Power Soccer on the Horizon

Many children in motorized wheelchairs have never had the experience of playing a sport without the aid of an adult.  Sure, there are Little League teams, but playing baseball usually requires a parent to help with swinging a bat or throwing a ball. There are few opportunities for someone in a power wheelchair to take the field alone, make his/her own decisions, and play independently. Anna Wood, the new therapeutic specialist and Teen Center director at the Park and Recreation Department, is bringing an opportunity to do just that to Sudbury: a sport called power soccer.

Power soccer was created in France in the early 1970s as the first competitive sport designed specifically for power wheelchair users and is played on a regulation basketball court with a 13-inch ball. Players are equipped with a chair guard, and given the same task as anyone else playing soccer: dribble and pass the ball in an effort to put it in a goal.

Wood, who was hired last month, studied recreational therapy at the University of New Hampshire, and believes that power soccer will be hugely beneficial to everyone involved.

"Not only does the sport help people maneuver their chair better, but there are endless benefits," she says. "Like all sports, power soccer can help develop all aspects for the people who play. There are benefits in the classroom, better grades, more confidence, and the best part is, it makes them feel like they are a part of something. For the first time they are in a group where people rely on them."

Wood is acting quickly to get a league underway. Last month she held a demonstration where about eight children participated, and she is hoping to have a league organized by the fall.

Amy Young, whose daughter Sara is in a power wheelchair and was at the demonstration, says the creation of a league would be wonderful for her family.

"Sara's dad played semi-pro soccer, and her grandfather started a local soccer league," Young said. "It's such an important part of our family, and it will be wonderful for Sara to get to play it herself. She came to this demonstration just to watch, but decided it looked like so much fun she decided to play."

Don Norton, whose son has spinal muscular atrophy, says he hopes that not only will power soccer give his child the chance to learn what it means to win, compete, and be a part of a team, but also will be a major boon to him as a parent.

Part of being a parent, he says, is watching your kid play a sport. It's the chance to see your child learn, play and have fun. It is also the chance to socialize with other parents in the bleachers.

"It's really a treat to be around other parents and watch your children have fun," he said.

Norton, who is from Braintree, and Young, who is from Lowell, both said they would happily drive into Sudbury if a power soccer league is formed.

With people willing to make the trek to Sudbury, Nancy McShea, the director of Park and Recreation, recognizes how important a power soccer league could be not just to the town, but to the region.

"In the past we have not accommodated power wheel chair people enough," McShea said. "We have not even been asked to accommodate because we were so far way from being [able to] accommodate this. But now, we are taking the lead, and hope to be a help to people all over the area."