* Frank Deak (team photo - front row, 2nd from the right and left individual photo)
* Doug Hughes (team photo - back row, 1st from the left and right individual photo)
The Fusion FC has two adult men’s teams - a D3 team with a combination of ages and an Over 40 team. Not only have these teams been part of our club for many years having traveled as a team in the US & abroad, several of the players regularly support the club as volunteers (e.g. bush whacking areas surrounding the 30th Street fields, helping with tournaments, fence repairs after heavy storms, board roles, etc.).
Because of recent events, we want to specifically recognize two volunteer heroes from the Fusion Adult teams – Frank Deak & Doug Hughes.
For about a year, the Fusion 30th Street Club House & Soccer Office has been without power. And the sprinkler system has been powered by a very long extension cord strung across the ground from the concession stand to the clubhouse. We knew there was a break in the 700-foot service line that runs under ground from the electrical panel to the clubhouse, but had been unable to identify where the line ran and where the repair was needed. After exploring many avenues (which could have cost the club thousands of dollars) and coming up empty handed, two volunteers lead by Frank Deak took ownership of the project and became our heroes.
Doug Hughes brought his tone-tracing equipment and put tone on a copper wire that runs out of the electrical panel to the clubhouse. Doug made paint markings noting areas of interest. Frank "potholed" (hand-dug holes) the cable lines that Doug marked in multiple areas. Nothing surfaced at that point, but Frank would not be deterred.
At that point, and knowing the club is a non-profit organization with limited excess funds, he continued with the "low budget" method using a volt-ohmmeter. A volt-ohm meter advises whether there is continuity from point to point. Using the "bracketing" method, Frank continued to check for continuity in the line. He dug a pothole at the center of the "bad" section and checked for continuity to both ends knowing that one side would be good, the other, bad. This narrowed the "bad" section down. He repeated the process over and over and each time checking the "bad" section, and narrowing the length of the "bad" section by one-half and eventually he found the fault. It was located about 120 feet north of the clubhouse & soccer office. Frank discovered that the insulation was burned and the aluminum conductors were completely oxidized. The soil around the fault had black soot (from the burnt insulation) and a whitish substance (aluminum oxide is white). Check out the amazing photo showing the severed lines found underneath a sprinkler system PVC junction point).
From what Frank could tell, it appeared that it started with a nick in both cables, perhaps made by a shovel when working on the sprinkler system. The trouble may not have been noticed right away, but with the next soaking rainfall, the soil around the nick would have become conductive. Current would have begun to flow through the wet soil between the cables, causing arcing, heat and eventually burning.
Once Frank found the fault section, the next step was to cut out the bad section and splice in new cable. He spliced in three new cable sections around the damaged section and Voila! . . . we have power and for minor costs only involving supplies.
Both Frank Deak and Doug Hughes are long standing (25+ years) and valued members of the Fusion FC Over 40 soccer team and the D3 Men’s team. Beyond their passion for soccer and in addition to be being great family men, Frank Deak is an attorney with Verizon. In his earlier life and while attending law school, Frank was an electrical engineer with GTE Data Services. Doug Hughes is the Course Superintendent for the Temple Terrace Golf & Country Club.
We cannot thank Frank and Doug enough. They are both terrific examples of what it means to be family members of our club. Frank and Doug can’t be thanked enough for helping the club in its time of need and giving of their personal time and expertise!!
