It is a strange set of circumstances that has led to this post. As spouses , as parents, as siblings and as friends we have an unspoken duty to inspire those around us. However it is sometimes the act of a stranger , outside the sphere of our tight circles, that generates change.
Back in ’82 I became very smitten with the round ball. It was a courtship that began years before ’82 but it was a single incident perpetrated by the generosity of spirit of one professional athlete that set the course for a mad love affair that keeps burning to this day.
Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame inductee Tony Chursky, a veteran NASL goalkeeper who plied his trade in Seattle, California, Chicago and Toronto, was the facilitator of my obsession. Back in ’82 he responded to my request for information about purchasing a goalkeeper jersey in the GTA. Not only did the former Canadian International send me one of his own jerseys but the the card that accompanied the package was most inspiring. It depicted a cartoon character chasing a rainbow with a net with message scribbled inside: ” always chase your dreams.”
After a rather insignificant goalkeeping career that saw me toil with several mens teams throughout Hogtown and the Garden City I turned my attention to writing about the game. I have enjoyed spinning a few tales about soccer/ football/ futebol / fusball / calcio from Halifax Happy Valley and many places in between. I was even fortunate enough to have some of my scribbling featured at Football Expo in Cannes, France.
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Tony Chursky is now coaching soccer and teaching English in Washington State. My bucket list (don’t fret I’m not leaving) has always been to contact him – albeit 30 years late.
