60 Registered With Eastern New York to Celebrate Their Unique Leap Day Birthday
There’s a wonderful democracy and equality to birthdays. After all, no matter how rich or poor you might be, no matter how many friends you may have, your birthday comes once a year and it’s your one day to have your moment in the sun.
Unless you were born on February 29, which comes around just once every four years, including in 2016.
The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is so large, with over 100,000 players and tens of thousands of volunteers from the East End of Long Island to the Canadian border, that 60 people registered with Eastern New York will celebrate their unique Leap Day birthday next week.
This is in contrast to the list of famous people with Leap Day birthdays, which is pretty short and includes Pope Paul III (born in 1468), composer Gioachino Rossini (1792), Dinah Shore (1916) and motivational speaker Tony Robbins (1960).
Six of our Eastern New York players were born on February 29, 2000 so these “leaplings” will be 16 years old. 14 of our players were born on February 29, 2004 so they will turn 12 years old. 30 of our players were born on Leap Day in 2008 so they turn eight years old this month. And six of our players were born on February 29, 2012, so they will be all of four years old.
Not as many adults registered with Eastern New York celebrate Leap Day birthdays as one referee and three coaches have their big day once every four years. So we asked Joel Kleinberg, coach of the Boys-Under-10 Stony Brook Benfica of the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL), for his thoughts on having such a rare birthday. Joel grew up playing in the LIJSL for the Stony Brook Soccer Club and he is giving back to the game by coaching in his youth club. As he’s in his twenties, he’s that extremely rare youth soccer coach whose birthday has not come around as much as any of the boys on his team!
“I think that my Leap Day birthday is very unique and gives me a chance to really celebrate and enjoy it when February 29 actually comes around,” explained Coach Kleinberg. “I’m planning on going to New York City with my friends to celebrate.”
For the non-Leap Years, he celebrates his birthday on March 1 instead of February 28.
“I don’t like to celebrate it on February 28 because it isn’t really my birthday yet and at least by March 1, it has passed,” he stated.
Leap Day celebrants also have a unique status on Facebook, which has no problems notifying friends in Leap Years but has issues with the years when February 29 does not come around. Coach Kleinberg stated, “In those years, Facebook says on February 28 that your birthday is tomorrow, but then does not acknowledge it on March 1.”
Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association: With over 100,000 youth soccer players–both boys and girls–and more than 25,000 volunteers, the non-profit Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 11 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators.
All levels of soccer are offered–from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Special Children. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association.
