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COMPETITIONS
There are two main competitions, the Powerchair Football World Cup and the Americas Champions Cup.
To date, two Powerchair Football World Cups have been held. The first was played in Tokyo, Japan and the second in Paris, France. The United States took first place in both competitions and became the first U.S. team to win back-to-back World Cup Championships in any sport.
The first Americas Champions Cup was held in Atlanta, Georgia in 2009. Since then, it has become an annual event. The most successful team in the cup is the Atlanta Synergy, which has placed first each of the past two years.
OUR EXPERIENCE
In order to get a first-hand look at Power Soccer, we traveled to the University of New Hampshire to watch the Northeast Passage PowerCats in action. The PowerCats were just beginning their team practice when we arrived at the gymnasium, where the team practices every Saturday afternoon. The team is composed of players of varying ages, as well as an assistant-coach/player. In the time we were at the practice, we watched how dedicated the players on the team were — they went over varying drills for hours in order to improve their passing and corner kicks. Unfortunately, we also came across a parent who was not very welcoming of onlookers. This parent’s reaction most likely stems from past experiences, such as having to deal with others’ judgments involving her child. Nevertheless, the players’ faces during practice said it all — they could not help but exude how happy they were to play this game with their friends. We were unsure of what to expect when we arrived. But what we discovered was a group of players who loved to play Power Soccer, supported by coaches and parents who were absolutely committed to the team.
NEXT STEPS
From this point onward, we would like to bring Power Soccer, along with other adaptive sports managed by Northeast Passage, to Brown University. In order to do this successfully, we believe the best way is to collaborate with Northeast Passage. We would like members of the communities that surround Brown, as well as members of the Brown community, to come together and participate in these sports. Ultimately, we want adaptive sports like Power Soccer to become available to individuals around Providence, as they are non-existent in this area. If you are interested in gaining a first-hand look at Power Soccer, or other adaptive sports, please visit the University of New Hampshire where you could discover the wonderful work being done by Northeast Passage for yourself!
For more information, please email [email protected].