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Overcast The Oceanside Stars shine bright
Laura Adams used to look out her window at the children playing on the street, feeling very lonely and isolated. Her son, Blake, then just a baby, was born with cerebal palsy and with limited communication skills.
"When you hear the diagnosis, you think you’re the only one,” said Adams. “They told me not to accept much from him.” Eventually Adams met other mothers when Blake, her only child, entered preschool, and together they looked for activities which could include their children She and her husband, Phil, found Camp Anchor, a summer day camp in Lido Beach for handicapped and disabled children, and when Blake entered kindergarten, he joined the Oceanside Stars. Blake, a boy with very limited communication skills and very weak motor ability, was now a soccer player.
“He’s not the best player,” said Adams of her son, who is now 14, “but he loves to go and see all of his friends.” A self proclaimed “soccer mom,” said that watching her son and the other children blossom is the most rewarding part. “He gets me going on nights when I don’t feel like going anywhere. He is my inspiration.” She said that she is grateful to all of the volunteers and coaches who unselfishly give their time and efforts every Friday for these kids.
The idea for the Oceanside Stars (originally the Special Needs Program for the Oceanside United Soccer Club) began about a decade ago with Rhonda Portnoy, Patricia Mirando, Vinny Pumo, and Pete Bussa, as just one of three such programs on Long Island (there are now 12 programs.)
Bill McAssey, a former special education teacher and plastics manufacturer, and Carlo Paravani, have run the program for the last seven years. McAssey, who lives in Oceanside with his wife, Lucille, principal of Waverly Park Elementary School in the Lynbrook School District, have two grown children who are do not have special needs but have nevertheless been part of the team as they were growing up. Paravani's daughter, Marisa, has Down Syndrome and is one of the top players on the team.
McAssey said that one of the greatest things is that the parents see that they are not alone, and they constantly network with each other. Danielle Brooks, of Oceanside, discovered the team four years ago when she was president of the Special Education PTA. "He loves it there," she said of her oldest son, Jonathan, who is now 12 and is a high-functioning boy with Asperger's Syndrome, a disorder that is part of the autism spectrum. "His issues are not physical as much as social." She said that this was the first time that her oldest son —who is in gifted and talented programs at school — was able to get a chance to play a sport in a setting that was comfortable for him. "He is doing amazing there ... we call it 'the safe place.'" Her younger sons — whom she calls, "typical kids" — James, 9, and Joseph, 6, also join in the game.
"This is an opportunity for kids who can't play any other sport," said Paravani. Sometimes a player shows such talent and love for the game that they are integrated into the main intramural program, as his own daughter did. "If we see a kid that is talented and can be mainstreamed ... that's what we try to do."
"All of the coaches and volunteers are wonderful," McAssey said. "Some are doing community service for their school programs, but all of them are just amazing with the kids." Although Oceanside is home base, the team accepts children from the surrounding communities. "We get an influx of quite a few children each September," he said. "Some stay on,others don't." On any given Friday, there could be anywhere from 15 to 40 kids coming to play. ""It's taken on a life of its own," McAssey said. The team also takes part in tournaments across Long Island to play against similar teams from other towns.
For more information about the Oceanside Stars, call Bill McAssey (516) 766-0277 or Oceanside Community Activities at (516) 594-2336.
Chris Munzing contributed to this story. Comments about it? Mmalloy@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 202.
