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Local soccer tournament raises $6,000 to improve playgrounds

Bailey Vanarman has played in many soccer games, but as a senior at Plattsburgh High School, not many would expect to see him already running his own tournament. “I’ve been doing soccer tournaments like this since I was young,” Vanarman said. “To be able to host one is a whole different feeling.” It was a process, but Bailey and his mom Krista were able to bring in multiple teams between the ages of 8-18 years old across northern New York to Melissa Penfield Park to play some soccer. “To me, the best thing about it was how I was able to get this many people to come out,” Bailey said. “And throw something together like this with just two months of planning and still be successful.” It had a similar style to Plattsburgh’s annual Tri-Rec Shootout, a 3-on-3 tournament with no goalies. It also raised money for a good cause, where $6,000 will be donated to improve playground equipment in the city. It’s something that Bailey hopes will help the next generation of kids. “Being a child who grew up with poor eyesight and poor hearing, I thought that the playground equipment doesn’t have as much attention as people would like it to be,” Bailey said. “I thought it would be a nice way to give out to the children for the early years of their lives.” Bailey plans to host a basketball tournament in the spring to raise more money. It’s all a part of Plattsburgh High School’s national honor society (NHS), where each member in the program must complete their own community service project during their senior year. “I definitely wanted to raise the bar in terms of what I could do to give out to the community,” Bailey said. “I kind of just wanted to set the bar high for all my other NHS members.” Bailey explained that he couldn’t put on this tournament without some help. He listed several businesses that provided contributions such as Adirondack Tails, Arnie’s Restaurant and Warren’s Tires. However, he could not forget to share his gratitude to his mom for everything she did to support him. “One person I really got to thank is my mom,” Bailey said. “She was really able to help get together the teams, she knows a lot of the businesses, she got gift certificates for gift baskets… the donations from the business and the kids and the parents that paid $125 to be a part of this tournament, I would not have been able to do this myself if I tried again.” Krista has seen Bailey play in countless soccer events throughout raising him, but to see him organize his own tournament is a special moment for her to see. “It just comes full circle,” Krista said. “Everyone in this community rallies together for a good cause and he (Bailey) wants to come back here and live here because he loves this community, and I can see why because everyone is so great.” His friends also had his back, wanting to get involved with the tournament as soon as they heard about it. “Bailey is one of my really good friends,” said Grace McCasaland, a sophomore from Plattsburgh High School. “He reached out to me and asked if I could play and put in a team to help him raise money, and I was like ‘of course I would!'” Bailey finished the day hosting and playing in his own tournament. He’s simply thankful for everyone who came out to play, watch and support everything that he worked on. “People came for you, to help you,” Bailey said. “It feels nice that other people are willing to help out.”

Bailey Vanarman has played in many soccer games, but as a senior at Plattsburgh High School, not many would expect to see him already running his own tournament.

“I’ve been doing soccer tournaments like this since I was young,” Vanarman said. “To be able to host one is a whole different feeling.”

It was a process, but Bailey and his mom Krista were able to bring multiple teams between the ages of 8-18 years old across northern New York to Melissa Penfield Park to play some soccer.

“To me, the best thing about it was how I was able to get this many people to come out,” Bailey said. “And throw something together like this with just two months of planning and still be successful.”

It had a similar style to Plattsburgh’s annual Tri-Rec Shootout, a 3-on-3 tournament with no goalies. It also raised money for a good cause, where $6,000 will be donated to improve playground equipment in the city. It’s something that Bailey hopes will help the next generation of kids.

“Being a child who grew up with poor eyesight and poor hearing, I thought that the playground equipment doesn’t have as much attention as people would like it to be,” Bailey said. “I thought it would be a nice way to give out to the children for the early years of their lives.”

Bailey plans to host a basketball tournament in the spring to raise more money. It’s all a part of Plattsburgh High School’s national honor society (NHS), where each member in the program must complete their own community service project during their senior year.

“I definitely wanted to raise the bar in terms of what I could do to give out to the community,” Bailey said. “I kind of just wanted to set the bar high for all my other NHS members.”

Bailey explained that he couldn’t put on this tournament without some help. He listed several businesses that provided contributions such as Adirondack Tails, Arnie’s Restaurant and Warren’s Tires. However, he could not forget to share his gratitude to his mom for everything she did to support him.

“One person I really got to thank is my mom,” Bailey said. “She was really able to help get together the teams, she knows a lot of the businesses, she got gift certificates for gift baskets… the donations from the business and the kids and the parents that paid $125 to be a part of this tournament, I would not have been able to do this myself if I tried again.”

Krista has seen Bailey play in countless soccer events throughout raising him, but to see him organize his own tournament is a special moment for her to see.

“It just comes full circle,” Krista said. “Everyone in this community rallies together for a good cause and he (Bailey) wants to come back here and live here because he loves this community, and I can see why because everyone is so great.”

His friends also had his back, wanting to get involved with the tournament as soon as they heard about it.

“Bailey is one of my really good friends,” said Grace McCasaland, a sophomore from Plattsburgh High School. “He reached out to me and asked if I could play and put in a team to help him raise money, and I was like ‘of course I would!'”

Bailey finished the day hosting and playing in his own tournament. He’s simply thankful for everyone who came out to play, watch and support everything that he worked on.

“People came for you, to help you,” Bailey said. “It feels nice that other people are willing to help out.”

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