Tribute to a former, fallen teammate

Kylie Stannard sent an e-mail to his former Cedar Rapids Washington soccer teammates Friday to cement plans for Saturday's tribute to their friend Adam Gorman.

“The early signs pointed to a rainy, stormy day in Cedar Rapids,” Stannard wrote. “But it looks like Gordo came through for us.”

Just as they've come through for him in his death. It was indeed breezy and warm at Kingston Stadium for a short ceremony before the Washington-Cedar Rapids Prairie boys' soccer game that honored Gorman, who died of brain cancer five years ago at age 26.

His teammates, including Stannard, who is an assistant college coach at Michigan State, raised $9,500 for weight room improvements at Washington and a soccer trophy case that includes a display honoring “Gordo.”

Gorman's 10-year-old daughter Kaelyn Hoambrecker of Burlington kicked a soccer ball into the net in tribute to her father Saturday. The Adam Gorman Spirit Award was given to Washington senior Josh Jensen.

“There were 11 boys who played soccer about 12 or 13 years together,” said Gorman's mother, Denise Houlahan of Cedar Rapids. “It is really pretty amazing.”

Also amazing are the photo responses and words of encouragement Houlahan has received over the years. Stannard's mother, Sue, ran in the 2005 Boston Marathon when she and fellow soccer mom Janelle McClain passed out laminated 3x5 photos of Gorman with this inscription:

“Adam ‘Gordo' Gorman, 1978-2005. If he could, he would, so take Gordo in spirit with you and continue his life through yours. Take a photo on your travels. Hold Adam's picture next to your face, smile and record the adventure.”

Houlahan's address was included with a request to send “adventure” photos to her. She has three full scrapbooks.

“One showed up from a National Guard unit in Mississippi,” Houlahan said. “I don't know how it got to them. They wrote and asked if they could have 20 more pictures because they were going to be deployed in Afghanistan and Adam was their guardian angel.”

Her voice broke when telling that story. It's been an emotional time recently, good and bad.

“It's really been a mixed bag for me this week,” she said. “Just doing all of this, the last couple of days have been emotionally draining.

“Yet I also feel so blessed. These boys have kept Adam's spirit alive. They are a remarkable group of young men.”