2008 TOPSoccer
Winter Festival By: John Janasik, Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association TOPSoccer
Program Director
This year our Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association
TOPSoccer Program is off to a great start! We held The ninth annual TOPSoccer
Winter Festival on February 23, 2008 at the Waukesha Memorial Catholic Memorial
High School. With the help of many volunteers and TOPSoccer coaches we had a
wonderful TOPSoccer Winter Festival for the TOPSoccer players. All the
TOPSoccer players from our nine TOPSoccer Programs in Wisconsin were invited to
an afternoon of playing soccer games and soccer activities.
This year
the Marquette University Girls Soccer Team again provided support as buddies to
our players. They made time in their busy schedules to the delight of the
children. TOPSoccer is The Outreach Program for children with disabilities
offered by the Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association. We began offering TOPSoccer
in Wisconsin in 1991 and it has now grown to nine programs and over two hundred
TOPSoccer players . Players make friends, build self-esteem, and have an
opportunity to wear a soccer uniform, get exercise and score a goal. We have
nine TOPSoccer programs in Wisconsin offering TOPSoccer so children do not have
to travel far to join a TOPSoccer team. TOPSoccer is played all year long with
indoor and outdoor soccer programs. Our players learn the basics of soccer and
then go on to play with their friends and also join Special Olympics to play
soccer. One of the highlights of the year is our TOPSoccer Winter Festival.
We also offer in the Fall a opportunity for the TOPSoccer players to
attend a Marquette University Girls Soccer Game and play on the field at half
time. TOPSoccer players have a lot of fun meeting players from the other
TOPSoccer programs throughout Wisconsin and playing soccer with them. We have
TOPSoccer program coaches as well as coaches and players from college and high
school soccer programs to show the children new soccer games that bring a lot
of fun to this event. Our TOPSoccer Winter Festival brings people in from all
areas of soccer in Wisconsin such as boys and girls in our Olympic Development
Program, adult soccer players and referees, Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association
staff and administrators. For the past eight years, Ms. Nancy Dexter, a music
therapist, has led a music session during our TOPSoccer Winter Festival. This
activity continues to be very popular not only with the TOPSoccer children, but
is equally popular with the volunteers, parents and friends who attend the
event. Each year Ms. Dexter always comes up with something new to bring a lot
of joy to the children with her singing participation songs such as the YMCA,
Hokey Pokey and our TOPSoccer song. After our sing along session, we announced
our Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association TOPSoccer volunteer award named in
memory of Coach Craig Hicks. This year's TOPSoccer Volunteer of the Year award
is Mr. Gary Kramer from the Sussex TOPSoccer Program. The awards presentation
was followed by more soccer games for all the children and ended with
refreshments for the players, their families and the volunteers. The TOPSoccer
Winter Festival is a wonderful event that brings out the best in all of us for
the volunteers and players.
Our goal in TOPSoccer is to provide a fun
and a safe event for every TOPSoccer player. We would like each child to have
the experience of being on a TOPSoccer team and to score a goal. TOPSoccer is
offered all year long in Wisconsin with winter and summer practices and
games.
If you are unable to attend our TOPSoccer Winter Festival or
help at a local site, we ask that you support TOPSoccer when you shop at Pick
'n Save. Please register for their "WE CARE" program and identify TOPSoccer #
835075 as one of the recipients of your contribution.
We have ten
TOPSoccer programs in Wisconsin with over three hundred children with
disabilities playing soccer. If you would like more information about TOPSoccer
please contact Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association TOPSoccer Program Director
John Janasik at Janasik@execpc.com or 414-545-0069.
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