When Colorado College alumnus Chris Quon died at age 22 in 2009, he left behind a perpetuating vision of giving.

He had been running a fundraising soccer tournament called the Answer for Cancer. In the year after his passing, his close friends Toby Cohen, Nate Danforth, Jessica Kautz and Trevor Cobb decided to continue the tournament but renamed it Quony Cup.

Two years after Quon’s death from a heart condition, close friend Evan Spirito passed away from lung cancer. Quon had supported Spirito in his fight against cancer, which was diagnosed his junior year. The Chris Quon Foundation and the Evan Spirito Foundation had a hand in the organization of Saturday’s Quony Cup, whose funds will go to the local American Cancer Society chapter.

Quon started the cup after two grandparents were diagnosed. The event features food, music and soccer, the sport he loved most. Chris was a two-sport Division III athlete in lacrosse and soccer.

This year, the cup will be run by two lacrosse players, junior Will Harris and senior Charles Curtis, and senior women’s soccer player, Marika Viragh.

“I guess what’s so amazing to me is that (Harris, Curtis and Viragh) didn’t even know Chris,” Cohen said. Cohen was Quon’s best friend and lacrosse teammate. Cohen is still very involved in planning. “And that’s what’s awe inspiring for me. They’ve gone above and beyond the call of duty for people that they didn’t even know, so it means the world to a lot of people, more than they can know.”

The three have no trouble connecting with the spirit of the tournament.

“I think it kind of embodies what CC is all about,” Harris said. “This aspect of a community, from alumni to students to people of all different groups coming together to celebrate two greats, two alums.

“It just shows how kind and how nice the CC community is.”

David Quon, Chris’ father, expressed how grateful he was of Cohen’s, Harris’ and the college’s work.

“We as a family feel so blessed of how the CC community, the students, athletes, non-athletes, the administrators, the coaches, the professors, the whole community just rallies around and makes this happen,” David said.

David and Sarah, one of Chris’ sisters, will attend this year. Is it too emotional for Diane, his mother, to come. Chris’ other two sisters won’t be there due to athletic events; Kasey with Stamford field hockey and Rachel with Chicago Red Stars professional soccer. Dr. Anthony Spirito and Susan Spirito, Evan’s father and mother, will attend.

Spirito sees the cup not just as a fundraiser, but a place for support.

“CC is such a small school and for this close-knit group to experience the loss of two friends as they start their lives as young adults is very unusual,” Spirito said. “So to come from around the country and have a chance to be together and support each other as they remember their friends is important.”

David Quon spoke about similar warmth within the community.

“Quony Cup has evolved into a modern age, or modern era, Woodstock,” he said. “That is one of the best ways I described it. It’s a weekend of love. It’s a weekend of support. It’s a weekend of reconnecting.

“It’s a weekend of having a lot of fun with one another … and it’s beautiful.”

Though this event will be smaller than most due to an off-campus CC event in Crested Butte, Harris expects the tournament to include around 12 teams. Last year, 20 teams of students and alumni gathered including those from New York, Boston, Washington, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

The attendance of Chris’ friends is not just demonstration of their care for him, but a reflection of his care for them.

“They just meant so much to him,” Diane Quon said. “Life is short, so when you get the chance to see your friends and get together, I think it’s great.”

“I guess it just shows that CC isn’t just the four years of your life, and it kind of shows the past, present and future of CC,” Harris said.

The bond that forms between the Spiritos, Quons, students and alumni is indelible. It’s a reason why many students want to be a part of the event and why alumni keep coming back.

“This is the only time when I come can back to not just a place that I love, but I can see the people that I love,” Cohen said. “It’s just a lot of love and a lot of laughing. By far the highlight of my year.”

Toby Cohen (who’s helped plan every Quony Cup), Chris Quon and Evan Spirito Photo by COURTESY OF QUON FAMILY

Last year’s poster Photo by COURTESY OF QUON FAMILY