{"id":34814,"date":"2023-06-15T20:04:40","date_gmt":"2023-06-16T00:04:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/\/?p=34814"},"modified":"2023-06-22T14:38:59","modified_gmt":"2023-06-22T18:38:59","slug":"a-unified-soccer-team-created-by-mdc-student-wins-special-olympics-gold-meda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/a-unified-soccer-team-created-by-mdc-student-wins-special-olympics-gold-meda\/","title":{"rendered":"A Unified Soccer Team Created By MDC Student Wins Special Olympics Gold Medal"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2007, Maya Alvarez watched in amazement as her mom, Jodi English, created and coached a Special Olympics team at Miami Southridge Senior High School for students with intellectual disabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ten years later, Alvarez\u2019s brother, Logan, started a Unified Special Olympics team to allow people at the school without disabilities\u2014known as partners\u2014to join.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now Alvarez is following in their footsteps. The 18-year-old mass communications student at Homestead Campus created a Special Olympics Unified soccer team<\/span>\u2014MDC Sharks\u2014<\/span>last January.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Last month, the squad won a gold medal<\/a><\/span> at the Florida Special Olympics State Summer Games held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Center in Orlando.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI told everybody that we\u2019re here to have fun,\u201d Alvarez said. \u201cWe\u2019re here to build friendships and bond and that was all that mattered. As long as we were having fun, it didn\u2019t matter the score, as long as everybody tried their best.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
ALVAREZ<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To start the team, Alvarez recruited previous members from the Southridge Special Olympics squad. She also gauged interest from her club at Homestead Campus, <\/span>Special Smiles<\/span><\/a><\/span>\u2014a group she created last semester to promote awareness and inclusion for individuals with intellectual disabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Sharks were scheduled to compete in their first match in early March against a team from Miami-Dade County before a uniform shipment delay foiled their plans.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But that didn\u2019t stop them. In April, the squad entered the Special Olympics Annual Summer Games squaring off against teams from Broward and Miami-Dade counties.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite being underdogs, the Sharks won both games against the Broward County squads<\/span>\u2014<\/span>4-2 versus the Pines Panthers and 4-1 against the Pines Jaguars.<\/span><\/p>\n

In their last game, the Sharks faced Miami Vice\u2014a Unified program from Miami-Dade County. During the second half, the game was ruled a 1-1 draw after two athletes fainted due to the heat.<\/span><\/p>\n

After ending regionals undefeated, the team practiced corner kicks and improved their spacing to prepare for the state tournament.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Practices, which included cone and shooting drills, were held every Friday from noon to 3 p.m. at a park near Alvarez\u2019s house. Maya coached alongside her father, Eduardo Alvarez, who was bedridden for two years after he was involved in a work-related accident in 1994.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSeeing how much of a leader [my dad] is has assisted me in becoming the coach that I am today,\u201d Alvarez said.<\/span><\/p>\n

After practicing for a month, the team made the journey to Orlando to compete in the state tournament, which was held on May 19 and 20. It consisted of two matches with two 15-minute halves.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the tournament, the Sharks earned a 5-0 win against the Duval Arc Village Outlaws from Jacksonville and a decisive 9-0 victory against the Leon Lightnings of Tallahassee.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy dream is to win and have fun,\u201d said 32-year-old Kevin Jn-Marie.<\/span><\/p>\n

The team’s star was Darian Sierra, a 24-year-old who is hearing impaired. He scored three goals in the first game and five goals in the second game.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s my passion,\u201d Sierra said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Outside the pitch, the team bonds by staying in touch on WhatsApp, bowling, dining at Chili\u2019s and volunteering at NEVA King Cooper\u2014a school for students with disabilities where English has served as assistant principal since 2021.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After practice, the team also hangs out in Alvarez\u2019s garage for hours to discuss shared interests like Star Wars and Marvel movies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe [are] just trying to see what\u2019s next for us,\u201d said 21-year-old Kenneth Vincent who compared the team to a family. \u201cThis is what keeps us going.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Next month, the Sharks Unified flag football team will begin practicing for the State Fall Classic that will take place on November 10 and 11 in Orlando.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSeeing the kids\u2019 smiles and how joyful they were makes me happy; it fills my heart,\u201d said Fiorella Yantani-Coto, who serves as the MDC Sharks assistant coach. \u201cExperiencing that with them is more meaningful than actually winning.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

To join the MDC Sharks Unified soccer team, contact Maya Alvarez at <\/span>maya.alvarez001@mymdc.net<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter, The Hammerhead. For news tips, contact us at mdc.thereporter@gmail.com\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Unstoppable: The MDC Sharks Special Olympics Unified soccer team beat the Jacksonville Duval Arc Village Outlaws and the Tallahassee Leon Lightnings to win a gold medal at the Florida State Summer Games in Orlando. PHOTO COURTESY OF MAYA ALVAREZ<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In 2007, Maya Alvarez watched in amazement as her mom, Jodi English, created and coached a Special Olympics team at Miami Southridge Senior High School for students with intellectual disabilities. Ten years later, Alvarez\u2019s brother, Logan, started a Unified Special Olympics team to allow people at the school without disabilities\u2014known as partners\u2014to join.\u00a0 Now Alvarez […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13482605,"featured_media":34811,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,14,2751],"tags":[3443],"class_list":{"0":"post-34814","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"category-sports","9":"category-homestead-campus","10":"tag-special-olympics"},"yoast_head":"\nMDC Student Creates Gold-Medal Winning Special Olympics Team<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"MDC Sharks, a Special Olympics Unified soccer team created by Homestead Campus Honors College student Maya Alvarez, won a gold medal in division four at the Florida 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