TOPSoccer

Vernon's TOPSoccer (The Outreach Program for Soccer) is a community-based program.  TOPS is a training program for all athletes with intellectual, emotional, and or physical disabilities. The program strives to provide soccer opportunities for players to develop at their own pace in a safe, fun, and supportive/inclusive environment.

In Vernon, TOPSoccer is designed to bring the opportunity of learning and playing soccer to children from kindergarten through high school with developmental disabilities. The TOPSoccer program enables these special athletes to play at levels consistent with their skills, not necessarily their age. The girls and boys play on the same team.  Volunteer coaches lead players and peer mentors in fun-filled and informative sessions of soccer skill-building and small-sided games.

Soccer events are on Saturdays at 9:30am for ages 5-10 & 11:00am for ages 11-21 at the Miracle Field at Northeast School in Vernon. We meet for 6 - 8 weeks in the fall.  We recommend players bring shin guards and their own soccer ball.  A parent/guardian is required to be present during sessions.

Vernon Soccer Club is offering this program for FREE for the Fall season!

If you have questions about TOPS please contact Steven Leibowitz via Teacherleibo@gmail.com

Benefits for Participants

• SOCIAL SKILLS - Players interact with their volunteer Buddy and other athletes in a fun, group setting and learn proper social behaviors.

• TEAMWORK - Players learn to trust someone else and rely on them through soccer activities and games.

• PERSEVERANCE - Players might encounter difficulties with activities, but they will be encouraged to keep trying and overcome challenges.

• CONFIDENCE - Players will achieve success on the field that carries over to their lives off the field in so many ways!

Differentiators of TOPSoccer

• Buddies: Each participant is assigned a volunteer, trained ‘Buddy’ who is typically a little older and neurotypical. This Buddy works with their player individually and makes sure they are safe, engaged, supported, and having fun. The player-Buddy relationship is maintained throughout the course of a season, resulting in strong interpersonal bonds and an establishment of trust and confidence that allows each player to achieve their full potential.

• Coaches: TOPSoccer coaches and administrators have taken formal USYS education and certification training that assists them in successfully delivering the program. In addition to providing coaching strategies and tactics specifically for children with special needs, the training identifies the traits of the most common disabilities and provides guidance on how to modify typical soccer practice activities so everyone can be successful.

• Groupings: Players are grouped by ability, not just age, such that they can develop at their own pace and participate amongst others with similar abilities.

Challenger Baseball

The Challenger Division was established as a separate division of Little League to enable boys and girls with physical and intellectual challenges, ages 5-18, or up to age 22 if still enrolled in high school or a transition program, to enjoy the game of baseball along with the millions of other children who participate in this sport worldwide.  Today, more than 30,000 children participate in more than 900 Challenger Divisions worldwide.

One of the benefits of having a Challenger Division is that it encourages the use of "buddies" for the Challenger players. The buddies assist the Challenger players on the field, but whenever possible, encourage the players to bat and make plays themselves. However, the buddy is always nearby to help when needed. Parents and teenagers are strongly encouraged to become involved in this uniquely rewarding division of Little League. 

The fundamental goal of the Little League Challenger Division is to provide an environment where participants can learn and enjoy the game of baseball in an environment structured to their abilities.  The buddies are used to assist players in the areas of batting, fielding and base running when necessary.  In addition to assisting players, buddies also help teach players baseball skills and fundamentals.

The baseball skills and abilities of players on a typical Challenger team may vary greatly.  The coach of each team should work with the players and buddies to set individual goals for each player.  For some players, a goal may be learning how to throw a baseball, while for others a goal may be learning to field a ground ball, catch a fly ball or swing the bat without the assistance of a buddy.  Some players may even work towards improving their abilities so that they do not need regular assistance from a buddy.  In these cases, one buddy may be able to “float” between several players on the field and provide assistance when needed.

As players improve their baseball skills, they enjoy a sense of accomplishment as they achieve their goals.  It is important to remember that the role of the buddy is to assist when necessary and to help the participants learn the game, not to play the game for the participants.

Below are some details about Vernon-Rockville’s Challenger Team:

• The season starts in mid-April and continues until mid-June.  

•  Practices and games are generally on Tuesdays & Thursdays although sometimes a weekend game is scheduled.  

•  Games are 2 innings long, and every player bats each inning. 

•  Players hit coach pitched balls or off a tee. 

•  Buddies in the field assist the players when needed.  

•  Players are encouraged to participate, but never pressured.

•  A typical season is 8 to 10 games.