Community

SUMMER SOCCER CAMPS A SUCCESS

The Baton Rouge Capitals thank all who attended camp this summer. We had a great time and were glad to have spread the joy of soccer. The pictures below give an idea of all the fun we had. A special thank you to Powerade for keeping everyone cool and hydrated!

The Soccer Referee’s Association of Baton Rouge will conduct two clinics for those interested in becoming a soccer referee in early August.  The clinics will be on two different weekends in order to accommodate differing schedules.

The first clinic will be on the weekend August 9, and the second on the weekend August 16.

More information contact: Jim Lavigne, Director of Training - Soccer Referee's Association of Baton Rouge - 18508 Belle Alliance Rd, Prairieville, LA 70769 - tel (225) 622-5610 - email: lather@eatel.net

 

CHARITY CUP FOR CYSTIC FIBROSIS

Want to play against the Capitals? Do you have it in you? 

Here is your opportunity and help out a great cause as well. Saturday, July 19th under the lights at Olympia Stadium, you can play against the Capitals in front of a large crowd of spectators.  

The game will be recorded by Cox Channel  and a highlight show will replay the events on Channel 4.

Participants will receive a team picture and the actual game jersey that the Capitals have used during the season.  

HOW DO I SIGN UP?

Each participant needs to raise a minimum of $250 from their friends, co-workers or employers to the CF Foundation (tax deductible).

You can reserve your spot by placing a $100 non-refundable deposit with the CF Foundation at 769-9994 or by emailing: eachberger@cff.org.

Credit cards are accepted or mail a check to: CF Foundation - 9141 Interline, Suite 4-A - Baton Rouge, La 70809 

The entire donation of at least $250 must be made by Friday, July 11th .  Please make sure to provide the CF Foundation with all of your contact information, and if a business is sending in a check on your behalf, that they place your name in the memo line. There will be a total of 20 field players and 2 keepers (the keeper spots have been taken), so don’t wait and respond now!

Tell your family and friends about the event as it is free and open to the public…kick off is at 7:00 p.m.

The Capitals and the CF Foundation, appreciate your involvement in helping save young children from this disease.

 

The Baton Rouge Capitals are very committed to “giving back” to the community, and making the decision on how to do so properly, was easy.  The Capitals chose the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation as their charity of choice to support throughout the season and during the year.

The Capitals are very proud of this commitment and want their fans to know just how important it is to provide support to those who are in real need.  That is why the Capitals have imprinted on all of their season passes and game-day tickets, “Proud sponsors of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation”.

The inaugural Capitals Cup for Cystic Fibrosis was held on July 21, 2007 at Olympia Stadium – home of the Capitals.  Twenty three ex-players, businessmen, physicians and coaches, raised a minimum of $250 each to participate in this event.

They were playfully named the Futbol Dream Team, which played against the Capitals in a real match, using the Capitals’ “away uniforms”, with referees, under the lights of the stadium and with guest announcers that kept the over 400 in attendance laughing throughout the night.

At the end of the match, the Dream Team players got to keep the Capitals’ real game-day jerseys that they got to wear for this game.  Along with an 8 x 10 photograph of the Dream Team, many decided that they would frame these together for posterity sake.

Several players have inquired about participating in next year’s Charity Cup, and after having to turn a few away this year, contact owner James S. Vilas  quickly after the event date is announced.

We appreciate all of those in attendance who contributed to the event which raised around $7,000 for research and development to help cure this terrible genetic disease.

If you want to find a charity to help and want to make sure that the charity is well established, and that donations are used for its primary purpose, then check out Smart Money Magazine’s rankings – where the CFF has been in the top three for over the past five years.

Miguel Vilas – Not your average 9 year old (with or without CF)

Miguel doesn't let CF slow him down on the soccer field.

Miguel was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at 3½ months, after spending about one month in the hospital, including 11 days in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and being on a ventilator for three of those days.

This wasn’t exactly the storybook beginning of a child who has excelled at so many sports by the age of 9.

“He has been playing soccer since he was able to walk,” says his dad and his former coach James. “Miguel took to soccer very easily and was considered as one of the best in his age group from 4 years of age up till now.”

His father took him to Spain last summer to be in a professional team’s soccer camp to train. At camp Miguel realized that there is a lot of competition around, even in younger age groups.

Miguel recently made the Baton Rouge Soccer Club’s Under 11 Premier team where over 60 boys tried out and only 15 were selected for this team. His coach, Gary Buete, was recently quoted in the August edition of 225 Magazine as saying that Miguel was one of the two or three strongest players in his age group in the Baton Rouge area, and that he doesn’t see any effects of CF in his training or in games.

It hasn’t been all smooth sailing though. Miguel has cultured twice for Pseudomonas, but has eradicated it both times by using TOBI and Cipro. He continues to be well within his proper body mass index (BMI) at each visit to the CF clinic at Tulane Hospital by doing his breathing treatments as needed, but is not on any regularly scheduled chest physiotherapy at this time. He has had bouts where he has been ill for several months at a time and has recently developed allergies.

Miguel achieved the President’s Award in Fitness by the end of his third grade year. Only 8 percent of all children throughout the United States achieve this award for fitness. It has several components of running, sit-ups, and pull-ups to name a few. This was his first year to achieve this award and has received the National Fitness Award in all previous years.

Baton Rouge Capitals (in black) and the Dream Team (in red).
During last year’s basketball season, Miguel was his team’s leading scorer and in one game he scored 12 of the team’s 16 points for another win. He loves the fast pace of the game. “Basketball is one of my favorite sports,” said Miguel who is now a fourth grader at The Dunham School in Baton Rouge.
He has recently developed the need to wear glasses. “We noticed that he wasn’t making shots that he easily made last season, and sure enough, he needed glasses,” said his father.

Before the summer began, Miguel played short stop again for his machine pitch baseball team. He enjoys playing short stop and has a very good arm. Miguel says that they lost only one game this past season by two runs, but when they played that team again, Miguel’s team beat them – “really bad.”
Miguel’s parents say they also provide Miguel with a lot of vitamin supplements, much more so than just ADEK. His mother is a registered nurse and his father researched what supplements would be most beneficial for anyone, but especially someone with CF.

“We really believe that supplementing Miguel has made a difference in his good health, and of course prayer – a lot of prayers,” said his parents. Exercise has been found to be very beneficial to those with CF in helping to loosen up the phlegm. “We feel that his staying active has also benefited him, plus he is developing a lot of self confidence.”

Miguel turned 10 at the end of October, and has begun to really enjoy something that is not “sports related” – fishing. He now loves going fishing and is looking forward to his first ever deep-sea fishing trip. He asked his father for a trip for his birthday, but with his soccer schedule, they are having a hard time finding a good date (including going to the “Fish for a Cure” Rodeo this past October). But Miguel knows that it won’t be too long until he is pulling in some really big fish! Maybe he’ll become a top rated angler as well. Good Luck Miguel!

Check here often where more Community Events will be posted during the year.

List of players on the Dream Team:

Helio D’Anna - Head Coach, Capitals
Adan Rivera
Brandon Smith
Chris Henning
Gary Buete-General Manager, Capitals
Larry Chambless
Alex Hamilton-Director of Interns, Capitals
Dr. Curtis Chastain
Faruk Brahimi
Dr. George Jiha
Greg Corbett
James Vilas-Owner, Capitals
Miguel Vilas-Owner’s son w/CF
Jason Decuir
Jay Martinez
Dr. Michael Castine
Mike Balluff
Richard Bankston
Rick Tharp
Sean McKisson
Sergio Molieri
Tom Guarusco
Will Stickle

Photos: