Believe it or not, sleepy little Hollister is home to some
serious athletic champions, who have proven again and again that
they can conquer any challenge on or off the field.
Believe it or not, sleepy little Hollister is home to some serious athletic champions, who have proven again and again that they can conquer any challenge on or off the field.
The Hollister Free Wheelers are currently one of the top teams in the world of power soccer – a sport designed specifically for athletes who use a power wheelchair which is played in nations throughout the globe. Due to the success of his athletes, Free Wheelers Coach Don Jones is part of the dialogue to establish a set of official rules for power soccer that athletes will play by all over the world – which could one day qualify the sport for inclusion in the Paralympic Games.
“Power soccer gives these athletes the opportunity to compete,” he said. “As able-bodied people we have a lot of ways to pursue competition in any way we like, but a wheelchair makes that much more difficult… But my team has the opportunity to compete in a sport that was designed with them in mind, and that’s great.”
The Free Wheelers were founded in 1997, when Jones and his wife Susan moved to Hollister and discovered that virtually no recreational opportunities for the disabled existed locally. Armed with a degree in adapted physical education, Jones approached the city about starting a power soccer team. The following year, the couple founded Specialized Hollister Activities and Recreation Program, or SHARP, as a non-profit to supplement what little funding the city was able to provide.
Initially, the Free Wheelers only had four players, but the program grew rapidly as more athletes were turned on to the idea. Today, 11 males and three females ranging in age from 10 to 42 call themselves Free Wheelers.
“Hollister doesn’t have much to do period, and power soccer was the only thing I could really do in a wheelchair,” said Robert “The Wall” Hallett, the Free Wheeler’s goalie and one of the first players. “But it gave me the chance to meet other players, and that’s the best part, for me.”
Though the team got off to a slow start, often losing in matches against their arch-rivals in San Jose, their first victory against San Jose marked the beginning of a lucky streak that the team is still riding. The team has placed second or first at five national championships and is widely considered the best team in the U.S. – even among the best teams in the world. The Free Wheelers are so good, in fact, that athletes who have the option of playing on their local team commute from as far as Santa Cruz and Spreckles for a chance to play with the best.
“How did I feel when we got our first championship? I was crying, that’s how I felt,” Hallett said.
“These tournaments are amazing, because you have all these athletes from all over who really understand each other’s world,” said Susan Napier-Jones, the team’s manager. “It might take three interpreters for them to actually talk, but in a way, they all speak the same language. It’s that spirit of competition.”
Not only are the Free Wheelers the most talented team in the league, they’re widely regarded as being some of the nicest people in the sport, too.
“I think some of the other teams wish we weren’t so nice,” Napier-Jones said with a laugh. “As soon as the game is over, our players are friends with everyone. We have our tech crew and if one of the other team’s players has a malfunction with their chair, our helpers are the first one over there. They want to do everything they can so that everyone can play.”
Napier-Jones said that power soccer encourages players to continue their education, seek new careers and express themselves. In 2003, Hallett lobbied San Benito High School for a letterman’s jacket in recognition for his accomplishments as a power soccer player. The school eventually agreed and he and all other SBHS Free Wheelers to this day receive jackets.
“We work just as hard as the football players or any other athlete,” Hallett said, who graduated from SBHS several years ago. “I think we deserve to be rewarded for that.”
Currently, Jones is the coach of a national team helping to determine what the international rules of power soccer should be – no Free Wheelers are on the team due to family obligations, but many qualified.
“Currently, there are four styles of power soccer in France, Japan, Great Britain and America,” Jones said. “We had a big clinic in Portugal with players from all over the world, and we played each style and discussed what we liked and didn’t like… The new rules are going to be a mix of all four styles, it’s really pretty cool.”
Napier-Jones said the power soccer community is hoping to have power soccer featured as an exhibition sport at the Paralympics, which are always hosted by the Olympic city – in Beijing in 2008 – and could be a competition sport in 2012.
“I really want to go to the Paralympics. I love that small-town Hollister can beat some of the biggest cities in the world,” Hallett said. “I think I can do it, too, I think I deserve it. No one ever gets a ball passed me.”
This summer the Free Wheelers will be attending the national tournament in Birmingham, Ala., where they hope to bring home another championship. While the experience is valuable to the players, it doesn’t come cheap. The trip costs about $950 per person, and with the players and their “entourage” combined, SHARP needs to raise about $40,000.
“Financial worries can get a bit stressful,” Napier-Jones said. “But it’s worth it. Some of these athletes never would have even thought about traveling if it weren’t for these tournaments. They feel better about themselves, and that confidence is changing their lives.”
Though the sport of power soccer is growing “by the second,” the Free Wheelers say they are taking things one day at time – with practices on the weekend to accommodate everyone’s busy workweek. One day, says Jones, he hopes he can turn the Free Wheelers over to the athletes, not because he’s tired of coaching, but because he wants his players to move up to the next level.
“I love what I do, I am blessed to be able to work in this capacity,” he said. “How often do people in wheelchairs get to be superstars? But eventually I want the athletes to take it on and develop that leadership so they can do their own thing. I really think they’ll be ready to do that someday soon.”
To learn more about the Free Wheelers or to make a tax-deductible donation to SHARP, call (831) 636-3271.
Danielle Smith covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or
ds****@fr***********.com
