Student selected for ‘People to People' sports program

Warwick - By any account, Victoria Mariconti, 14, the daughter of Steve and Marguerite Mariconti of Warwick, is an exceptional student. And this summer, her many achievements were rewarded when she was selected to travel to Holland as a “People to People Sports Ambassador.” In 1956, then President Dwight D. Eisenhower called a special White House conference of American leaders, who joined him in creating the People to People initiative. As a result, the People to People mission developed around personal exchanges and first-hand experiences with other cultures. Since 1963, Student Ambassador Programs have chosen thousands of young Americans to serve as ambassadors of good will throughout the world. The students return home with a greater sense of what it means to be a good neighbor and they also have an opportunity to discover other cultures. This year, Victoria Mariconti graduated from St. Stephen’s - St. Edward’s Elementary School with a near perfect academic achievement record. She had been listed on the high honor roll for 16 consecutive marking periods and, with a 99 per cent overall average, was the winner of the general excellence award. However, when Mariconti was selected to join a delegation that traveled to Holland on July 20 for the Youth Friendship Games, her coaches had also recommended her because of her skill as a basketball player and her leadership qualities. Mariconti had recently been voted Varsity All Star for the St. Stephen’s Girls’ Basketball Team in the Orange County Parochial School League. “The Ambassador Program,” said Mariconti, “is an organization based on promoting peace through understanding and the healthy competition of sports.” She explained that members of her group had gone through a series of interviews and preparatory meetings. Some were swimmers, others were tennis players and others, including Mariconti, were basketball players. After arriving in Holland, the students had an orientation to explain what they would be doing during their ten-day stay. “For the first three to four days,” she said, “we did sight-seeing and formed the teams we would compete with during the competition.” Mariconti reported that although it was a short period of time to get acquainted, “The teams gelled beautifully together through team-building activities and the daily basketball clinic.” Mariconti’s roommates were also on her team. Her new friends were from Rochester, Houston and New Mexico. “My roommate from New Mexico was from a Navajo family,” she said. “We had a wonderful opportunity to learn about her customs and beliefs.” The group also enjoyed visiting a new country. “Holland was absolutely beautiful,” said Mariconti. “We went on a canal tour and saw Amsterdam. Everything was brick-paved and quaint. We visited a cheese and wooden shoe factory. We also went on a six-mile bike ride and we learned to play the Dutch game of Korfball.” The most impressive site, however, was the Anne Frank House, the home of a Jewish girl who, before her capture and death, wrote a diary while in hiding with her family and four friends in an attic during the German occupation of the Netherlands in World War II. “We walked in the small rooms where she and her family lived,” said Mariconti. “It was a very moving experience and everybody really came to realize how blessed we all are.” The last six days of the trip were devoted to the basketball tournament. “We had a beautiful opening ceremony,” reported Mariconti. “It took place at a gathering site dubbed ‘Friendship Village.’ It was our own little Olympics.” Mariconti’s basketball team played teams from the United States, England, Hungary and Ireland. “International basketball wasn’t very different at all,” she said. “Although it was a tad more physical, we found it was the same game.” While sitting in the gym waiting for the games, Mariconti and her new teammates had many opportunities to talk to girls from other countries. “Everyone’s favorite team to talk with,” she said, “was the Irish team. We compared lots of words. One of the funnier exchanges was when we called our basketball shoes ‘sneakers,’ and the Irish girls referred to them as ‘basketball boots.” Mariconti’s team went on to win a bronze medal in the 11-14 girls’ age group. “I feel like I really grew,” she said. “Through this trip I learned many lessons which I believe are important for all people of every age to learn. “Sometimes you take the lead and sometimes you do the smaller things,” she said. “The important thing is to know that even when you are in a smaller role, you are just as important. The job you are doing is as crucial to the team effort as any other.” Because her dad has taken a new job in the Boston area, the family has recently relocated and Mariconti will begin high school in New England. The experience this summer, though, taught her to be versatile, to work from different angles and to be able to live on her own. “I feel like I really helped contribute to our mission of promoting peace,” said Mariconti. “We grew and matured greatly, made lots of friends and came to understand each other, which is the ultimate key for bringing about a world-wide peace.”