| Press |
They play hard in memory of coach
Soccer benefit honors late mentor by raising funds for Parsippany kids' scholarships |
By Rob Seman,
Daily Record, Morris County's Newspaper
August 9, 2003
PARSIPPANY -- The mud and sweat that stained the soccer players on Green Acres Field on Saturday afternoon bore testament to what most of them had learned from the late Tom Ladas, who coached most of them in their youth.
"He wanted us to play hard, but at the same time made it enjoyable," said Seth Korman, who played for Ladas on the Parsippany Pride soccer team in 1976.
"I really took this serious," said Ladas' son, Stephen. "That perfectionist he was, he instilled that in me."
The event would have made Ladas proud, Stephen said -- not only because the men played down and dirty in the mud, but also because of the purpose of the event -- to support education.
This first three-on-three soccer tournament was held to raise money for scholarships for seniors at Parsippany and Parsippany Hills high schools. Proceeds were raised through a $100 fee for each player, as well as through the sale of food, drinks and T-shirts.
The tournament, to become an annual event, is among the efforts of the Tom Ladas Fund, created by Ladas' five children in memory of the soccer coach and local champion of education who died in 2001 after a brief battle with cancer.
Fourteen three-member teams in men's, girls and high school boys divisions played 25-minute games with no goalies.
Many of the teams included former members of teams Ladas had coached and their friends.
The winners of the event were to be awarded tickets for the New York-New Jersey MetroStars soccer team, plaques and a $25 gift certificate to Balloons by Robbie, of Parsippany.
The charity raised $2,000 with the event and hopes to raise more. This past school year, $1,000 raised through donations was given to a student in each high school by the charity.
Ladas moved to Parsippany when he immigrated to the United States from Greece at age 19. Ladas, who brought his love of soccer from his homeland, became president of the Parsippany Soccer Club, coaching various traveling teams.
"He grew up in Greece and played it there," Ladas' son, Andrew, said.
"We were a soccer family, so this was really fitting," said his daughter, Christine.
Ladas also had a great interest in education and was founder and president of the Parsippany Education Foundation, a nonprofit organization that helps to provide opportunities for students in the Parsippany School District.
Ladas, an employee of the Pfizer pharmaceutical company, was also founder of the company's Education Initiative, a corporate philanthropy program developed in 1990 to cultivate students in science, technology and engineering.
"The whole reason we're doing this is (that) education was so important to him, so we're giving back to that," Korman said.
"It's keeping alive what's important to him," said Dave Napeloni, another player.
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