2008 Woodie Awards
Deaf soccer league fun, not combative
By Jeff Reese
Issue date: 11/21/08 Section: Pulse
Originally published: 11/20/08 at 9:44 AM CSTLast update: 12/15/08 at 9:03 PM CST
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Andria Cantu, who started the company in 2006 with the help of Marcela Baca, said the company aims to ensure everyone can play the game.
"Marcela and I started it because we want to welcome deaf and hard-of-hearing people to play soccer," Cantu said. "We can play soccer; deaf can!"
Players get together at 3 p.m. each Saturday at the Olmos Basin sporting complex for a purely recreational game.
The randomly chosen teams do not keep statistics or even win-loss records, and Cantu said the informal nature of the games helps players get along better and act in a more social manner.
People can enjoy instead of being rough and getting hurt, Cantu said.
"We only play in a very nice way. That way we can be more social to get to know each other."
Throughout the games and socializing before and afterward, the players exchange hugs as their most common form of display of positive feelings toward one another.
Cantu said hugs provide a morale booster for players.
"Hugs always get people to think positive," Cantu said.
While players rarely show any kind of negative energy on the field, Lauren Raley of Security and Athletic Training comes to each game to supervise the company's zero tolerance code for fighting.
Raley immediately removes players involved in disputes and, in extreme circumstances, hands over power to the San Antonio Police Department to calm the situation and get in touch with the players' parents.
Cantu said discipline is strictly enforced because of the company's effort to keep the games recreational, take away any possible drama and teach non-conforming players not to act in an unfavorable manner.
An official standing on the far right side of the field keeps score and calls timeout in case players get hurt.
Cantu said that and coaching present the biggest challenges because the players, coaches and Raley often run into difficulty communicating instructions and injury alerts.
The company tentatively plans to extend beyond San Antonio and create opportunities for companies in other cities to face off in recreational games.
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