Staff photo by TAMMY SHOWALTER
Special Olympians from St. Mary's County headed to Athens, Greece for the World Games.
The U.S. Special Olympics men’s soccer team is heading to Athens, Greece, to take on teams from around the world in hopes of winning gold at the World Games and it is from St. Mary's County.
Among the 7,500 athletes will be the 10-man soccer team, managed by Mary Lu Bucci, the county director for Special Olympics St. Mary’s County, and co-coached by John Toner and Ken Cohen.
The team has been preparing for the past year for the opportunity to not only represent the United States at the World Games but also St. Mary’s County in a big way.
“They are a great group of 10, they really are,” Bucci said. “We’ve been so fortunate to have this opportunity. Who gets to go to Greece?”
Sunday, the team boarded a plane at Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport and arrived at the Isle of Rhodes, a Greek island located just 11 miles southwest of Turkey in the eastern Aegean Sea. The team is scheduled to stay there for five days, explore the area, get some practice time in and take in the culture. The Games begin Saturday and last through July 4.
“I have been with this team since the very beginning,” said Toner, who started as a unified partner, “and I think they’ve found their true potential as soccer players this year. To see the growth in preparing for this is just amazing. This year Sam Huffman has really improved as far as going on a good training regiment. He’s gotten a lot faster.”
Toner has been with the team for 11 years and is balancing the emotional bond and the coaching hammer just fine.
“Emotionally, to see the growth and the training they’ve had this year for this is just amazing,” Toner said. “You do what you have to do to keep them focused. I think the part that keeps the coaching straight is being a father myself and I try to be hard on them that way, but if I have to lay the hammer down I will.”
Huffman, a defender, dropped 30 pounds during the past year.
"I've just stayed disciplined," Huffman said. "We want to win it and bring back the gold."
The team welcomed Cohen this season and has learned some key components for taking on seasoned cross-cultured teams. Cohen himself was an Academic All-American soccer player at Allegheny College (Pa.) and has coaching experience with the University of Delaware and the USYSA Olympic Development Program. Cohen is also a professor of American history at St. Mary's College of Maryland.
As a longtime member of the team, Huffman said he has been very happy with the skills he’s learned from Cohen.
“He’s a great coach,” Huffman said. “He’s worked with us and taught us about ball placement and transitions. He trained us for about five hours a day when we were out in [San Diego] California.”
Huffman has experience in track and field and made the trip to the 1999 World Games, taking home gold in the high jump. He said he also enjoys playing softball and basketball.
Huffman plans to attend Gallaudet University (Washington, D.C.) in the fall.
Steven Summerfelt, a midfielder, has strong vocal support to his teammates in overcoming the challenging diagnosis of a torn ACL.
“I’m cleared by the doctor and will play in as many games as I can,” Summerfelt said. “I’m ready to play.”
Summerfelt's mother, Terry, also will make the trip to Greece, along with Special Olympics St. Mary’s County assistant director Connie Thompson.
Thompson was hand chosen by Procter & Gamble and it is sponsoring her trip and the trip of two other mothers across the country.
"I just couldn't believe it when they told me," Thompson said. "Out of all the moms in the country, they picked me. I was at work jumping up and down shouting, 'I got a trip to Greece. I got a trip to Greece.’”
Thompson will cheer on her son, Wesley, the most experienced player on the team. Wesley plays the forward and the back positions.
“As he’s become an adult, he’s come into his own,” Connie Thompson said. “This has been his dream since the beginning. This was the reason he joined Special Olympics. It’s been amazing to watch him grow.”
Larry Mills, known for his quickness, said he is anxious and ready to take in the sites and get on the field. Tears welled up on Saturday just before boarding the van for Baltimore for their Sunday flight. Mills started playing soccer at the age of 11 and is thankful to his coaches for opening up these doors of opportunity for him.
“I want to go up there and have some fun and bring back the gold medal,” Mills said. “It’s amazing [to be the only team in the United States].
First-year goalie Alan Hill said he knows he has added pressure on his shoulders, but he's just going to stay positive and focused.
“It’s a lot of responsibility,” Hill said. “We’ve had a lot of time for practice to prepare. We know it’s going to be extremely hot over there, so we’ve focused on our diets. We’ve all been playing together for quite a while, so like coach says, ‘We just have to stay positive.’”
The team has gotten some extra help from the Leonardtown High School boys and girls soccer teams in preparation for the World Games. They’ve gotten the chance to scrimmage and fine-tune their skills.
Zack Hall played center midfield during his senior year at Leonardtown and intends on playing club during his first year at Radford University (Va.) this fall.
“They beat us the first scrimmage last Wednesday,” Hall said. “Larry is very good. He’s extremely fast. I hope they do well and have a good time.”
Sarah Selby, who just finished up her freshman year and played midfield on the junior varsity team, also plays on a travel soccer team.
“Ms. Henderson [Leonardtown head girls soccer coach] sent out an email for volunteers,” Selby said, “and it sounded like fun. They were really good. I hope they win in their bracket.”
tshowalter@somdnews.com