Havoc IV on the horizon

With some 48 hours left before Havoc IV begins, Costa Mesa’s Kirk

McIntosh appears to have it all together, and perhaps dealing with

five daughters has been a good thing for a man in his position.

It gave him a good head start on the experience one needs to cope

with the ups and downs as the maestro of the Pilot Cup.

On Wednesday the Pilot Cup, with nearly 100 teams representing

some 23 schools within the Newport-Mesa area, about 1,200 youngsters in all, take to the soccer fields for the single-elimination

tournament for third- and fourth-grade boys and girls, and fifth- and

sixth-grade boys and girls, with the finals on Sunday.

Massive is an understatement.

But McIntosh continues undaunted in his role of commissioner and

coach, referee and schedule maker, officials director and assignor,

spokesman and director, janitor and fields supervisor. Insurance and

field reservations were taken care of in January.

He started this endeavor after seeing the longtime Lions Cup die

and remain dormant for two or three years.

He’s done it by simply furnishing a team T-shirt for $5 per player

and relying on donations, cash and services. And, convincing the

one-time Pilot newsroom punch of Bill Lobdell and Steve Marble it

would be a good thing to sponsor.

I can recall my reaction to having it thrust into the middle of

sports pages, but the negatives really were a matter of timing with

little thought paid to organization going in.

It would not take a lot of time, however, to realize the

positives, from grateful parents to the anticipation and performances

of the younger set. In three short years the Pilot Cup has grown into

a major endeavor for the Pilot’s sports coverage.

Seeking repeat championships this year will be Rea’s boys in both

divisions, Kaiser’s 5-6 girls and Andersen’s 3-4 girls.

Virtually every public grammar school in Corona del Mar and

Newport Beach, Costa Mesa’s Eastside and private schools, such as

Carden Hall, Harbor Day, Mariners Christian, Our Lady Queen of

Angels, St. John The Baptist, St. Joaquim’s and Prince of Peace.

In addition, Costa Mesa’s Westside powerhouse, Rea, will be in the

hunt, among others.

Rea sends just one team in each category, and probably could send

10 teams in each, but logistics (coaches, for starters) dictate the

circumstances.

The sheer volume of first-round matches remains the biggest hurdle

and McIntosh is hopeful each school will supply a referee with each

entry, at least for the first two rounds.

Interest is at an all-time high around the Newport-Mesa stomping

grounds, but there are still holes which are hard to fill.

“We’ve tried to connect with Whittier, Wilson, Pomona, and

Victoria (and others),” said McIntosh, “it just takes a couple of

adults at each school to get it done.”

The Westside remains a quandary with no answer at this point.

While the goal of 100% participation may never be realized, it really

is a tournament that a lot of youngsters can fill a page in their

scrapbook and recall with fondness as time goes by.

McIntosh, a longtime AYSO coach, has coached his Kaiser Elementary

girls to two championships and a runner-up finish in the past three

years. Kaiser, alone, sends 10 teams to the tournament, three in each

5-6 classification and two in each 3-4 division.

How long can McIntosh guide the ship? Well, he has a daughter in

the third grade, which means at least three more years at the helm.

After that, perhaps Kaiser’s principal, Stacy Holmes, will draft

him for another two or three-year reign. We’ll see.

Besides, McIntosh is still in a skipping-along mode after that

chaotic start, although it’s not all roses. Some still tell him to

take a hike. Others are very supportive. Even at this late stage

McIntosh Inc. needs help, especially in the area of AYSO referees,

and a hotline at Kaiser Elementary (515-6595) awaits.

If you get a chance, wander over to the Farm Complex, just north

of Costa Mesa High and across from Orange Coast College on Fairview

Ave., and let the teams know just how important they are to us. Young

people are very impressionable.

Two things of which I’m sure: (1) it’s a nice change of pace; (2)

you’ll surely wish something like this was available when you were a

third-grader.