Local teen's Brazil trip brings lasting memories
Spotswood junior part of all-star soccer team on goodwill trip
BY VINCENT TODARO Staff Writer

Katy Generelli meets with economically deprived children at the New Hope School in Sao Mateus, Brazil, during the August trip.

SPOTSWOOD - A love of soccer and a desire to spread some good will created a memorable summer for a team of all-star soccer players.

The 18 girls, including Spotswood High School junior Katy Generelli, traveled to the obscure Brazilian town of Sao Mateus to play soccer as well as to donate supplies and have fun with residents of the poverty-stricken nation.

Calling themselves the North Jersey All- Stars, the girls formed the team just for the trip, with some of the most talented players in the state. Generelli was the sole Middlesex County representative, as most of the girls were from Bergen County.

Though it started off as a trip largely centered on soccer, it turned into much more, according to Katy's mother, Debra, who accompanied her daughter.

"Our girls were like celebrities, signing autographs wherever they went," Debra said. "The red carpet was rolled out."

It seems the residents of Sao Mateus had heard much about America, but never met an actual American.

Katy with a Sao Mateus soccer player.

"No American had ever played a sport in that part of Brazil," Debra said.

The Brazilians were overjoyed to meet Americans, and the feelings were mutual. Katy, who played forward for the team, said the people were among the nicest she'd ever met, despite the poverty that clouds their lives.

"They had nothing, yet they would do anything for you," Katy said. "They were just good-hearted, and people like that are hard to find."

David Heitman, a wrestling coach in Mahwah who knew Katy because she had played soccer with his daughter, organized the trip. Debra said the idea was borne out of a love for soccer and a desire to help a part of the world in desperate need. The team donated more than $15,000 in soccer equipment and gear to the residents.

Despite its poverty, the area is impressive geographically.

"It's paradise, but no knows about it," Debra said.

The residents of Sao Mateus, she said, are "such happy, loving people who loved soccer. It began as a soccer trip but turned into a goodwill trip."

"They're kind of stuck in time; they don't want to change or grow," she noted.

The trip was an eye-opener for Katy, who noted the stark contrast in living conditions. Among the memorable sights were homes that could barely stand and the dirt roads.

"It's just not something you ever expect," Katy said.

As intended, soccer was a big part of the trip, not just for the girls and the 15 parents who accompanied them, but for the Brazilians as well.

The girls played three regular soccer games against women's teams from Sao Mateus and nearby towns, winning each one. However two of the games were played as futsal, a type of indoor soccer common in Brazil. One of those games ended in a tie; the Brazilian girls won the other game.

"The field soccer games were the showcase," Debra said. "Everyone wanted to see us play it because it's our sport," meaning that, while the style is European, it is stronger in the U.S. than in Brazil.

The games in Sao Mateus were played on "ramshackle fields" where kids clung to the fences and people sat on rooftops to watch, Debra said. The other games were held in a soccer stadium in Jaguare.

Katy said that although the Brazilian girls play a different style of soccer, they were still competitive. Playing futsal, she noted, was an eye-opener because it uses four players per team at a time on a very small field.

"It was so fast," she said.

She took the trip to see how people in another country live, she said

"It was nice to meet them and play good soccer," she said. "I learned a lot."