By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
August 21, 2013-Congratulations to Emma Bodeker, who just received the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association’s (ENYYSA) Jack Bauman Scholarship. Emma will be studying and playing soccer at the College of St. Rose.
The Warwick resident competed for Manhattan United of the Westchester Youth Soccer League (WYSL) after previously playing for the Warwick Extreme and Washingtonville SPA Storm, both of the East Hudson Youth Soccer League (EHYSL). She has also played for ENYYSA’s Olympic Development Program for the past two years.
In the State Under-23 Finals last month in LaGrange, Emma scored a goal to help lead the Manhattan Pride to a 5-1 win over the LaGrange Hawks.
Emma has refereed, volunteered as a coach and organized Konbit Cleats for Haiti plus was honored as Student/Athlete of the Week at Warwick High School last November.
Emma wrote in her essay, "I entered Warwick High School out of St. Stephen’s knowing only a few people. The transition from nine years of Catholic School to Public School created a completely different environment for me, but the best advice I received was to try out for a sport. Playing a sport helps people introduce themselves to others indirectly and makes it easier to develop friendships…After a long, terrifying wait, the coach finally told me that I made the JV soccer team."
The scholarship’s namesake, Jack Bauman, is considered the father of women’s soccer on Long Island. Bauman was devoted to the Massapequa Soccer Club, ENYYSA and making sure that girls had as many opportunities to play soccer as boys did in an era when girls playing sports was not as accepted as it is today.
With 123,843 youth soccer players––68,587 boys and 55,256 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 12 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. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.