The United States Power Soccer National Presidents Cup Tournament is being played at Camelback High School, 4612 N. 28th St., June 27-29 from about 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Power Soccer is the first competitive team sport designed and developed specifically for power wheelchair users.
The Desert Outlaws of Phoenix, which includes Clark “Whiplash” Demland and his teammates, Jessie Jamison, Markman, Chriscross, Quickstraw, and Doc Hollywood, will host the tournament, which is free and open to the public to come and cheer on the home team.
The game is played in a gymnasium on a regulation basketball court. Two teams of four players attack, defend and spin-kick a 13-inch soccer ball in a skilled and challenging game similar to able-bodied soccer.
Athletes’ disabilities include quadriplegia, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, and many others.
“This is a great opportunity for everyone to come and see a different type of sport being played by some very talented disabled athletes,” Demland says.
Since this is the first time the tournament has been held in the Southwest, the Desert Outlaws are celebrating by collecting back-to-school supplies for students at Camelback High “in gratitude for help in hosting this major event to our sport,” Demland says.
For more information about Power Soccer, visit www.powersoccerusa.org. For more information about the Desert Outlaws, e-mail demland@cox.net.
