It took the generosity of a helicopter pilot for local elite players Nadia Langenberg and Emily Lieuwen to take care of business on and off the soccer pitch.
With an eye towards continuing their careers south of the border, the Grade 11 students were registered for their first SAT exam at Western Washington University in Bellingham bright and early on a recent Saturday morning (7: 45 a.m.).
The plan was to write the five hour test then get back to the Tsawwassen ferry terminal in time to join their '96 Coastal FC teammates for a 3 p.m. sailing and a B.C. Premier Soccer League game in Victoria at 6 p.m.
Coastal coach Bob Birada had asked for the start time to be pushed back to accommodate five of his players writing SATs that day.
Unbeknownst to Langenberg and Lieuwen, the scheduled released time time from the exam was 1: 30 p.m - 45 minutes later than they had expected. By the time they reached the terminal, they had missed the departure time by five minutes.
Without the girls, Coastal would likely have to forfeit the game due to lack of players.
Anticipating a potential schedule problem, the team's most supportive parent, Jeff Derksen, had spent his day finding an alternative route to get the girls to Victoria.
His friend Jack Pomerlau, at the Boundary Bay airport, introduced Derksen to Russell Cmolik who agreed to fly the three of them in his helicopter. At 5 p.m. two very tired but excited girls, dressed in their soccer kit, lifted off in their first helicopter ride. Following a 25 minute flight and a harrowing cab trip to the University of Victoria, the girls arrived at the field five minutes before kickoff.
Coastal went on to win 4-0 and the girls returned home on the scheduled ferry ride with the rest of their teammates to cap their amazing day.
All Cmolik asked in return for his generosity was a donation to his charity 'The Cmolik Foundation' (www.thecmolikfoundation. com) It provides scholarships to B.C. students who may not have the means to attend post-secondary education. With so many of the Coastal FC players striving to achieve education beyond high school it was only fitting for the team to assist the recipients of The Cmolik Foundation.
