John Varney doesn’t mind the strange looks he gets from classmates and teachers the day before his Maranacook boys soccer team plays its first tournament game.

In fact, he looks forward it.

“All the people get a kick out of it,” said Varney, a senior captain.

Varney’s talking about his new haircut as well as those of his teammates. This year, Varney’s sporting a mohawk with a breast cancer ribbon shaved into the back of his head, and the numbers of his fellow strikers along the side.

“I think he calls it the striker trio,” Tracy Kastning said.

Kastning is part of a group of parents who do the pre-shaving of players heads. It took place Monday night in Readfield, along with a team dinner, in preparation for tonight’s playoff game against Morse.

“They’ve been doing the haircuts for years,” said Kastning, whose son, Andrew Poulin, is a team member. “The last few years we’ve been doing this more as a team.”

The haircuts have risen to a new level since Khanh Vo became involved. He began when his son Duy was a sophomore three years ago.

“We started to get fancier every year,” said Vo, who takes over the design work after the parents prepare the players. “The first time I did it was when my son wanted a mohawk. I said ‘I’m giving you something unique.’ “

Last year, players had everything from numbers to soccer balls to scull caps shaved into their heads. This year, Vo said, he’s been a little less elaborate, although many of the designs take between 20 to 30 minutes to complete.

“This year I wanted to keep everybody consistent,” he said. “A standard mohawk, a ribbon and a number.”

The breast cancer ribbon is there to commemorate breast cancer awareness month. Players will have them colored pink this afternoon shortly before game time. In the past some players have chosen not to get their hair cut, but this year every JV and varsity member did, save two who had prior commitments.

“We keep them until we’re out for the season,” Varney said. “After that it’s just personal preference. I’ll probably keep mine for awhile.”

Varney said the haircuts and team dinners foster team unity, although coach Don Beckwith said this is one of the more closely knit groups he’s ever coached. Beckwith is on board with the haircuts although he makes it clear no one gets pressured to get one.

He’s yet to participate himself, but has dangled a proposition.

“I told them if they win it all they can shave (mine) any way they wanted,” he said.

Gary Hawkins — 621-5638

ghawkins@centralmaine.com

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