SOCCER INSPIRES SPORTSMANSHIP; TOURNAMENT DRAWS TEAMS FROM ACROSS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.Byline: Sylvia L. Oliande Daily News Staff Writer In the few minutes before their first game of the day during the Ventura County Special Olympics Special Olympics International sports program for people with intellectual disability. It provides year-round training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type summer and winter sports for participants. 5-a-side Soccer Tournament, the Conejo Champs were going through their warm-up drills, as one of their coaches put them through their paces and prodded them to play faster. To make her point, coach Karrie Markrud got between players Sky Casley, 16, and B.J. Smoot, 17, to try to take the ball away. Not to be outdone out·do tr.v. out·did , out·done , out·do·ing, out·does To do more or better than in performance or action. See Synonyms at excel. , Casley kicked it out from between her feet and made a goal as her back was turned. ``They always get excited, no matter how much they act like they couldn't care less beforehand,'' said another coach, Kyle Stonecipher. ``They get excited as soon as they get out there.'' The fourth annual event was held on the football practice and baseball fields of California Lutheran University Mission statement The University's mission statement is as follows: "California Lutheran University is a diverse, scholarly community dedicated to excellence in the liberal arts and professional studies. for the first time since the competition began four years ago. The college also provided hundreds of volunteers from among its student body to run the tournament. Members of its junior varsity junior varsity n. Abbr. JV A high-school or college team that competes in interschool sports on the level below varsity. Noun 1. soccer team officiated the games during the day. The 18 competing teams hailed from seven areas throughout Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, , from Orange County to Ventura County. And the 175 players on the six fields Saturday approached the game like seasoned professionals, many of them accustomed to competing in other sports as well. During a break in their own tournament, some of the players got a chance to watch the varsity team In the United States and Canada and UK, varsity sports teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, or high school or other secondary school. Such teams compete against the principal athletic teams at other colleges/universities, or in the case of from Cal Lutheran play. Olympic organizers said it was a nice added attraction for the athletes. ``They get the opportunity to see some of the better soccer players in the county,'' said Bob Martin, area director of the event. ``They get to see the goal. These athletes will probably never get to that level, but it's nice to set it out for them and show them what's out there.'' Stonecipher, whose 12-person team, the Conejo Champs, had a wide variety of skill levels and experience, said the game teaches his athletes how to follow directions, and helps build their self esteem and socialization socialization /so·cial·iza·tion/ (so?shal-i-za´shun) the process by which society integrates the individual and the individual learns to behave in socially acceptable ways. so·cial·i·za·tion n. skills. ``But most of all, it's about having fun,'' he said. While the Champs were ultimately bested by their opponents, the Gremlins from Santa Barbara Santa Barbara (săn'tə bär`brə, –bərə), city (1990 pop. 85,571), seat of Santa Barbara co., S Calif., on the Pacific Ocean; inc. 1850. , sportsmanship was high throughout the game. Many of the players on both sides took time out to congratulate each other on small victories or checked to be sure a player was all right when they got hurt. ``All of these teams you see right here, they're not just disabled,'' said Robert Bryan, 22, of the Gremlins. ``They work hard, they play hard and they do their best. That's what makes a winner.'' CAPTION(S): 3 Photos PHOTO (1--Color) (Ran in Conejo Edition only) Conejo Champs player Monica Lopez, 26, receives a hug Saturday during a Special Olympics soccer tournament in Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. . (2--Color in Conejo Edition only) Sky Casley goes for the ball playing against the Santa Barbara Gremlins on Saturday. (3--Color) (Ran in Conejo Edition only) B.J. Smoot, left, and Marc Reeve horse around during lunchtime at the tournament. The event drew 18 teams from across Southern California. Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Special to the Daily News |
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