University of Tampa Men’s Soccer Drafts Newest Teammates Through Team IMPACT
Brothers to bring a new perspective to the Spartans team.
QUINCY, Mass. – The University of Tampa men's soccer team welcomed their newest and youngest teammates, brothers Reese, age 15, and Nicholas, age 12, on August 17th, through Team IMPACT.
The Draft Day was held on the Tampa campus and the boys were joined by their family as well as members of the men's soccer team, coaching staff, and athletic administrators. In front of their new teammates at their press conference, Reese and Nicholas signed their National Letter of Intents to make their membership official.
They were each presented with team jerseys, adorning their favorite numbers, Reese with No. 2 and Nicholas with No. 35. Head coach Adrian Bush is excited about this opportunity to be able to interact with such inspiring new players and kids.
"We are extremely excited to announce that Reese (15) and Nick (12) are joining our men's soccer family at the University of Tampa," said Bush. "Their strength drives us and we thank Team IMPACT for making this possible."
Both boys are diagnosed with a genetic disorder known as Hereditary Multiple Osteochondromas (HMO), which is a rare disease that causes multiple bone tumors covered by cartilage. Both have undergone multiple surgeries to remove some of their tumors and are currently working very hard in occupational and speech therapy, as well as physical therapy to strengthen their muscles.
Throughout everything, both Reese and Nicholas continue to fight through these challenges with strength and are an inspiration to many. The newest Spartans teammates both love to be creative, specifically working with scrap metal and building with it. Reese loves The Simpsons and their family dog, Olive. He is also very good at computers and can fix almost anything that breaks electronically and puts it back together. Nicholas loves watching any paramedic or police show as well as Animal Planet. You can also find him playing Call of Duty or playing games with his younger sister Bella.
Most importantly, Reese and Nicholas are excited to officially join the team. With all they battles through, they truly embody what it means to have determination and are sure to be a motivation to their teammates and coaches.
ABOUT TEAM IMPACT:
Team IMPACT is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to improve the quality of life for children facing life-threatening and chronic illnesses through the power of team. Team IMPACT children are drafted on to college athletic teams, local to where they live and, in effect, become official members of the team from Draft Day through to Graduation. At Team IMPACT, they envision a future where the lives of children facing the hardships associated with adverse issues and events will have access to collegiate team-based support in order to significantly enhance their quality of life in a number of ways, including; socially, psychologically, physically and academically. Team IMPACT also strives to provide collegiate teams with increased levels of awareness, sympathy and support for the medical and disease communities. Established in 2011, Team IMPACT has already matched over 950 children with collegiate teams, at over 400 institutions in 45 states, improving the quality of life of hundreds of courageous children and touching the lives of over 25,000 student athletes. For more information, please visit: www.goteamimpact.org.