Forever Sporting - O60RocAlumni

PLAYER SIGN UP

Welcome to the Rochester Alumni Derby — a weekend built around reconnecting with former teammates, reliving old rivalries, and proving the competitive spirit never really leaves.

Games will be played 8v8 on half fields with 30-minute halves. Rules are designed to keep the games fun, competitive, and moving: no sliding tackles, no offsides, open substitutions, and no limit on roster size.

Most of us are a little older, a little slower, and definitely more out of shape than we once were — and that’s perfectly fine. The real victory is showing up, sharing the field again, and reconnecting with the teammates and friendships that helped shape our college years.

Please spread the word and help us maximize participation. The more alumni we reach, the more special this event becomes.

Below you’ll find additional information on progress toward organizing the event, tournament awards and recognition, media coverage plans, Saturday social events, community and fundraising initiatives, sponsorship opportunities, and the broader vision behind the Derby.

Sign-up Progress Report

Fisher is off to a great start! It leads with 13 alumni already committed against a goal of a squad of min. 20 players.

Committed: 14
Lead: Tomi Lahcanski- tomi@foreversporting.org
Coach: Carlos Metidieri

UofR is greatly organized and has the most comprehensive database of alumni. It's in the process of signing up players.

Committed: 4
Lead: Terry Gurnett (585) 275-6698 tgurnett@sports.rochester.edu
Coach: TBD

RIT is making progress towards making up a team to defend its stature, even in the Over 60 category.

Committed: Unknown
Lead: Paul Schojan

Two ex-coaches are working together to pull together a team from a very large roster of great and numerous players.

Committed: TBD
Lead: Coach Karipidis

Brockport has one of the most admirable pasts, and it remains to be seen if they can pull together an equally formidable O60 alumni team.

Committed: TBD
Lead: Dan Hickey

Nazareth is an underdog with a shorter history and number of alumni—it needs a few more players to field a team.

Committed: TBD
Lead: TBD

Roberts Wesleyan lags behind and badly needs a few well-connected alumni to start closing the gap against the other teams.

Committed: None
Lead: TBD

Derby Champions & Recognition Awards

Derby Champions — Overall tournament winners
Golden Boot — Tournament leading scorer
Vintage Legs Award — Oldest player to take the field
Long Haul Award — Traveled the farthest to participate
Battle Scar Award — Most visibly held-together participant
Calculated Risk Award — Greatest personal risk taken to play (fitness level, questionable preparation, ignored common sense, etc.)
Still Got It Award — Best moment that reminded everyone who the player once was ( biggest surprise athletically).
Class Act Award — Best sportsmanship and spirit
Comeback Kid Award — Returned to the field after many years away
Golden Age Phenom Award — Voted recognition for the player who best represents endurance, longevity, love of the game, and lifelong competitiveness
Future of the Game Award — Presented to the current university student body that best represents the spirit, enthusiasm, and support of the Roc Alumni Derby

Community & Cause

The Roc Alumni Derby is also exploring a charitable component tied to active longevity, health, and community impact. Possible future initiatives may include support for causes such as diabetes research, Alzheimer’s awareness, mental health, youth soccer access, or other health-related organizations connected to aging, movement, and lifelong wellness.

As the event grows, we hope the Derby can become more than a tournament — helping reconnect alumni while also giving back to causes that affect many players, families, teammates, and friends.

Social

A Saturday evening gathering is also planned following the day’s matches — either individual alumni gatherings organized by each college, or one combined event bringing all players together for a shared celebration of Rochester soccer history, old rivalries, and lifelong friendships.

Media & Event Coverage

In collaboration with Forever Sporting and University of Rochester, a student from the university’s media department has signed up to help document the Roc Alumni Derby through interviews, photography, video coverage, and written storytelling throughout the build-up as well as the Derby weekend.

The goal is to capture not only the matches themselves, but also the personal stories, friendships, rivalries, and lifelong connection to the game that make this event unique. If participation and interest are strong enough, the project could eventually evolve into a longer-form documentary highlighting the Derby.

Local media outlets have also been extremely supportive and interested in covering similar Forever Sporting events in the past. As a result, we anticipate strong media interest and broad coverage leading up to the Derby and throughout the weekend itself.

Sponsership

We are seeking sponsors willing to match the generosity and support already shown by the University of Rochester in helping make the Roc Alumni Derby a reality.

Sponsorship opportunities are available for the overall event or for individual participating universities.