Welcome to SDH Saturday, where we kind of take the tour and give a look at some of the stories in and around the SDH footprint and let you know what's going on, stuff that you know you may not know about that is worth following up on and following the stories as they continue to grow here in the SDH network footprint. And one of the folks that we
follow on a regular basis rising Senior Charlie Longino. He plays at Clayton State and he sent us a note and it is something that he has become very very active in and it has to do with Atlanta Amputee Soccer. They had Atlanta Amputee Soccer Community Day, their first one, and it was in the middle of their spring and
summer practice schedule, this time at Kensington Station. They've alternated between West End and Kensington as a part of their association with Soccer in the Streets and with the American Amputee Soccer Association. So Atlanta Amputee Soccer had their first ever community Day and it was an opportunity to be at the open field at Kensington marta station, get some
practice in, get acquainted with the game itself. If you are an amputee and just kind of meet and chat and hang out with others that are right there with you that to enjoy the game of soccer, and it gives you the chance to grow your own knowledge base
and grow your own participation levels. It's for individuals living with limb difference, and it didn't matter what your skill level was, and it was interesting for me to see those that had amazing skill level and those that were wanting to learn from others and to continue to grow their game. You had youth, you had adults, you had veterans who are encouraged to be there as well, and so you had folks that were circling back to be a part of the experience there with Atlanta Amputee Soccer
was a local training session. We'll catch up with Charlie as a matter of fact, a little later on. Here you get to meet the Atlanta team that's associated with Atlanta Amputee Soccer. You'll catch up with them coming up in just a little bit. As well. You get to find out about competitive pathways and clinics and demos available for rehab centers and groups. And we're going to catch you up with a couple of folks that are tied
to the program. First person that we catch up with is Katie George and she is the number two with Atlanta Amputee Soccer and we got her thoughts about the day and Community Day and what it's like to be a part of something that is growing as much as Atlanta Amputee Soccer is as a part of the AASA. So what's it like to see kind of activity out here today?
I mean, this is incredible. This today is our first ever community day. It was almost a year ago, a few weeks out from our first ever clinic where we had a few people and then the community has just grown so incredibly over the last year. So did not only have our athletes as well as our volunteers, but also members of the community come out. It's just really really special.
How far back are we talking about here to have the idea start from the genesis of the idea to now getting to this one year anniversary.
How far back of an idea? What was this?
Yes, So.
Basically the inception of this was December of twenty twenty three. I met a member of the men's national team at a US Soccer Adapt and Thrive program and he kind of pitched the idea he's in a different region and he was like amputee soccer in Atlanta, and I was like maybe, and then we connected in January. It was January twenty second specifically, is when he kind of pitched
it to me and I said yes. And then in that same month he met Daniel at a PT conference in Boston and connecting me with Daniel, and then June of twenty twenty four was our first clinic. So it's all kind of happened relatively quickly. And I mean for me, it's just like the Lord is sowing control and like his hand is just on this in such a special way.
So what's it been like to see this year evolve the way that it has. I mean, it's it seems like it's been a whirlwind even though it's been a year.
Does that make any sense?
Yeah, for sure. I think especially when we first got started, it was a lot of just figuring out what we were doing. At the beginning, some of the national team players came out and just kind of led the clinics, and then as it has developed, they're not able to be here as much, but like we've grown more so, just continuing to grow and expand the community has just helped us like continue to push forward in that way.
So what are the next steps?
What do you think the next steps should be so it continues to grow in the direction that you and everybody wanted to grow.
So the biggest kind of challenge right now is really finding more amputees who want to play the game. We have a really incredible group of volunteers who show up consistently, and we have a pool of around seven players, probably three to four who show up really consistently. So just continuing ooh, so, just continuing to make those connections in communicating it just really especially through word of MAP. I feel like the personal connection to bring more amputeeses and
in is really important. But yeah, just in the sense of grow, continuing to grow. So the organization and the community is just consistency and continuing to make it and accepting in fun space where people just keep wanting to come.
Back to You look and you see different age groups and there's a bunch of different representation that's here today. I mean, I think that that's another aspect of this that's really cool.
And you got folks that are getting after it. They're just like all we're we're out here to play.
Yeah. No, absolutely, It's such an incredible thing. It's i mean, the sport of soccer is, you know, the world's biggest game, and to have amputee soccer as an opportunity for people to play as an adaptive sport, whether they're in their forties, in their thirties, or whether they're six years old like Elliott is, it's a sport that was made for him.
I mean, the first time we saw him come out, his assistive tech that he uses every day is are his crutches, And the first time he came out on the field, it was I mean, he was like, I want to play on the national one day, like after his first experience, and that's just it's incredible. It's changing lives and that's what it's all about.
And thanks to Katie for helping out for the early part of the education here on SDCH Weekend. And just so you know, she does have a history in college soccer. She played in high school and has also played in the Mid American Conference with her time at the University of Akrons, so she has a history in the college game.
She has a history growing up in the sport and now she gets to continue to grow things as the co founder with what we're talking about today with Atlanta Amputee Soccer as a part of the AASA, and now, as promised, time to catch up with rising Clayton State senior Charlie Longino and find out how he got involved with this and what it's like for him to see it grow to where it is.
So, how did you get involved in this?
I actually met these well.
I met the founder of the ASA as AASA, which is the American amput Soccer So she at like a job fair, career fair in Atlanta for US soccer. I met him there and then he connected me to these guys. I'm also interning with them as well, the AA essay, I'm I don't know, I'm doing similar things for them like fundraising, marketing, and helping out on the field. But I met the main guy over there, the president over there, and he connected me.
With these guys. So what's the experience been like for you?
It's pretty it's pretty pretty crazy. I think I've struggled in the past, like figuring out what I wanted to do exactly. I know I've always wanted to work like in the business side, of things, but like recently, I think I figured out that this is like something that I think I would want to do in the future and something that I could see myself doing, like working on the business side of sports and stuff like that.
Yeah, it was the question again. Sorry I got side track.
No, it's just when you've gotten involved in this, what's what's it been like for you to be involved.
In I mean, it's it's been crazy because I mean I played soccer my whole life and seeing this side of the sport is completely like life channing.
It's cool.
It's seeing how these people even just come out and just do this and then the community around it is incredible.
Honestly life changing.
Huh uh, I would say so, yeah, I mean career choices will be made soon, so I mean it could be life changing.
Right.
What's it like for you to be out here as volunteer coach and seeing how everyone responds to teaching.
Into the game and everything like that.
What's it like to see folks of various sizes and age groups coming out here and you get to be a part of this whole experience.
I mean it's pretty cool. I mean I've always known soccer can just bring people together. It's a great sport, brings communities, brings cultures all together. And seeing that out here there's people of all literally shapes, sizes, colors, everything all just come into play, hang out and have a good time.
For someone who doesn't know about this, what would you tell them? What would be you standing on a bill board, you know, on the interstate or something, waving your hands frankly, or on top of a building, so you're saying, you know, here, this is what's going on. What would you tell somebody that doesn't know about this?
I mean it's simple, really, It's just challenged athletes that are coming together to create a community and strive together.
Basically simple as that.
And so now we go from one of the coaches that was there for community day to one of the athletes that has been impacted. And when you see someone like David Lackwood, you see what it means to be a part of something like this, and you see how talented an individual he is in the sport. And it was a wide ranging conversation that we got to have with David about how he became engaged in the sport, how he's grown in the sport, what he's learned from
the sport. So here's our conversation with one of the athletes to keep an eye on when it comes to amputee soccer out of the Atlanta area and on the US scale. David Lackwood, what's it like to have a day like this where you can just enjoy the sport as normal as possible.
It's I feel like happiness, you know, because I used to play soccer before my amputation, and I really thought after my amputation that I wasn't going to be able to play soccer again. So when I was introduced to this, you know, amputy soccer thing, and it was it changed my life because part of like getting my frustration and all that stuff is like playing soccer, and I used
to play soccer a lot. So being able to have this and be able to play with you know, some of some of these guys that are, you know, first time playing it and then they're going hard, they're showing that they appreciate the game, and it's it's awesome. You know, it makes me happy.
It makes me.
It was just happiness that would be happiness.
How did you find out about it?
I found out about amputation soccer back in twenty twenty one when they sent your email, Nick, it was jo Vann send your emails saying that if I wanted to know about the game, and I had to fly to New York. So I'm like, I don't know.
I'm like, okay, let's do it.
Let's try, you know, I mean, let's do it.
So I went.
I didn't have crushes. I didn't play with crushes. I played with my prosthetic because I didn't have crushes. So I saw the game and I saw how active they were and how good they were, and that kind of motivated me to like, okay, let me get my crushes. So immediately after the game, I went on the website and I bought my crutches, and that was I was introduced to amputee soccer. Like I said back in twenty
twenty one, I went to New York. It was like an exhibition thing, and that's that's how I found out. But ever since, I've been you know, practicing and playing and with the reserve on the national team, US national team, so making my way there out there, so little by little.
Do you feel like a role model in anyway or even example for others?
Maybe I do.
One of my my My thing is motivated, like to motivate others. And I see that a lot that you know, I motivated a lot every time, even though when I'm practicing by myself and then kids from high school come and practice that I was looking at me and they come up to me and say, hey, you you you motivate me to go harder. So not just people that have an amputation, but people that you know, have you know, both that are there there their legs or arms or everything.
You know, they come up to me and say, you know, you have motivation. So that kind of made me.
Uh.
I don't want to say a hero or or but like I do, I do motivate a lot of people, and that makes me makes me happy that the others can can see that and then go hard and then just not stop there and just keep going.
You know.
So for someone who may not necessarily know that this exists, what would you tell them? What advice would you give for someone who's looking for that outlet that you were able to find, what would you tell them about activities like this that can help them out.
To come and try it? Come and try it. It might seem hard in my seeing embarrassed because at first, honestly, that was not not not everybody, but like for me, I was a little embarrassed. But then I said, like I said, I saw people come up to me saying, hey, you motivate me. So that kind of also motivated me to your keep board. Just come try it, come try it.
You know we can we can tissue some some some you know, some basic skills like you know, touching the ball, doing the working with the crushes, trusting you crushes, you know, and and just come out there and try it, try it and you're gonna like it. Just try it. Uh, come out here, try I'm gonna be here. Like like I tell a lot of people too. I was give them my numbers, say come try. When they come try, I give them my numbers. Say any any any questions you have, you can shoot me a text. You want
to go and shoot the ball, I'm always available. You need you got any questions, shoot me a shot text. I'm sorry, Hey, just come try it. Come try You're gonna love it.
Yeah, And personally, I will once again reiterate that David has a heck of a shot. And it was fun to see him interact. It was fun to see him encourage others. It was really cool to see him just completely and totally involved in the experience to inform and educate and participate with others involved with Atlanta amputee soccer on Community Day. This is SDH weekend where we take a look at Community Day attached to the amputee soccer
community in the city of Atlanta. Here in the SDH footprint, Atlanta emput Soccer Community Day over at Kensington Station at Marta at the soccer is Soccer in the Streets pitch and it was a fun afternoon for those that were there and an informative afternoon for me frankly, but it was really fun to be out there. Last person we're going to catch up with is Daniel Copeland, and Daniel is the main contact involving US amputee soccer in the area.
He and Katie are the one in the two when it comes to the Atlanta amputee soccer movement and everything that goes in the conversations with the AASA, the American Mputee Soccer Association, and catching up with Daniel, who is a physical therapist by occupation, gets to be a part of the Atlanta amputee soccer community in the amputee soccer community through moments like today and events like today and
US amp Soccer and Atlanta Amputee Soccer. So here's our information and here's our informative conversation with Daniel Copeland about everything that's gone on that has led to this day when it came to amputee soccer in the Atlanta area. So what's it like to have a day like this and see the response that you've gotten out here today.
It's really good. I'm really happy with it.
I'm really happy with getting some seeing some returning faces, but then getting some new faces out here, whether it's athletes as well as just the community. You know, getting a bunch of people out here who are new and they're just wanting to learn and just be supportive.
And it's really right. It's really exciting.
When you look back to day one of starting today, does it seem like it's been a long time? Does it seem like it's been a whirlwind. Does it seem like it's been both to get to this day from day one?
Yeah, it's been a little bit of both, because whenever we actually look at the calendar, it's been it's not even.
Really a year since our first official event.
But and when you look at the number of things that we've done in that time, it hasn't been like a ton on paper, but it's been a lot of stuff to get to this point when you look at the fine details of it, and so in the moment, it's kind of quick, but looking back, it feels kind of long. It's it's just it's back and forth. It's back and forth. But it's been good the whole time.
So when so there's someone that doesn't know about it and you walk up to them, you know, there's a group of people, you know, fifteen twenty folks are just kind of hanging out and then you say what you do and they don't know about it?
What are those initial conversations.
Like, Honestly, it's just a lot of I'm not the best at doing and talking to people, and I usually rely on.
Katie for that a lot.
But it's it's usually just hey, do you want to learn something about something pretty cool, something pretty new. A lot of that's been conversations with coworkers to come out here and just be like, hey, check this out. It's a cool thing. It's a growing thing. It's something that we're really excited about, we're really passionate about. And then as those other others turn to start getting more excited, then you start to hear a lot of the tone
change is just like just energy level spike. We're getting super excited, We're getting super giddy. Oh my god, Yeah, there's this, there's this, that's this. Start telling them about like, hey, are us women's team just play second in the world right now? So it's growing and we're just trying to get it bigger and bigger. There's a chance of it being in the Special Olympics eventually, and it just turns into hey are you curious about this?
To now I'm word vomiting all the.
Things that it can become, even and then speaking on backtrating and saying this is where we're at though, but this is where we're going, and then just being super excited about that and hopefully getting other people excited about that as well.
So when you go from where you are to where you're going, what's missing from the outside in what do you need to get to those next steps?
A lot of what we are looking for and being more involved in the overarching American Association, I know some of the stuff that we need to grow to where we're going as a nationwide association. But some of our stuff with just the Atlanta Group is getting a lot of athletes out here, Katie and I and then now Charlie as well. We've been working then David and the
other athletes. We've been working a lot on the word of mouth stuff, and we're trying to grow more into the realm of like we're actually reaching out as the ambassadors of the group and growing one the community of non amputees but as well as amputees, and then just getting as many athletes out here as possible so that we can then say, okay, we got the full squad of Atlanta Amputee soccer that can then be more competitive within the actual American Association, and then from there that
just grows the overarching association, which in turn allows us to go to all those other governing associations like the Paralympic groups and all that kind of stuff to then in turns just say hey, we got something big in the US and we're just helping to build it as an international sport. So there's just our biggest thing though, is just getting people involved, getting the word out, having people come here, whether they're amputees or not, and just having them showing them how fun the sport.
Can be, and then getting them to spread the word as well.
So how do folks get involved? What are the easiest ways to do it?
These days?
We can get They can get involved by getting in contact on social media. We have an Instagram page. I don't know our Instagram handle because I don't handle it, but you can also just email me. It's d Copeland at usampsoccer dot org.
That's a way to do it, or just look us up.
I think it's ato Amputee Soccer is our Instagram, but I just don't know the handle because Katie manages that. But honestly, just that easy way contacting us is.
When you're out here and you see the light come on for someone who might have been shy about coming out here, and then you see them diving into the experience and enjoying the experience, and you get to touch that extra person who then in turn may g it to touch others that are attached to it.
What's it like see the light come on?
You know? It honestly just gives me chills, And you're saying that gives me chills because I feel like that's happened honestly today with a gentleman right over there, Antonio,
where he's been to one before. He was very hesitant, but he got all into it today and that was really exciting to watch, and even with David, Like, honestly, one of those things is just watching David grow in this and have him be passionate about it and have him be one of those guys who's we're really pushing heavy to get him on the actual US national team and getting to see him grow and see him get better and see his excitement of seeing the amputee community
rally around him and seeing the Atlanta.
Community rally around him. Just it really does just mean a lot to me.
In it, and it's just it's one of those moments where you just kind of like you get the chill bumps. You sit back and you try and like look around and you just feel good about the moment, but then recognize that you know we're gonna feel good in this moment, but we still got a ways to go.
But it's like, all right, we're still we're heading the right direction.
That's a nice milestone to have happened, especially with an a like today. It's one of those where it's like, this is a nice milestone for the group, with me and Katie and David being like the big three who started it. Here is a really nice and you just you just get chill bumps about it and just you want it to continue.
David's got a mean shot man.
Speaking from the experience of somebody who's tried to block it, yeah he does, he really does.
And it kind of hurts when.
It hits you, speaking from experience of like thirty minutes ago having it hit me, and honestly, yeah, he's got a mean shot to him.
And honestly, Antonio right here, he got in here and got involved. He does too.
He does too. So it's a really cool It's nice. I'm just over here, like I'll deal with the bruises later. Nobody needs to know about that, but we're doing so.
That is your look at Atlanta Amputee Soccer Community Day from Kensington. Marto and Daniel gave you all of the different ways to follow along and ask questions and go into those next steps to get involved or gain more interest about Atlanta Amputee Soccer, Decopeland, USA mp Soccer dot org usamp soccer dot org and then you can follow Atlanta mpt Soccer on Instagram and all the other different ways that Daniel lets you know about how you can
find out more information and get involved. So thanks to Katie, thanks to Charlie, thanks to David, thanks to Daniel, and thanks to you for hanging out with us her freshdch weekend as we learned more about Atlanta mpute Soccer and Atlanta Mputee Soccer Community Day from Kensington Marta mucha platial played safe. Enjoy your weekend. We'll catch up with you soon