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PO BOX 6 Englewood, OH 45322
937-836-7477 @tourneycentral
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16!January,!2017!
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The!Honorable!Rob!Portman!
The!Honorable!Sherrod!Brown!
The!Honorable!Mike!Turner!
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Dear!Ohio!Representatives;!
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When!a!kid!does!not!have!health!insurance,!they!cannot!play!soccer!in!a!club,!league!or!high!
school.!When!they!cannot!play!on!a!team,!they!cannot!play!in!a!soccer!tournament.!Without!
health!insurance,!their!athletic!skills!and!abilitiesas!well!as!any!potential!college!
scholarshipswill!never!be!realized!by!themselves,!their!parents!or!fans.!Sponsors!of!the!
tournaments!and!the!businesses!surrounding!the!event!suffer!economically.!
!
Since!1999,!TourneyCentral!has!been!the!front!door!for!over!half!a!million!soccer!players,!
their!families!and!fans!each!year.!Furthermore,!since!we!are!based!in!a!military!town!with!
WPAFB!as!an!integral!member!of!our!community,!our!websites!have!afforded!parents!who!
found!themselves!stationed!in!Iraq,!Afghanistan!and!other!places,!to!engage!actively!with!
their!kids!as!they!played!in!soccer!tournaments.!We!have!stories!we!could!share;!they!are!
heartwarming.!
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Our!business!depends!on!a!steady!stream!of!talented!kids!who!have!access!to!affordable!
health!insurance!and!health!care.!!
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As!a!small!business!incorporated!in!Ohio,!one!that!provides!jobs,!tax!revenue!and!increases!
the!economic!impact!of!other!small!businesses,!I!am!concerned!about!the!cost!of!employerU
based!health!care.!But!more!importantly,!I!am!concerned!that!my!potential!customers!will!
be!limited!in!purchasing!our!services!simply!because!they!cant!field!teams!of!players!who!
have!access!to!health!insurance!or!health!care.!!
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As!a!company!and!as!an!active!member!of!the!soccer!community,!we#do#not#support#the#
repeal#of#the#ACA#without#a#solid,#specific#and#accessible#replacement#in#place.!The!ACA!
is!not!a!perfect!law,!but!anything!less!than!the!protections!and!access!it!currently!affords!the!
youth!population!and!their!parents!is!untenable.!!
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Coaches,!too,!must!be!frustrated!to!see!a!kid!in!a!pickUup!game!who!has!remarkable!
potential!but!cant!be!included!on!a!team!because!his!or!her!parents!do!not!have!health!
insurance.!Or,!more!frequently,!the!deductible!is!high!and!the!fear!of!a!costly!injury!during!a!
game!or!training!is!the!single!issue!that!holds!them!back.!
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It#is#our#official#position#that#our#elected#representatives#craft#a#plan#that#goes#
beyond#the#current#ACA#to#UniversalCare,#SinglePayer,#MedicareFor#All.#The#ideal#is#
that#every#kid#should#have#the#right#to#reach#to#his#or#her#potential,#not#limited#by#
whether#or#not#they#have#affordable#health#insurance.#
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 TourneyCentral/ACA!Repeal!and!Replace:!1/17/17!2!of!2!

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While!health!care!is!foremost!a!human!issue!for!us,!it!is!also!a!business!issue.!The!lack!of!
universal,!affordable!health!insurance!endangers!not!only!the!soccer!tournament!business!
and!the!soccer!community,!it!stands!to!limit!all!organized!youth!sports,!including!football,!
basketball!and!the!most!American!sport,!baseball.!It!also!endangers!the!small!businesses!
that!rely!on!their!support.!
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Soccer!is!a!welcoming,!benevolent!community.!Help!us!continue!this!fine!tradition!of!
supporting!and!engaging!in!our!communities!through!sport!by!keeping!this!in!mind!as!you!
take!up!votes!regarding!the!repeal!of!a!health!care!law!many!in!our!community!now!rely!on!
for!access!to!their!team,!which!gives!them!strong!character!and!community!skills.!For!many,!
their!soccer!team!is!their!purpose.!
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Dont!rob!them!of!their!ability!to!participate!by!limiting!access!to!health!insurance!and!
health!care.!I!urge!you!to!vote!with!this!in!mind,!to!think!of!the!wider!arc!of!not!only!the!
health!of!sport,!but!the!health!of!the!businesses!that!support!it,!including!your!own!OhioU
based,!TourneyCentral.!
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Regards,!
RIVERSHARK!INC!
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Gerard!McLean!
President/CEO!
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cc:! Chamber!of!Commerce!
! NSCAA!
! US!Youth!Soccer!
! US!Club!Soccer!
! Tom!Frisbee,!OSYSA!Director!
! John!Boyle,!COX!Media!Sports!Editor!
! Rich!Gillette,!Dayton'Daily'News!Business!Editor!
! Laura!Bischoff,!Dayton'Daily'News,!Reporter,!Government!