Mount Vernon Has Soccer Spirit in the East Hudson Youth Soccer League
Just like the multi-million dollar movie, Mount Vernon is to soccer what McFarland is to running. It is a great example of how individuals can step up and make a huge difference in youth sports. Former East Hudson Youth Soccer League President Ken Gulmi made a huge difference in the lives of these youth soccer players in Mt Vernon, New York.
Finding a field to play on and serving all the diverse corners of Mount Vernon have been two main challenges facing the Spirit of Mount Vernon Soccer Club since its founding in 2007. Ripton Cooke, Donovan Evans, Steve Lawrence and Curtis Walker co-founded the club as a non-profit organization when they put together an indoor soccer program at the Sports Underdome in the City of Mount Vernon.
Through their combined love of soccer and dedication to the youth of the Mount Vernon, the club has taught the values of hard work, commitment, teamwork and perseverance. Ripton became club President and the Spirit of Mount Vernon joined the East Hudson Youth Soccer League (EHYSL) with one team in 2009.
“We were formed as Mount Vernon FC was folding. They catered to only the top players in the city,” Ripton said. “We instead wanted to serve all the players in Mount Vernon.”
“Former East Hudson Youth Soccer League President Ken Gulmi was wonderful and remains wonderful to our players,” commented Ripton’s wife, Cheryl Lewis, who handles all communication with EHYSL.
60 players––mainly boys with a couple of girls scattered on the three boys teams––currently wear the red, white and blue of the Spirit of Mount Vernon. Other kids in the city are registered with neighboring clubs who also play in the EHYSL and Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) while other children and teens there play pick-up soccer only and are not on any formal teams. Since Mount Vernon has a population of 67,292 (according to the 2010 census) coming from 98 nations, the club has room for growth.
“With the right funding, we could work wonders because the kids in Mount Vernon have tremendous raw skill,” Ripton explained.
And these players are starting to get noticed. When the Yorktown Knights, who compete in EHYSL Division 1, needed players to fill out their roster last summer as some of their regulars were on vacation, they appealed to Ripton for help. So Nathan Cooke, Quinell Grant, Dondre Johnson, Drevarn Nembhard and Shamar Robinson played on the Knights last summer and acquitted themselves very well as the Knights were champs of two tournaments and finished second in a third tourney while outscoring their opponents 34 to 3.
In Westchester, despite a new turf field debuting seemingly every month, the Spirit of Mount Vernon has experienced field issues throughout its brief history and sometimes had to play all its games as the away team. Through Ripton’s appointment as assistant coach of the boys varsity team at Mount Vernon High School, the soccer club has been able to secure the use of their grass field. But the club, and not the city or school district, maintains it by cutting the grass and lining the field. Ripton continues to volunteer his time as club President and head coach despite his family having moved to Wappingers Falls, a whopping 60 miles from Mount Vernon.
So it’s not surprising, given all these challenges, that the Spirit of Mount Vernon names its teams after storms. The Boys-Under-10 Tsunami, Boys-Under-14 Hurricanes and Boys-Under-19 Thunder are all playing in the EHYSL this spring. There was a girls team too but those players graduated from high school.
“We have a handful of girls right now in our program and we hope to have another girls team in the future, in part to strengthen the program at Mount Vernon High School,” Cheryl added.
For more information or to register your child with the Spirit of Mount Vernon, please contact Cheryl at 914-548-6566.
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.
