By Isaac Ceja
07 Nov 2023, 01:49 AM EST
Los Angeles County District 5 Supervisor Kathryn Barger presented a check for $40,000 on Sunday in support of the City of Burbank’s Adaptive Sports Program at the McCambridge Recreation Center in the same city.
These funds will be used to purchase mobility equipment so community members with special needs can continue to participate in fun and healthy sports programs.
“Funds using these types of programs would not have qualified because of the language that was not written for mobility, but we changed our criteria for how to allocate funds to now include adaptive interaction in sports,” Barger explained.
The supervisor hopes that Burbank will be one of many cities in Los Angeles County that take advantage of the possibility of putting together programs for groups that are too often ignored.
Konstantin Anthony, Mayor of the City of Burbank and advocate for the disability community, was also present and spoke about the benefits of the program.
“These sports not only provide physical benefits but also contribute to improving mental well-being, increasing self-confidence and social integration of people with disabilities,” Anthony said.
A little before they finished moving the podium, the power soccer athletes began passing the giant blue ball with which they play.
One of the athletes was Chase Martínez who has been participating in this sport for a little over six years.
According to the athlete, power soccer is played in an electric wheelchair that is closer to the ground than normal chairs, and also has a metal cage around the chair and wheels so you can hit the ball.
He adds that the chairs they use to play feel like a Formula One car, compared to the wheelchairs they normally use.
“The reason I like power soccer is because I’m very competitive and I love sports,” Martinez said. “And when my mom found this sport for me, I instantly loved it.”
The young man is part of the Los Angeles Soccer Club (LASC) team and the last two years they won the championship in a national competition in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Off the court, the team members, who suffer from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), communicate and even connect to play online video games like Fortnite.
This disease is a genetic disorder characterized by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness, all due to alterations in a protein called dystrophin that helps keep muscle cells intact.
It usually affects only boys, although girls can carry the Duchenne gene without alterations.
The average life expectancy of a person with DMD is 27 years.
In 2018 Armando Ornelas, the team’s current coach, lost his son, Kyle Ornelas, due to complications from said disease.
Initially, Kyle’s father had become involved in the sport as a referee to support his son, but later had the opportunity to become a coach.
Kyle, before he died at age 23, had started a youth power soccer program and all the young people who are now part of the team attended the program and knew Armando’s son.
“They knew Kyle and we tried to keep his memory alive. “He is a big reason why I continue to do it,” the father said. “I can’t walk away from the team because this group was inspired by Kyle, so it’s a special group for me.”
For many parents like Armando who have children who suffer from the genetic disease, power soccer is something that brings joy to their lives because it is one of the times when their children have the freedom to get involved and have fun with other people.
José Juan González is Jonny’s father, who is part of the team and is very grateful to be able to instill this sport in his son.
On occasion, Jonny’s father even gets into a wheelchair to practice with the youngsters. He plays as a goalkeeper and has already realized how difficult it is to play in a wheelchair, although young people seem to do it with great ease.
“I would like people to try to get involved a little, at least paying attention to everything they do,” González said. “For example, occasionally attending some of these children’s games in competitions; I am sure that would help them a lot to inspire them more.”