A Jamboree to Remember!

On Saturday June 11, over 375 poet-athletes from Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx visited Harlem’s Riverbank State Park for Jamboree, our year-end celebration and soccer tournament!

Jamboree is a highlight of the ASNY year, bringing together fans and friends of the organization to enjoy sun, soccer, and the end of a successful season.

This year, we had an opportunity to highlight our Elementary School and Middle School divisions separately and it made for an exciting day!

Our Elementary division were up first and after a rousing “America SCORES” chant led by Director of Soccer Programs Katie Carroll and Director of Writing Programs Chris Lantigua, our young people took to the pitch to represent their schools and communities on the field and the sidelines with exceptional fairplay. After several group games, the quarter-finals began and, after some heavy competition, PS 173 were left to face Mott Hall 6th graders in a final that ended in penalties. After some intense competition, Washington Height’s PS 173 claimed the title of ASNY Jamboree Elementary School Champions!

Even though the Elementary School excitement was hard to follow, our Middle School poet-athletes brought their A-game, putting everything out on the field and, as always, worked hard to make their community proud. Finals ended with yet another nerve-wracking set of penalties and, in the end, Harlem’s PSMS 161 took the victory over Hamilton Grange Middle School!

The success of the day could not have been possible without the commitment of our staff, Board members, Junior Board, Coaching for Change Academy youth coaches, and, of course, our incredible volunteers. Additionally, a huge thank you to Riverbank State Park and FC Harlem for hosting us and thanks to our wonderful photographer Luis Fonseca!

This has been our largest Jamboree since 2019 and we are grateful for all those who made the day such a joy!