A dad’s wish leads a daughter to kickstart a tournament that brings joy, helps others

Antoinette Maio-Burford poses for a team photo with the fifth-and-sixth-grade kickball players she coaches at St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower) Parish in Indianapolis. (Photo by John Shaughnessy)

By John Shaughnessy

Before he died three years ago, Michael Maio encouraged the youngest of his eight children to return to coaching—knowing the passion that Antoinette

Maio-Burford had for kickball, knowing the difference she made to the girls she coached.

In August, the 55-year-old Maio-Burford was back on the kickball diamond again, leading a tournament for 44 teams in the archdiocese’s Catholic Youth Organization (CYO), all with the ultimate goal of helping to save lives.

In its third year, the “One Faith, One Family, One Sock” tournament on Aug. 8-12 was organized to raise funds to buy smoke detectors for families in low-income areas in Indianapolis. Enough money was raised to buy 25 smoke detectors.

“If we save one life, we’ll be successful,” Maio-Burford said about the tournament that took place at Holy Spirit and St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower) parishes in Indianapolis. “The whole goal with our Catholic faith is to make sure that everybody is one, regardless of who you are, where you live, what you do. We want everybody to be healthy, safe and to love life.”

There’s no doubt that Maio-Burford loves kickball and the opportunity that the sport—and especially the tournament—offers to build confidence and create camaraderie among the coaches and the girls from different teams who play.

“Coaches who have never coached before learn from those who have been coaching a long time,” she said about the tournament’s approach. “And it’s fun to watch the kids make new friends. As an example, there was a player from St. Barnabas [Parish in Indianapolis] who invited all the Little Flower girls to come down and watch a movie with all the St. Barnabas players. So, friendships are made along the way.”

Maio-Burford was instrumental in starting the tournament three years ago with Tracy Miller, coordinator of the kickball program at St. Barnabas Parish, and Ellie Leffler, the former kickball coordinator of Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ Parish in Indianapolis.

The name of the tournament—“One Faith, One Family, One Sock”—came naturally.

“We’re all professing our faith,” Maio-Burford said. “CYO is all about family. And you wear one sock for kickball. That’s your kicking foot, your strong foot. It all kind of fit together.”

In the tournament’s first year, players, coaches, parents and fans made donations to benefit Holy Family Shelter in Indianapolis. In its second year, the money raised helped teams from low-income parishes—including the donation of one player who brought her piggy bank and emptied it for the fundraiser. This year, donations were placed in the boot of an Indianapolis Fire Department firefighter.

“The idea was to fill the boot,” said Maio-Burford, whose husband Steven Burford is an Indianapolis firefighter.

As for Maio-Burford, her passion for kickball still burns intensely even after coaching it since she was 16—39 years ago.

“Kickball is a rite of passage if you’re a girl who goes to a Catholic school,” she said. “The girls love it. And it’s a passion for me. I love watching the girls grow, watching them love the sport.”

She believes her dad, who also coached, is watching her at every practice and during every game.

“I learned from the best,” she said. “It’s all about your faith, family, the kids.” †