When his boys' soccer team lost to Winooski High School in a Vermont state playoff game this fall, Enosburg Falls Athletic Director Chris Brigham said it was one of the best games he'd ever seen. It included a come-from-behind goal to tie the game and two periods of scoreless overtime, after which Winooski won on penalty kicks.

But what Brigham liked best about the contest was that the two teams were competing on a level playing field--and that his school had helped make that happen. When the squads met during the regular season, many of the Winooski players wore cleats that were falling apart. Of the 37 varsity and j.v. boys' soccer players at Winooski, 33 are refugees, and many are unable to afford cleats.

"At the end of our second game of the season against Winooski, I overheard the coach talking about the hardships on the team," says Brigham. "He said that cleats were always an issue, and he'd reached the point of taping shoes onto his players' feet. When you hear a story like that, how can you not act?"

That evening, Brigham sparked a shoe drive with a mass e-mail to staff and faculty at his district's 10 schools. He simply told the story, encouraged people to clean out their closets, and waited for a response. Within three days, he'd received 20 pairs of spikes, including some from members of his own team, which he delivered the day before Winooski's Division III quarterfinal playoff against Enosburg Falls.

"Afterward, one of our players joked it was the shoes that beat us," says Brigham. "But we all know they won fair and square, and the lesson everyone learned was that it's important to help other people, even if they're your opponents. If there's a hardship, step in and help out."