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Being there was what mattered the most

Though Palm Harbor University's girls soccer team lost its bid for the Class 5A state title in Fort Lauderdale, schoolmates made sure they did it with friends around.

By KEITH NIEBUHR
Published February 21, 2005

FORT LAUDERDALE - One by one they entered the main seating section at Lockhart Stadium on Saturday night, each decked out in Palm Harbor University's school colors. Some wore blue T-shirts. Others wore burgundy ones. A few didn't wear any shirts, choosing instead to write words of encouragement on their chests. One proudly displayed a silver wig.

They were here to support the team.

As Palm Harbor U. played for the girls soccer Class 5A state title against nationally ranked Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas, this group of 15 students, among the 50 or so Hurricane fans in attendance, were loud and proud from the moment they arrived to the second they left after their team's 3-0 defeat.

"They play better with us here," sophomore Levi Curnutte said.

Getting to the final wasn't easy for the team or simple for its fans. The drive takes four to five hours. Finding a hotel was another story. A well-attended boat show in Miami Beach had rooms booked for miles.

But to this devoted legion, it was worth it.

"We are their catalyst," senior Alex Athanasopoulos said, joking.

The band of 15, which included eight members of the school's boys soccer squad, crammed into three cars: a conversion van, a Lexus sedan and a Honda Civic.

"My parents said I could drive as long as I didn't use their cars," junior Tony Cervio said.

Most parents offered advice. Or rather, warnings:

Don't cause any accidents.

Don't drink alcohol.

Don't get into trouble.

Most of the students said they had little trouble getting permission from parents to make the trip. But senior Danny Peterson had to work his mom and pop pretty good.

"They never let me do anything," he said.

Not surprisingly, the group took part in the kind of mild high jinks one might expect. Besides playing poker, listening to Bob Marley and sending text messages to friends, they honked at strangers and made prank phone calls to random numbers.

They left Palm Harbor at 2 p.m., choosing to take Interstate 75 south and across the famed Alligator Alley. They claimed to have seen two men standing along the highway "in the middle of nowhere," which struck them as odd. Later, a passenger in another car gave them the bird, they say, for "no reason."

Jen Cole, a senior, was the only girl in the group.

The guys, she said, were well-behaved.

"I love them," Cole said.

During the game, they never quieted down, even after the team fell behind.

With the Hurricanes down 2-0, students from St. Thomas Aquinas moved to a section behind the Palm Harbor clan. The usual good-natured barbs began to fly. After the game, with players doing their best to fight back tears, most of Palm Harbor University's fans greeted the girls near a fence at the southern end of the field.

"It was awesome to have them here," said junior Annie Stalzer, one the team's stars. "It's nice to have friends support you."

As the players exited the field, the fans went to their cars.

The group of 15 was headed to a local Comfort Inn.

They weren't sure what they would do before going to bed. But they promised to stay out of trouble.

[Last modified February 21, 2005, 01:32:19]