More nights than not, there’s a game of pick-up soccer happening somewhere in the White River Valley.
Players come from as far away as Randolph and Lebanon to play on fields and gym floors in Tunbridge, Chelsea and South Royalton. They’re locals and recent transplants and law school students, high schoolers and retirees. In a state where one’s tenure in Vermont can really matter in the social sense — it doesn’t here.
“We all come together because we love to play soccer,” said Sam Allen, who grew up in Chelsea. “But we're all different human beings, too.”
In the recreational soccer world, “pick-up” signifies a certain low-stakes, come-as-you-are kind of play.
But that’s not to be mistaken for a lack of commitment with this group — which meets for games as many as four nights a week.
“I try to get to all of them,” said Nate Barsanti, who grew up in Sharon.
Barsanti is part of a cohort that’s been playing together off and on since high school.
“I think we’re such a tight group, honestly,” he said.
Others have been playing even longer — like Ron and Cindy Allen, of Chelsea, who met playing pick-up four decades ago.
“You make friends and then you keep track of their kids, too,” said Ron Allen. “More than just sports — you keep track of everything about them. They become your kids in a way, too.”
In the summer, soccer is followed by a dip in the White River and beers at Carlita’s in South Royalton. Some players show up for indoors through the winter — when there’s not so much else to do in the rural White River Valley.
And on one rainy day in April, the group came together for an indoor soccer tournament at the White River Valley High School in South Royalton. Teams took turns jockeying around on the hard gym floors, aiming the ball at fold-up metal chairs that would clang loudly on impact. There was a lot of laughing and a lot of teasing.
“It's a beautiful way for people to practice cooperation and collaboration together. From wherever they’re coming from,” said Blake Whitehead, who has been playing since she moved to Tunbridge several years ago.
All that time together means that this group — a group that’s connected on and off the field, in the bars, and online — was ready to rally for one of their own when his house burned down.
Dan Ruddell — known near universally as “Rudi” — has been playing pick-up here for decades, since he moved to Chelsea in the 1980s to be a homesteader. He’s still one of the reliable faces at soccer — the ones who come week after week after week.
“Oh, it’s just everything," he said. "It is what has made my world for many years.”
Last Thanksgiving, Ruddell and his wife Lisa lost their Tunbridge home in a fire. Ruddell's teammates put together this tournament, which also doubles as a fundraiser, to help the couple with some of the money they'll need to start rebuilding come summer. They raised more than $3,000.
Underneath his bushy white beard and wire-rimmed glasses, Ruddell looked touched if not a little embarrassed while he greeted players at the tournament.
“This is a lot of people from 40 years,” he said.
There's a new generation playing now, including Ruddell's son, who's been coming to pick-up since he was a kid. The Allens' kids play, even though Ron and Cindy don't anymore.
Ruddell's also on the bench, after a hip replacement. He's really looking forward to getting back to playing — but his teammates are even more excited.
One player asked if I could find out when he’s planning to start playing again: “For the story,” he said, “but also for us.”
Ruddell said he hopes to be back out there this summer.
