Clemson Paralympic Soccer is a program run through Clemson University to provide soccer programming for various populations with disabilities. Their programs seek to improve the quality of life through their Residential Training Program, VA Adaptive Soccer Camps, Tutor, Talk and Train Program, Additional Adaptive Sport Opportunities such as 5-a-side Blind Soccer, 7-a-side Para Soccer, and adaptive weight training sessions, and continuing research and education. One of the programs from which many of the others have grown from has been funded by the United States Department of Veteran Affairs the last 5 years and supports veterans with disabilities to experience adaptive Soccer. In partnership with US Soccer, we are able to provide veteran participants with a US Soccer grassroots coaching certification, a mental health first aid certification and provide them with an overview of a number of the adaptive soccer programs growing around the country. We followed up with some of their past participants to see how this camp has impacted their life.
Christian Gay: U.S. Army Veteran
Residing in Colorado, Christian previously lived in Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, Texas, Kuwait, and Iraq over the course of his service in the Army National Guard. Crossing paths with US Men’s Paralympic Soccer team coach, Stuart Sharp, at the Eastern and Southern Regional TOPSoccer Conference, he was told about Clemson Paralympic Soccer’s veteran
s soccer camps. In regard to his participation in camp, Christian expressed that “I loved learning about new ways to coach players with special needs and being with other veterans.” When asked what he took away from the camp experience, Christian stated, “there is always a way for everyone to be able to play and love soccer.” This sentiment was taken beyond camp. Christian then went on to coach in
Christian Gay
his community, utilizing a U.S. Soccer Coaching Certification that is provided at camp. One of his astonishing accomplishments has been the role of the TOP Soccer program for Desoto Soccer Association. TOPSoccer is a community-based training program for athletes with intellectual, emotional, and or physical disabilities. The program strives to provide soccer opportunities for players to develop at their own pace in a safe, fun, and supportive/inclusive environment. While working as VP of TOPSoccer in the Desoto Soccer Association, Christian loves working with the kids in the program, stating that “being with the kids was more rewarding than I could have ever imagined.”
Al Marconi: U.S. Naval Reserves Veteran
Al Marconi
Currently living in California, Al served in the U.S. Naval Reserves for six years and the U.S. Army Reserves for fourteen years. Over the course of his service, he lived all over the continental United States, in multiple Mediterranean Sea ports, and in parts of the Caribbean. Hearing about the Clemson veteran soccer camp program from the physical therapist at his VA hospital, Al enjoyed the “thoroughness of the content taught at camp and the friendly and non-stressful demeanor of the instructors.”
In addition to lessons regarding adaptive soccer coaching, participants also go through Mental Health
First Aid training, which teaches them how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness and substance abuse disorders. From this training, Al expressed that he “learned to be attuned to the feelings and emotional mind sets of those around me”. Al is now a volunteer with the Recreation Department of the Jerry Pettis memorial VA Medical Center in Loma Linda, California and is a player and coach of an all-veteran Power Soccer team in Hemet, California. In regard to the position of volunteer with the VA Recreation department, AL assists the staff of Recreation Therapists in providing daily activities and community re-entry opportunities for the veterans in the convalescent, rehabilitation, dementia, and palliative care units of the VA hospital. When acting as a player and a coach for the Power Soccer team, Al assists the head coach by helping structure team practices, utilizing knowledge gained from Clemson veteran camp participation to aid in gameplay and practice direction.
Paige McCune: Recreational Therapist, The Center
Paige McCune works at an adaptive recreation facility in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and attended Clemson Paralympic Soccer’s 4th virtual camp in 2020. Clemson Paralympic Soccer VA camps not only cater to veterans, but allow other adaptive recreation professionals that work with veterans to attend. Paige attended one of the recent Zoom online camps hosted by the program and stated that she enjoyed “learning about different styles of adaptive soccer, meeting other professionals in the field, and how that despite being online, the camp was still hands on and active.” Following camp, Paige expressed interest in expanding her facility’s current offering of Power Soccer to include blind and CP soccer. When asked what future goals she had in regard to the program she works with, Paige stated that “In the future I foresee that I will still be the coach (of the power soccer program), will lead practices, and will develop programming accordingly. The program also has goals of reaching out to and connecting with a handful of soccer communities in the area.” A major takeaway from camp for Paige was that “it doesn’t matter where we start, but that we started. Soccer can be for all levels and ages.”
Clemson Paralympic Soccer is so grateful for all of the amazing participants that they get the honor to work with and serve. Whether at an in-person camp or virtual, the camps offer a number of great opportunities and interactive sessions that they hope participants will be able to utilize back in their communities, whether that’s coaching on a soccer team or being an advocate for disability soccer. Clemson Paralympic Soccer will continue to host virtual camps for veterans and professionals through the Spring of 2021, and hope to be back out on the field shortly after!
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