I read the article on soccer rivals Hailey Hoff of Hermantown and Emily Fleissner of Denfeld becoming friends after playing together for the Gitchi Gummi Soccer Club and couldn't help but smile. I have seen this type of friendship on the pitch after a high school game many times during the last 20 years.
The Gitchi Gummi Soccer Club offers one thing the other clubs in our area don't: open enrollment. Anyone from anywhere can sign up, try out and be placed on a competitive team based on individual skill level.
The club promotes soccer for all, not just athletes who live in a certain part of town or who will be attending a specific high school together. So I say congratulations to you Gitchi Gummi! You bring athletes from all areas across the Northland together and help build friendships that will last long after high school. Without even trying, your open enrollment policy is helping to promote social diversity and acceptance of others who may be different from our friends in the neighborhood where we live.
Jim Moore
Duluth
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The writer is a former coach, tournament director and president of Gitchi Gummi Soccer from the early 2000s.
