Young fans enjoy Comets meet and greet

by Bill Althaus, Grain Valley News

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Caffrey Courter, the daughter of Grain Valley High School softball and javelin coach Flip Courter, was a bit nervous.

She was at Tacos 4 Life in Blue Springs, attending a meet and greet with her favorite team, the Kansas City Comets, and she wanted to meet her favorite player, Leo Acosta.

Not only did she get to meet Acosta, they enjoyed a memorable conversation that Caffrey will never forget.

Acosta found out that Caffrey was involved in a school activity Friday night and would not be able to attend the team's 7:05 p.m. game against longtime rival Milwaukee at Cable Dahmer Arena.

When Acosta greeted Caffrey, she maintained her composure throughout the visit with her favorite player.

"Good luck Friday night," Acosta said, sporting a smile that melts young girls' hearts. "I just want to thank you and your family for coming to so many of our games. We think of our fans like family members, and it's special when we get the chance to visit with you in person."

Moments like that are a big reason the Comets led the MASL in single-game attendance (4,892) and overall attendance (57,947) last season.

"I really loved coming to Tacos 4 Life tonight because the food is so good, and the Comets players are so nice," she said. "And I had so much fun talking to Leo. He's even nicer than I thought he would be. He made me feel special."

Acosta feels the same way about Caffrey.

"Our fans come to an event like this and they make us feel good, too," Acosta said. "That's one very special things about this organization - everyone cares about fans. Especially fans like Caffrey and her family."

Those feelings are shared by all the players who attended the event.

"We're playing for a living, and a very nice living, because of our fans," all-star forward Zach Reget said. "The thing I really like about the Comets is that we have a lot of old school players who appreciate and care for our fans. Look around, just about every guy on the team is here tonight."

Including all-star forward Rian Marques, whose wife Korine gave birth to the couple's first child, Adriano, last week in Kansas City.

"I can feel my son calling," a grinning Marques said, as the event wound down. "People asked me why I'm here with a new son at home, and I tell them because I want to be here. Our fans are very special."

All-star defender Chad Vandegriffe said he looks forward to the meet and greet events.

"What I really enjoy is meeting our fans who come to our games and our events like this," Vandegriffe said, "and then getting to meet new fans. It's personal to me. These fans are a part of our Comets family. We have as much fun visiting with them as they do meeting us."

Tacos 4 Life franchisees Drew and Nicole Vaden recently moved to the metro area and their restaurant quickly became a sponsor of the Comets. Tacos 4 Life provides food at many of the team's home game, and the Vadens have enjoyed its relationship with the MASL team.

"It's been a great partnership," said Drew Vaden, whose young sons Brooks and Benny were collecting the players' autographs on a team photo. "Twenty nine cents of every taco, nachos, rice bowls, salads, burritos - is donated to Feed My Starving Children (fmsc.org). We have donated food and time to serve more than 1 million people in the metro area.

"We have farm fresh, made from scratch food, and we're involved in our community. And after seeing how the team interacts with its fans, we're honored to be associated with the Comets."

Brian Roth, the Comets vice president of sales, attended the event and left smiling.

"Not many professional sports organizations have events like this," Roth said, "and I think that's one big reason we lead the MASL in attendance. We have a great team and a great coach and our guys get it. You watch them at this event and they are having as much fun as the fans. It's fun to watch, and it is genuine."

After most of the fans left Tacos 4 Life, Brooks and Benny sat down to count their autographs.

"I play baseball, football and basketball," 7-year-old Benny said, "but now that I got to meet the players, I'm a soccer fan. This was super cool because they were so nice."

Brooks, 5, said he wants to play soccer.

"We're going to the game Friday and I want to meet the players again and talk about playing soccer," Brooks said. "This is the most fun I've ever had!"

Brooks Vaden, left, and his brother Benny are two of the Kansas City Comets newest fans as they met the MASL players at a meet and greet at Tacos 4 Life Wednesday night in Blue Springs. Brooks, 5, and Benny, 7, are excited about attending their first Comets game at 7:05 p.m. Friday night at Cable Dahmer Arena. Photo Credit: Bill Althaus

Kansas City Comets fan favorite Zach Reget poses for a photo with Grain Valley residents and longtime Comets fans Caffrey, left, and Casen Courter at a meet and greet Wednesday night at Tacos 4 Life in Blue Springs. Photo credit: Flip Courter

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