By Randy Vogt
The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is pleased to announce that Pete Bussa has replaced one of his neighbors in Oceanside, Michael D’Ambrosio, as the Chairperson of the TOPSoccer Special Children’s Program. D’Ambrosio will now assist Bussa with the TOPSoccer Program throughout the ENYYSA territory, covering the entire state of New York east of Route 81. D’Ambrosio remains active with ENYYSA as Chairperson of the Registration Committee and is also on the Arbitration Committee. He has many other roles in soccer including being a trustee of the Long Island Junior Soccer League, Chairperson of the LIJSL’s Supervisory Committee plus the liaison from the LIJSL to both TOPSoccer and the Long Island Soccer Referees Association. For all this and other volunteering, D’Ambrosio was recently selected by the Kiwanis Club in Oceanside as their Man of the Year for 2011.
Bussa became active with the TOPSoccer Special Children’s Program 15 years ago when a player he was coaching had a sibling who has Down’s Syndrome. He eventually discovered that “working with the Special kids is what I was meant to do.”
In his new role, he looks to increase participation.
“While the Long Island Junior Soccer League has many clubs with Special Children’s Programs, there is more untapped potential for the TOPSoccer Program in the other areas of the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association,” Bussa commented. “Although there are pockets of TOPSoccer Programs north of New York City, the less concentrated population there has been a hindrance to participation as it sometimes takes a half-hour to drive the Special kids to one of their fields. I look forward to sitting down with the league Presidents to get these Special kids off the couch and on soccer fields.”
The TOPSoccer Special Children’s Program is for those children with mental and/or physical challenging conditions. This program was initiated to accommodate those children who are not able to participate in a regular or mainstream soccer activity. It provides an opportunity for that child who deviates from the average or normal child in mental, physical or social characteristics to such an extent that he or she requires modified educational practices and services in order to develop to his or her maximum capacity. As such, any child with a severe auditory or visual impairment, orthopedic handicap, behavior deviations or mental retardation would benefit from a special sports program because he or she requires a special learning environment that is directed towards identifying and remediating their physical as well as cognitive deficits. This could include cerebral dysfunctions, impulse disorders, mental retardation, Down's syndrome, physical handicaps, learning disabilities, epilepsy, etc.
“Peter was one of the founders of the Oceanside TOPSoccer Program and he is now actively involved with the Lynbrook/East Rockaway TOPSoccer Program,” D’Ambrosio said. “He looks to expand the TOPSoccer Program that has been built during the past few years, especially in underserved areas, and I’m sure that he’ll do very well.”
For information on finding and registering your child on a team in your area, please contact Chairperson Ann Marie Toth at 516-694-3567.