal.

“It was really remarkable,” said Austwick. “I have a lot of admiration and respect for [Ashoff]. It brought tears to my eyes that someone recognized that it’s not all about winning.”

The two-and-1/2-inch gift, hung from a red-white-and-blue ribbon, was presented at midfield, where Ashoff’s voice echoed off a nearby apartment building into the teary-eyed crowd.

“It was pretty emotional,” said Ashoff. “It was one of those moments. [They] had a hard time, and for once, someone realized it.”

Despite his team’s winless recordAustwick still paced the sidelines wearing his cheek-to-cheek smile. A smile that told his boys to forget about their record, forget about what opposing teams thought, and forget about the post season they would never see.

His team still came prepared with cleats, kneepads and their laughter. They showed up every Saturday for 14 weeks, even if it was to get blown away every time.

The weekly routine of passing and trapping drills during practices and games kept on like a clock, even though their offense scored five goals all season.

Somehow, they still loved the game.

“At times they would get discouraged,” said Austwick. “But they were always in good spirits. At practices, they were always making each other laugh. They are full of energy, and life is so simple for them.

“[I] might have had a bad day, but being with them made me feel like a kid again.”

Ashoff, whose team occasionally shared a practice field with the Blue Barracudas, noticed. And that’s when he got the inspiration for the sportsmanship awards.

“Andy was doing a great job,” said Ashoff. “He brought his kids back every single week, and those kids always came out to play. That takes a lot. It’s easy to bring back a winning team, but [Andy] showed the true essence of sportsmanship.”

Not only did Ashoff affect the Barracudas, he showed his own team what a true athlete isthe ones who do it because they love it.

“I accidentally teased someone last year, and coach taught us to take away the teasing,” said Sammy Picou, a member of the Blue Thunder. “It was pretty cool because I made new friends.”

“They all knew they were still important to the team -- gifted or not gifted,” said Leah Picou, Sammy’s mother. “[Ashoff] spoke tons to my son.”

Blue Thunder team member Kevin Fults said he also took away an invaluable sense of team spirit throughout the season, especially after the medal presentation.

“They thought it was really cool to put a medal on boys their own age,” said Vicky Fults, Kevin’s mother. “They didn’t verbalize it, but we could tell, because they weren’t acting silly. They got quiet and serious and seemed very interested.”

Just as Ashoff left his team with more than just soccer moves, Austwick instilled his team with a sense of self -- a lesson they’ll remember far longer than they’ll remember how many points they gave up in each game.

“If you don’t experience a loss, you don’t appreciate the win,” Austwick said. “I tried to teach these boys to never give up. Even when coaches or parents give up on you, you can never give up on yourself.”

At the conclusion of the Blue Thunder’s season, the players didn’t go the traditional route of getting Ashoff a generic gift. Instead, they wrote notes to Ashoff, thanking him for “teaching them to never give up,” and for the lessons they learned throughout the season.

“My hope was, and I know they took this away, that it’s not always about winning,” Ashoff said. “You just have to show these kids the way, and hopefully they’ll follow. It’s going to set up their core.

“It doesn’t get any better than that.”20051219irq499ncKENT TREPTOW / DAILY PILOT(LA)The Blue Thunder soccer team, in the back row, left to right, are Kevin Fults, Tyler Ashoff, Giovanni Gentosi and Andrew Larsen. In the front row, from left to right, are Nick Willard, Julius Herzlinger, Ryan Naddy and Sammy Picou.