| You wonder how some things make grandparents so proud of their children and grandchildren. Not much is written about youth soccer in Springfield and I don't quite understand why. When you attend the games and see the crowd that come to watch them play and cheer them on you will want to spread the news about this sport. I am writing to tell everyone about the Brookside Panthers who just won the Pioneer Valley Junior Soccer Championship. I have two granddaughters who play on the Panthers and I can't be more proud of the Panthers and their coaches, Caren and Doug Senecal. It's not they just won the championship in their first year in the PVJS league but they also went undefeated. This is the third straight year that the Brookside Panthers have won championships (two with the Springfield Soccer League and now with the PVJS league) and in all three years they have gone undefeated. What makes me so proud of the Brookside Panthers is my granddaughter Rachel Brown, who scored the winning goal in the final, has led the leagues each year in scoring and my granddaughter Sarah Brown who has been the winning goalie in each PVJS game, where she had seven shut outs in 12 games and another shut out in the final playoff. All the credit must go to the whole Brookside Panthers team for this truly remarkable record (three straight undefeated championships) but I can't help my braggart attitude about my granddaughters, Rachel and Sarah Brown. I never see any local media at any games. They attend many other youth events, baseball, football, golf, etc. Look at the surrounding towns and city and see how they cover their soccer games, also their playing fields, and you have to appreciate their conviction to youth soccer. It's only through good coaching and true desire that makes these Brookside Panthers so outstanding. No wonder all of the families of the Panthers are so enraptured of their young ones. Congratulations to all of the members of the Brookside Panthers but I must say I am so elated by the grand exploits of my granddaughters Rachel and Sarah Brown. Thank you for allowing me to be so braggadocio for it gives me this opportunity as a grandfather to be intensely proud. By the way they are the daughters of Kevin and Dawn Brown. Robert W. Brown Springfield |
