By Rick Palsgrove
Southeast Editor
Nicole Byler (right) of Columbus Alliance Soccer coaches Groveport Special Olympics athlete Becca Breedlove during a soccer training skills session on March 6.
Groveport Special Olympics athletes are getting a kick out of learning soccer skills from members of Columbus Alliance Soccer.
“Columbus Alliance Soccer reached out to us and offered soccer skills training to our athletes,” said Penny Hilty, a local coordinator with Groveport Special Olympics, which also offers swimming, bowling and volleyball. “We said, ‘We can do this!’ and our athletes love it.”
Groveport Special Olympics formed in the Groveport/Canal Winchester area. The mission of Special Olympics Ohio is to provide year round sports training and competition in a variety of Olympic type sports for intellectually disabled individuals.
The soccer training sessions are held at Columbus Alliance Soccer’s recently opened indoor training facility, the Alliance Center for Athletic Excellence, located at 5710 Green Point Drive North, Suite A, in Groveport. Columbus Alliance Soccer is a youth soccer club fielding 13 teams for players from age 3 to high school age.
“We teamed up with the Groveport Special Olympics to run a six week soccer training session to teach their athletes basic soccer skills and fundamentals of the game all while having fun,” said Nicole Byler, club administrator for Columbus Alliance Soccer. “We have around 12 to 15 individuals come out on Sundays for two hours from Groveport Special Olympics and then we have about a dozen of our club players and parents who come and help run training and games.”
Byler said the training sessions include instruction on basic foot skills, dribbling, passing, shooting on goal, throw-ins, and goalie techniques.
“The kids are really enjoying it,” said Byler.
Byler said her organization and Groveport Special Olympics are planning on doing another soccer training session after this session is completed and also hope to prepare a soccer team for the official Special Olympics games this summer at Ohio State University.
“We are very excited about how this is running so far,” said Byler. “It’s great to see our club players get involved with our community and give back. We don’t just give our players the best soccer training in Columbus, we also teach them how to become leaders in their local communities through volunteer opportunities and programs.”
Byler said soccer teaches kids how to work together as a team, provides health benefits, teaches discipline, and promotes friendships.
“Our club kids are bonding with the Groveport Special Olympics kids,” said Byler. “One of our players became friends with one of the Special Olympics players and bought him his own soccer ball. It’s a blessing.”
Byler said that, in addition to Groveport Special Olympics, her soccer club has also reached out to similar Special Olympics organizations in Hamilton Township and Pickerington.
For information about Groveport Special Olympics contact local coordinators Penny and Cassandra Hilty at groveportspecialolympics@gmail.com or at (614) 395-8992 or 395-6640. Donations may be sent to Groveport Special Olympics, P.O. Box 296, Groveport, OH 43125.
For information on Columbus Alliance Soccer, visit columbusalliancesc.com.
