When the Glenmoore Eagle Youth Association (GEYA) canceled the spring session of the HIGH 5 Soccer program for special needs players due to the COVID-19 pandemic, coaches Matt and Jenn Wagner were determined to find a way to engage the players on a weekly basis.
During the time that HIGH 5 Soccer would ordinarily take place at GEYA's Fellowship Field in Chester Springs, players instead took part in online soccer sessions via Zoom.
The program was on Saturdays at 3 p.m. from April 11 through May 30. During the virtual program, which lasted between 15 and 20 minutes, soccer players took part in modified versions of their favorite soccer games, while wearing their HIGH 5 T-shirts.
"We missed seeing our HIGH 5 players and buddies and getting out into the sunshine to play soccer. We thought, 'How can we have HIGH 5 when we're not even supposed to leave the house?'" said Jenn, explaining how the idea of virtual HIGH 5 Soccer came about. "Matt came up with all of the games."
As part of the HIGH 5 Soccer program, players (in red T-shirts), who range in age from 5 to 18, are paired with volunteer buddies (in blue T-shirts), who are predominantly local high school and middle school students. During the traditional HIGH 5 sessions, players and buddies do not actually play a full game of soccer. Rather, they take part in a series of soccer-related games, such as maneuvering a soccer ball through a series of cones and playing "Red Light, Green Light," during which they stop and go while kicking a soccer ball across the playing field.
For the virtual sessions, players ran in place for "Red Light, Green Light," stopped when Matt displayed a red flag and danced when a yellow flag was displayed.
HIGH 5 also includes "Buddy Bowling," where the buddies act as human bowling pins that the players knock down with a giant soccer ball. For the virtual sessions, each player was called upon to "kick" and Matt and the assistant coaches fell down while on Zoom in their respective living rooms.
Another favorite game, "Sharks and Minnows," was also modified for the virtual sessions as players pretended to "swim" and get "eaten" by sharks.
Traditionally, each weekly soccer session culminates in a HIGH 5 tunnel in which the buddies form a tunnel and high-five the players as they run through. For the virtual program, players were unmuted at the end of the session and were able to offer greetings and the traditional high-five to other players and assistant coaches via Zoom.
Jenn said the goal of the virtual program was "to connect to our players and share a little HIGH 5 spirit," noting that the sessions were recorded and can be accessed anytime. "It was so much fun watching the kids play along," she stated.
Matt and Jenn are hopeful that the fall session of HIGH 5 will take place as scheduled.
For more information about the HIGH 5 program or to obtain a link to the virtual sessions, readers may contact Jenn at HIGH5@geyasoccer.org. More information about GEYA Soccer is available at http://www.geyasports.org and by searching for "GEYA Soccer & HIGH 5 Soccer" on Facebook.
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