Hauppauge Boys and Girls Varsity Soccer played in their annual Kicks for Cancer games on Friday at 4 and 6 p.m. versus East Islip and Wyandanch, respectively.
As is always the case, the score played second-fiddle to the true victory attained on this day: a community’s outpouring to support one of their own and a great cause.
Kicks for Cancer began at Hauppauge High School in 2008 to honor Courtney Tomkin.
Sports have a way of unifying people through the grief of loss. Various schools across Long Island have since adopted their own “Kicks for Cancer” events, with entire communities following Hauppauge’s lead in coming together to kick cancer’s behind— metaphorically speaking.
Tomkin’s beauty, charm and tenacity captivated all those who interacted with her.
Suddenly, Tomkin’s world changed in March of 2008 when she was diagnosed with brain cancer. She was a Junior in high school at the time.
“Courtney and her sister walked me to the cafeteria and in that moment she had told me she had brain cancer, that was pretty much it from that standpoint,” said Hauppauge ‘09 alum and former Varsity Girls Soccer Goalkeeper, Alexis Gonzalez. “She was fighting that and I didn’t understand how severe it was at the moment.”
Gonzalez said she thought to herself, “we’re gonna do something. We have to do something.” She immediately went to the person she confided in most, her coach, Jesseca Kulesa.
“It all started in the summer of 2008. Courtney was just recently diagnosed,” said Hauppauge ‘97 alum, Jesseca Kulesa, who has also been the Girls Varsity Coach for the past 16 seasons. “Alexis had come to me, and she said she wanted to help out their family because she was very close with Courtney. This was right around the time where professional teams did pink games, and I thought it would be pretty cool if our team did that. Those two ideas came together during our conversation.”
Thus, “Kicks for Cancer” was born.
The Hauppauge School District celebrated their first Kicks for Cancer on October 2, 2008. The school raised thousands of dollars through donations. To their surprise, the turnout was better than expected and they were overwhelmed with support for the high school senior. Over $35,000 was raised through the sale of T-shirts, bracelets and other merchandise.
“That was the first year and it was nice because she was there to experience it. We hold that close to our hearts because she was able to see how people, and how her community supported her,” Gonzalez said. “I took that to heart because a lot of people don’t always follow through and we didn’t say we’d do something, we actually did it, and she was able to see that.”
Nearly 2 months later, Tomkin lost her battle to cancer on December 13. She was 17 years old.
“That fall, she ran out onto the field facing an uphill battle. You wouldn’t have guessed by the big smile on her face as she greeted her teammates in the middle of the field. It was the day her friends and this community stood by her side and developed ‘Kicks for Cancer,’” said Tomkin’s father, Daryl, back in 2008.
“Courtney was like a big sister to me. She moved into town and immediately filled our lives with joy during a time when we really needed it,” said Messenger Papers Editor-in-Chief, Michael J. Reistetter, also brother of Courtney’s boyfriend, Matt. “She did that for my family and this town— both when she was alive, and even more impressively, has managed to still do so in death.”
“Life is too short to try and go at it alone when you’ve got forever friends like Court still watching out for you from afar,” Reistetter added.
This year’s Kicks for Cancer games, played on the same field where the event first got kickstarted all those years ago, were both resounding successes. Donation proceeds will head towards finding a cure for cancer. Some of the organizations included the American Cancer Society, American Lung Association, Making Headway Foundation and Make-a-Wish. Funds raised by the event are also assigned to the “Courtney Tomkin Scholarship,” which financially helps Hauppauge students in need.
The COVID-19 pandemic placed a halt on Kicks for Cancer for a couple of years making this year a special one.
“Since COVID, this was the first one that felt normal, it felt like nothing had changed,” Kulesa said. “There were a ton of people present and we were all so lucky enough to have the fireworks, because the weather on homecoming wasn’t great. They postponed the fireworks and used them for Kicks for Cancer which was pretty awesome.”
The years may go on, but the memories never fade. Kicks for Cancer is here to stay.
The Messenger sends its sincerest thoughts and condolences to those who knew and loved Courtney, and to all of those who have lost a loved one far too soon due to cancer.
To make a donation today, visit donate3.cancer.org. Any amount will go a long way.
