Terry Wilson has been gone for almost two years now. His impact continues to be felt.
Wilson was a teacher and administrator in the Catholic school system in Prince George and Quesnel. True to his Irish roots, he was also passionate about soccer. He died from brain cancer on June 19, 2010, at the age of 47.
On Friday June 1, the second annual Terry Wilson Memorial Cup Soccer Tournament will be on the grass at Rotary Fields. The one-day event will feature teams from local and regional Catholic schools and will share with the players some of the values Wilson held most dear.
"This is about having fun and it's about teamwork because Terry Wilson was all about the team, both in soccer and in his environment as a principal," said tournament organizer Terry Murphy, who considered Wilson one of his best friends. "His staff was always his team. He always said, 'Together, everybody achieves more.' T-E-A-M. That was his big thing and we emphasized that to the kids last year."
Three Prince George schools -- Immaculate Conception, St. Mary's and Sacred Heart -- will be represented at the tournament. They will be joined by Saint Ann's of Quesnel and Notre Dame of Dawson Creek. Each school will have multiple co-ed teams participating, for a total of 12. The players, seven per side, will be in Grade 6 and 7.
Notre Dame is a new entry this year and that pleases Murphy.
"Terry would have wanted that -- he would have wanted us to try and spread our net to get more of the Catholic schools involved," Murphy said. "Having Dawson Creek come down is going to be great. They're going to make it a two-night affair so it's going to be a real field trip for the kids. They're really excited and it's just going to add a whole new dimension to the tournament."
The opening games are scheduled for 9 a.m. and the championship final will start at 1:45 p.m. Each game will be played on a mini field and will last 25 minutes. Last year, a team from Saint Ann's took home the trophy, an impressive old mug donated by Prince George's Vince Buljevic.
