Virgen: A beautiful game, indeed

Why do athletes play sports? I often think about this question when writing about sports or watching games. Some athletes play for the thrill of victory. Or they play for the intensity driven from competition.

Many athletes, then, compete to achieve greatness.

Everyone at Bonita Canyon Sports Park, Field 6, witnessed some unique athletes achieve greatness on Saturday in Newport Beach. I didn’t hear any whining about playing time or parents complain about coaches. You wouldn’t find that here.

Many call soccer, “the beautiful game.” This was certainly true on Saturday.

The V.I.P. programs of AYSO Region 56 “played against” Region 57. It was the Highlighters vs. the Blue Hurricanes. They were kids with special needs, trying their best. Volunteers, young and old, helped the children play soccer, kick the ball and score goals.

The young athletes didn’t need any help celebrating. They could do that all on their own.

Cael Studebaker, 9, scooted along on his walker, moving quickly across the field. Everyone cheered for Cael after he scored. During the celebration the reality of the daily issues he deals with seemed to disappear.

Many athletes are known for overcoming adversity. Cael does it daily, with a smile.

He was born with cerebral palsy and also is hard of hearing. That hardly slows down his energy. He also remains upbeat, always with a smile, says his father Clint Studebaker.

When Clint signs the name of his son, he holds out the letter “C” and also makes a looping motion toward his chest as if to also make the sign for “happy.” Fitting.

Soccer definitely makes Cael happy.

“It’s given him freedom and also the opportunity to act like a real boy,” Clint said. “With the walker he is limited with what he can do, but being out here and running lets him experience soccer like any other child in America.”

Cael also enjoys playing baseball. While he receives a great deal of positive aspects from sports, Cael produces lessons for others, including his family.

“The biggest thing is to take life with smiling,” Clint says of his perspective because of his son. “He’s always smiling. It’s helped us get through the challenges. I think if he wasn’t so happy it might wear us down and get us frustrated. He’s just smiling. And we think, OK, maybe life isn’t so bad. It’s challenging and difficult, but we’ll get through it.”

Cael is the oldest of three, including Hannah, 7, and Logan, 5. The two weren’t at the game on Saturday, as they also play soccer. The mother, Mai, was at their games. When they can all be together they do their best to encourage each other.

Clint says his younger, typical children are protective of Cael, yet they are also mindful of treating him just as any other child.

You could say the volunteers at the game used the same type of mentality when helping the children play soccer.

They are called V.I.P. Buddies.

My daughter, Trinity, who is 9 and has a dual diagnosis of Down syndrome and autism, was helped by Shane Fullbright, a junior at Edison High, where he is a defensive lineman.

Edison had lost to Mater Dei the night before Shane came to Newport Beach to be a V.I.P. Buddy. Shane turned off the emotions of losing with the help of happy children playing soccer for fun.

“It’s always so much fun to be out here,” Shane said. “I love it. It’s always fun to see their faces and their smiles after they score. It’s a nice break from football to be with them and to run around with them.”

Each of the kids played during the action and each of them scored. Gary Van Otten, coach of the Blue Hurricanes, said that is one of the philosophies for AYSO, for each child to play.

After the game, the teams lined up for penalty kicks. And, then came the traditional running through the human tunnel formed by parents, buddies and coaches.

“To me, I coach our U19 team, I’ve coached for years. I’ve seen great teams, club teams. This is what it’s all about,” Van Otten said. “To see these kids run on the field and be typical kids. To be a kid running after the ball and see the joy on their faces when the ball goes into the net. How good is that? The World Cup is a poor second to that.”

Van Otten has helped many children on the Blue Hurricanes team. Gavin Lopez, 8, appeared to be having a rough day at the beginning of the game Saturday. Gavin, who is on the autism spectrum, wept and didn’t seem as if he wanted to play.

Gavin’s mother, Cristina, said his son struggled because he wanted the ball. Gavin can sometimes be aggressive and it’s difficult for him to turn it off or tone it down.

It’s up to people like his mother or Van Otten to make the game more fun for him. Cristina knows Gavin is mostly a fun-loving kid, who has a tendency to be silly.

By the end of the game, Gavin was not crying. He was out there having fun with his friends and the rest of the athletes.

“He’s amazing,” Cristina said of Coach Van Otten. “With his support he knows how to get the kids into it. It has a lot do with the coach.”

The Highlighters also have a great coach, Amanda Selogie, an attorney who focuses on special education cases. She said she wanted to be more hands on with the children she fights for.

She also said she gains inspiration from the children.

“This is one of the best programs for the kids to have the opportunity to play,” Selogie said. “I’m so grateful to be a part of it. It’s an amazing program. I’m so grateful we’ve been able to see the Huntington Beach program grow. The more of these kids get a chance to play soccer just like everyone else is great to see.”