Hollister
– Being the best can be tough.
Hollister – Being the best can be tough.
Just ask Omar and Jairo Solorio. The Hollister brothers are, by some accounts, the best power soccer players in the country. Even as they horsed around after practice on Saturday, their skill was apparent – both of them darted around the court, then spun their wheelchairs, slammed into a large soccer ball and sent it flying.
But getting to use that talent comes with a hefty price tag – namely, the cost of plane tickets to Japan, where Omar and Jairo will participate in the first-ever Power Soccer World Cup in October.
Gifford Swanson, who dreamed up the Hollister Free Wheelers power soccer team a decade ago, said Omar and Jairo need community support to pay for the trip. Not only are the Solorios traveling to Japan for the World Cup, but they also will be flying to Minneapolis to practice, and the entire Free Wheelers team left for Indianapolis today to try to win its sixth consecutive national championship.
“When you have a disabled child, you have enough expenses as it is,” Swanson said.
He added that he’s hoping to raise between $30,000 and $35,000 to support the team.
For their part, 22-year-old Omar and 17-year-old Jairo said they’re excited about the trip to Japan, which will be their first time leaving the United States. Both brothers use wheelchairs because they have muscular dystrophy, but that hasn’t stopped them from becoming top-notch athletes.
When asked if they’re nervous about facing the best power soccer players in the world, Omar and Jairo didn’t seem too intimidated. After watching them dance around the question, Free Wheelers coach Don Jones declared, “They’re the two best players in the country.”
That’s not just coach’s pride talking, either – Omar was named the 2006 Power Soccer Association MVP.
Jones, who works for Mountain View medical equipment firm Rehab Specialists when he’s not coaching, has led the Free Wheelers since the beginning.
“The first few years were rough; we lost every game we played,” he said.
However, the Solorio brothers improved quickly and eventually emerged as the team’s leaders.
“They control their chairs amazingly well,” Jones said. “They’re always trying to improve their skills and also the skills of their teammates. … They’re just naturals.”
Things get more challenging for the Free Wheelers this year, because newly-revised rules will make for a sport that relies more on passing and teamwork, but the Solorio brothers said they’re happy to see the game evolve.
“Years ago, you just pushed the ball,” Omar said.
In a few months, Omar and Jairo could be world champions. Even then, Jairo said, they won’t be resting on their laurels.
“Well, we’d like to come back and play again,” he said.
