For this edition of Connecting the Dots, we need to go back about two years ago. I received a call from  Linda Keenhan Connor '60 about starting work on their class reunion.  Linda is the sister of Sr. Judi '59, and also happens to be the mother of one of my classmates and friends, Rick Conner '82.  I thought it would be great to see her and help her plan the reunion.  She informed me that the Class of '60 had a very strong committee to help with the reunion, and they wanted to meet at McNick once a month to plan the reunion.  I like the opportunities like that because you get to build relationships.  At these meetings, I met Bob Guenther and Tom Hay who were in charge of putting the class golf outing together.  After many meetings, they asked me if I would like to play in their outing. Again, this is the kind of thing I love.  Since I was not a member of the Class of '60, I was put on the other team.  This team consisted of Norb Doran '59, brother of Corky '60, and Norbs' classmate Tom Eichhorn '59. (Forever to be known as the guy with the bear story!) The three of us set off to play golf and tell Rocket stories the entire day.  While we were playing golf, Norb asked me if I would like to join this group and play golf every Monday. He thought it would help me with my job, if I got to know some of the earliest Rockets.  Never one to miss out of playing golf and listening to great stories, I was adopted as the newest member of the golf group.  So with the start of good weather, this band of around 20 Rockets go out to seek adventure on courses all over the city. The golf group started after the Class of '60 held its 45-year reunion back in 2005.  The group originally started out with about 8 members of the class, it has grown to over 20 guys.  According to Norb, "we would be talking about it at the sports stag, and the next thing you know, we have added other players" The day usually starts around 8 am with breakfast. The closest Frisch's is usually the starting point, but I think the group likes Country Inn best.  I've never seen anyone look at a menu, and the waitress usually reminds them what they are getting this week. It must be like Cheers!  They have even gone so far as to schedule golf weekends at Woodson Bend and Perry Park.  Even in the off-season, they will still get together for breakfast.  They tell stories about the past, keep everyone up on the health of their classmates, and try to figure out why Tom Hay is not in the Hall of Fame.  (According to Tom, his records are under-appreciated.) It is very easy to see that these guys like playing golf, but more importantly is how much they love keeping in touch and having a good time. They have helped me tremendously to understand and appreciate what it means to be part of the Rocket family.

Sponsorship opportunities have been created for east-side, soccer-loving businesses to consider for this year, or future years.  We have attached an outline of our 2016 program. If you are interested in learning more about these opportunities, please do not hesitate to contact us.  We are confident that your contribution will yield significant benefits, not only for your business but also to the hundreds of young men that will participate in the McNicholas soccer program.

For questions or more information, please contact the following soccer parents: