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12/13/2023 03:43 PMWhen you think of local legends, you think of Tom Karasay. Within the town of Westbrook and the surrounding community, the Guilford resident is known as a man who has given his all to the sport of soccer for many years.
Tom has had quite the career on the soccer pitch at age 70. He began playing at age seven, and got involved with coaching this past fall for the Westbrook middle school boys’ team.
Additionally, Tom was a member of the international soccer team that traveled to Thailand from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3 to participate in the World Cup Over 70, a tournament that was in its fifth year. Tom’s team dominated the field and took home the first place title.
“We played two games a day in Chiang Mai, Thailand,” Tom says. “We played against southeast Asian teams, including Japan, Australia, Thailand, Taiwan, and a number of teams from the United States. After that, we played in another tournament south of East Bangkok, in a place called Pattaya. That was more of a fun tournament than a competition.”
This was the second year in a row that Tom and his team won the tournament, and it was a surreal feeling for him. Last year, the team traveled to Copenhagen, Denmark, and next year, the competition will take place in Whales.
One of the appeals to playing in the international tournament is the diversity that comes with the makeup of each squad, as there are players from all different countries. Tom’s team included players from California, Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Arizona.
In addition to traveling internationally, Tom is a part of a very competitive league called the Shoreline Soccer League, with over 70 different teams of various different age groups, including 30, 40, and 50.
“When I moved to Guilford in 1984, I joined a team and then I took the team over in 1988,” says Tom. “I have been involved with this team for over 25 years. I have my team playing in the Over 50 league. There are a number of older players that we play with in our league. Some of them I take with me to tournaments.”
As a very knowledgeable soccer figure, Tom is tasked with managing and coaching the team, as well as being the best player he can be. The season runs from April to July, then September to October, although the squad is always playing year-round, whether it’s in tournaments, indoor soccer, or playing in league games in Connecticut.
With the love and desire he has for the game, Tom was sure to give his knowledge back by jumping into the coaching scene with the Westbrook Middle School boys. His assistant coach, Russell Hovick, has seen his dedication and the way he projects it onto the boys.
“I have known Tom for only about four months, (when he became the boys’ middle school soccer coach). I was his assistant. I have never seen him play competitively, but his soccer talents on the practice field were just amazing. (regardless of his age),” says Hovick. “Tom K. was great at coaching the middle school boys’ soccer team. He loved the players, and the players loved him. And his knowledge of soccer was just incredible. I hope our players one day realize the tremendous gift they had in having Tom as their coach.”
Coaching has brought Tom a different type of joy in his life, as he’s appreciated the opportunity it gives him to pass down the game he loves to others.
“Up until that time, soccer was my world, my passion, and the game was for me. Now that I retired, I have time to coach now,” says Tom. “I thought it was an appropriate time to teach the game that I love to younger ones. I hope that they will continue to play like I have all these years.”
Despite the differences that can come with coaching kids compared to managing adults, Tom finds a way to take every day in stride, and face any challenge that comes his way, especially when it comes to the lack of numbers and participation in the soccer program.
“Westbrook is a very small town, and the school population is very small. As such, the team we generate and the number of players we have are smaller than those on the majority of the shoreline,” Tom says. “That was a challenge for me, to get our players to compete at their best against teams that have a larger number of players and more technical players. For them to compete, and they competed really well, I was so proud of them. They proved so much the second half of the season, and they had fun doing it at the same time, which is so important at their age.”
Tom ensured that his team’s motto was “All for one and one for all”, and with that, they grew as individuals and players.
Hovick, who enjoyed having the presence of Tom in the middle school environment, explains that his personality helped to keep the kids motivated and engaged, and that he adapted rather quickly to the scene.
“Tom never had coached middle school-aged kids before. They can be a challenge. Tom handled the situation with grace and professionalism. Coaching 13-year-olds is quite different from coaching adults,” says Hovick. “Patience, understanding, flexibility and a sense of humor are all qualities needed to succeed as a middle school coach. Tom adjusted to the middle school coaching environment and did a tremendous job.”
Tom is also an avid road cyclist, which keeps him in shape at his age.
“It is a form of staying in shape, fit, and endurance, because you need endurance in soccer,” says Tom. “That is another thing that I do in combination with playing soccer on a regular basis. You have to have passion in your life for something, whatever it may be.”