Oceanside United’s 90-Year-Old Matriarch, Bessie Lamonica, Honored as Personality of the Month in Eastern New York
New York Youth Soccer News: Bessie has given her all for soccer for most of her life
The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is very pleased to announce that Bessie Lamonica has been selected as our Personality of the Month for June.
Bessie was born in West Virginia but grew up in Biella, Italy, a short corner kick from Milan. After World War II, she emigrated back to the United States in 1948 by herself, living in Oceanside. She was able to have the rest of her family join her during the next two years in emigrating to the United States.
She soon met Phil, living in neighboring Rockville Centre, through his sister and they were married in 1953.
The Oceanside United Soccer Club was co-founded in 1962 by Ian McDougall and Joe Goldberg and kicked off as a single team of 15 boys. Bessie and Phil started volunteering for Oceanside United 55 years ago when their son Rudy Lamonica began playing on that team. As the first Nassau County youth soccer program, the club chose the orange and blue colors of Nassau County that Oceanside teams still wear to this day.
Rudy scored more than half of Oceanside High School’s goals during 1968 and 1969 in leading the Sailors to consecutive Long Island championships. One year later, bone cancer was discovered and doctors amputated Rudy’s right leg, hoping to stop the spread of the disease. Through all the pain and turmoil, he kept his spirits high. Rudy passed away at the age of 17 during the closing days of the 1970 Fall Season after volunteering as Oceanside High School’s assistant coach. Shortly before his death, he received a get-well letter from President Nixon and his wife, Pat.
“Losing a child is the worst thing that can happen to you,” Bessie explained. “My son lived a short life, but he lived a full life, every moment, and his spirit stuck to me because he wanted to promote soccer in this country.”
Despite this tragedy regarding their only son, Bessie and Phil founded Oceanside United girls soccer two years later in 1972, a decade after the boys started playing, so girls would have the same opportunities to play soccer as the boys. Just as Rudy played on the first boys team, their daughter Donna played on that very first girls team, the Oceanside Gumbies, which joined the growing Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL). Phil and Bessie served as the team’s coaches as the Gumbies played against the few Long Island towns with girl’s programs at that time, such as Garden City, Massapequa, Northport and Rockville Centre. Oceanside United’s slogan is “From tiny acorns, mighty oaks can grow” and today, as many girls play soccer in Oceanside as boys.
Bessie has been volunteering at the oldest youth indoor soccer tournament in the United States since its inception in 1968, which was named after her son upon his passing. The Rudy Lamonica Indoor Tournament celebrated its 50th anniversary last winter and Bessie, now 90 years old, was there once again to hand out trophies. She also was in charge of the tournament journal for decades.
For all this volunteering, Bessie and Phil were inducted into the Eastern New York Soccer Hall of Fame in 2001. Donna became a coach when her children, Taylor and Austin, began to play soccer for Oceanside United and both Bessie and Phil particularly enjoyed watching their games. Although Phil died a decade ago in 2007, Bessie continues volunteering.
Every June, Oceanside United gives scholarships funded by the indoor tourney and also through money raised by Bessie in honor of Rudy. The two Rudy Lamonica Memorial MVP Scholarships are awarded to one boy and girl who are chosen MVPs of the Oceanside High School teams as voted by the players. The Rudy Lamonica Memorial Scholarship is also given to deserving Oceanside United players. More than 50 players have had their college education partially funded by scholarships in Rudy’s name.
Steve Padaetz, the LIJSL Director of Marketing and Member Services, has known Bessie for over a quarter-century. He commented, “Hundreds of players, coaches, administrators and the greater Oceanside community owe a great deal of gratitude to Bessie and her family for all they have done for soccer.”
Congratulations to Bessie Lamonica, Eastern New York’s Personality of the Month.
Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association: With over 100,000 youth soccer players–both boys and girls–and more than 25,000 volunteers, the non-profit Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association(ENYYSA) stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 11 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators.
