By Colin Harris
Record-Courier staff writer
BRIMFIELD — Berlin, Germany and Brimfield, Ohio, are separated by over 4,000 miles, but that hasn’t stopped the two communities from finding a common language between the lines of the football gridiron.
A group of over 50 German athletes, coaches and officials recently made the trip to Canton to participate in the inaugural Jr. World Championship of American Football, but their practice home became Field High School.
The event, which kicked off on June 27 and runs through this Sunday, brought together the world’s best 19-and-under junior national teams from Germany, Japan, USA and France — and more — to crown an international champion in the developing world sport.
In order to make the transition to America as smooth as possible, event organizers set up each squad with a number of team hosts. Made up of over 100 people from Portage, Stark and surrounding counties, the hosts are responsible for providing the teams with everything from game transportation to entertainment and shopping trips.
With the eight national teams making the trip to Canton — the longtime hosts for the OHSAA state football championships — it was Field High School principal Mike Harris and athletic director Matt Furino who joined representatives from schools such as Perry, Louisville and Canton South in volunteering to help host the visiting countries.
“Matt and I have been hosts before and when this opportunity came around, the organizers asked if we were interested,” said Harris. “This week has just been absolutely amazing.”
Harris, Furino and the other hosts have put in long hours, operating in shifts to ensure each member team is supervised from 7 a.m. until 1 a.m. for the 10-day event.
“It can definitely get tiring at times, but it’s been a really unique experience,” said Harris.
Nearby Malone College has served as a make-shift Olympic Village, with its dormitories playing host to all of the athletes and coaches.
Furino said that the set up at Malone has been a hit with the shared space allowing the over 400 international athletes to socialize and bond.
“The organizers have arranged things (at Malone) to make sure the coaches and players get everything they need,” Furino said. “Every day the kids are out there playing corn hole, rugby and video games and it seems like the kids are all getting together.”
Field and the German team have become especially close during the week, the coaches from each squad sharing everything from strategies to T-shirts and contact information in celebration of their unique opportunity.
When time and field constraints at Malone prohibited the German coaches from getting enough prep time, Harris and Furino opened their home — Field’s Kenneth W. Lohr Stadium.
“The German team had their practices at Malone College, but they wanted to get in some two-a-days while they had the chance,” said Harris. “So we offered to load up a bus and take them over to our field at the high school.”
Furino said that his job as a team host has even gone a bit beyond the expected chauffeur and tour guide duties.
“I asked the coaches what they really wanted to experience during their time here, and they told me they wanted some American barbecue,” he joked. “Next thing I knew, I had 17 German coaches over at my house, and we all had dinner together.
“For me, personally, it’s been a heck of an experience.”
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Colin Harris can be reached at charris@recordpub.com