CVN
Service • Repair • Maintenance
Reliability Since 1933
Smog • Brakes • AC Certified Mechanics
684-2013 1025 HOLLY
BY ALONZO OROZCO
Next week: Heptathlon/ Decathlon results
SPORTS
ROSEBRO GARAGE
June 23 - 29, 2016
Wheelchair soccer empowers
While soccer enthusiasts are enjoying the back-and-forth action of Copa America Centenario across the Americas and the International European Championships across the Atlantic, a different brand of soccer is being played locally. Started in France in the early 1970s, Power Soccer (or sometimes referred to Power Wheelchair Soccer) made its way to the United States in the early 1980s. “The higher level teams (that use specially-designed wheelchairs) can really rocket that ball across the court. Their reflexes have to be quite rapid to intercept the ball,” said Martha Degasis who considers herself the “Den Mother” for the Santa Barbara Rollin Rebels, a squad that has played together since 2005. “It’s more like hockey that way than soccer per se,” added Degasis, a Santa Barbaran whose son, Gus Albertsen, has played for the team for over five years. The squad, coached by Dan Weiner, has practiced for a number of years at the Carpinteria Middle School gym. Brian Crews of Carpinteria is on the team. The game is played on a basketball court where four players per team, using power wheel chairs with metal soccer guards on the front, attempt to blast the ball into the opponents’ goal. The competitors use an oversized ball, 18 inches in diameter, as they weave their way around the floor utilizing the speed of the chair. “A typical score of a very high game would be 12 or 16 points,” explained Degasis of the matches, which are split into 20-minute halves with goals that are marked by pylons or cones 19feet, 8-inches apart. Power soccer is played both nationally and internationally. Last weekend, the USPSA (United States Power Soccer Association) held its Presidents Cup in Fort Wayne, Ind., where teams from as
SUBMITTED PHOTO
The Santa Barbara Rollin’ Gauchos soccer team practices and holds tournaments at Carpinteria Middle School. nearby as Glendale and as far as Boston were scheduled to compete. Currently, the Rollin Rebels travel primarily within the state and recently to Phoenix. Two of the players, Connor Biggerstaff and Genevieve (Gen) Werner, make the trip from Ventura. Scott Werner, Gen’s father, also acts as the Assistant Coach. Mark and Brian MacLaren, along with Chris Benedict, hail from Santa Barbara. One of the Rollin Rebels, Tiago Pinto, splits time between Brazil and Santa Barbara. The team age ranges from 17
to 54, but according to Degasis all the teammates get along well. There are a range of disabilities on the team; some of the participants play with cerebral palsy, have had tracheotomies, and some are even competing while on oxygen. In April of this year, the Rebels hosted a two-day tournament for fi ve of the top teams from California, called “The Bash at the Beach” and played at CMS. Funding for the organization comes primarily from an anonymous donor
who started United Cerebral Palsy’s Clara Project in honor of his late aunt who died from the disease while being institutionalized. The Rebels will sponsor their own fundraiser, a rummage sale on July 9 at CMS, to help supplement the cost of replacing wheelchair parts. The season runs from late October through April. “It’s a great opportunity for people with a disability to get out there and experience a competitive sport,” concluded Degasis.
CHS and Santa Barbara Track Club to host Heptathlon/Decathlon Carpinteria High School and the Santa Barbara Track Club (SBTC) will host a Heptathlon/Decathlon on June 24 and 25 at Carpinteria Valley Memorial Stadium for Summer Olympic hopefuls. It will be the last opportunity to qualify for the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore. in July. The estimated timeframe for the dual event will begin at 2 p.m. and finish at 7 p.m. on Friday, and from noon to 5:20 p.m. on Saturday. The fields are still developing with unofficially seven to eight decathletes and four to five heptathletes entered. CHS assistant coach Sarah Skipper will be competing in the heptathlon, and her SBTC teammate Barbara Nwaba will also take part in selected events. Nwaba is the defending national champion and has already qualified for Eugene. On the men’s side, Tom FitzSimons, bronze medalist at the 2014 Nationals, may participate in select events to sharpen up for the Olympic Trials. Dos Pueblos High School grad Steven Scarvellis will also be competing. There will also be a novice division. CHS athletes Brian Buchmiller, Chance Wright and Daniel Burquez plan to
compete. CHS will also hold its first All-Comers Meet at 9:30 a.m. on June 25. The second day of the decathlon/heptathlon will come at the tail end of the all-comers meet. To register to compete for the Heptahlon/Decathlon, email Josh Priester at josh@santabarbaraatc.com. The entry fee is $75 per athlete and is due prior to the start of the competition.
Summer All Comers Meets 2016
Carpinteria Valley Memorial Stadium hosts regular track meets for all ages throughout the summer. It’s $5 for adults and $3 for students to compete.
Schedule
Saturday, June 25, 9:30 a.m. Saturday, July 16, 9:30 a.m. Friday, July 22, 6:30 p.m. Friday, August 5, 6:30 p.m.
Information
Warriorcountry.com/track lathamchs@yahoo.com
BILL SWING
Carpinteria High School’s Chance Wright, center, has signed up to compete in the amateur division of this weekend’s decathlon. In addition to the youth athletes, several participants hope to use the event at Carpinteria Valley Memorial Stadium as a springboard to this July’s Olympic Trials.
coastalview.com