“I Don’t Want to Be Anywhere Else”: Alyssa D’Aloise’s Summer Service
April 01, 2020 | Soccer, HailStateBEAT
by Brian Ogden, Assistant Director/Communications
STARKVILLE – As the clock reached the latter minutes of the second half in Los Angeles, Alyssa D'Aloise and her teammates got up from their seats. They wouldn't see the end of the match between FC Dallas and LA Galaxy, because they had their own contest to get ready for.
The group headed downstairs to a spare locker room. There, 10 athletes along with eight "partners" prepared for their time in the spotlight. The athletes had been waiting for this match all summer long.
D'Aloise joined FC Dallas' Special Olympics Unified Team following her freshman year of high school. The father of one of her teammates at Ursuline Academy worked with the organization. While her friend couldn't take the opportunity because it came with a two-year commitment, D'Aloise signed up as a partner, helping give athletes with special needs a chance to compete.
"A lot of these kids did not get opportunities at all to play sports in their schooling experiences," she said. "It's a unique program of training, competitions and even social experiences for these individuals. It's more than just soccer, not only teaching them to have skills but having the opportunity to carry out the things they have a passion for and weren't able to in the past."
Prior to making the trip out to California, LA Galaxy's unified team made the trek to Frisco, Texas, for D'Aloise's first match with the squad. FC Dallas lost that game, so they were hungry for redemption on the West Coast.
D'Aloise remembered one athlete in particular, Joey, was really anticipating taking the field again. Joey was 23 years old at the time, and his brother Matt was also on the team. Like all the athletes, he lives with an intellectual disability and would often talk about his dream of scoring a goal.
"He'd score goals in practice, and he'd be so excited," D'Aloise said. "You could just see the joy in him when he got the ball at his feet and got the opportunity to shoot and score. He'd always talk about how he wanted to score in a game."
That night in LA would be his last chance for a while. The team only played twice that summer, though in D'Aloise's time with the program, FC Dallas met Sporting KC, Colorado Rapids and Chicago Fire on the pitch. It wasn't going to be easy for Joey, the game might be a little different in these conditions, but there's still a good degree of competition on the field.
"Let's say an athlete was dribbling at me with the ball out for me to take, then they want me to take it," D'Aloise said. "They don't want it too easy. If I'm standing a foot from the goal and get the ball, obviously they want me to score, but the first look is always to find an athlete and see if they can get a touch. This is for them, not for us."
So when D'Aloise found herself alone running down the sideline, she started looking for a way to get the ball to Joey. She turned to see him jogging up the field before settling in the middle of the goal. Everything was shaping up exactly how they'd practiced it. She sent the ball in to Joey in the box, and the highlights began to play.
At the beginning of each season, the Special Olympics staff holds a full media day for the athletes, taking headshots and filming clips in the studio in case a player ever scored in a game. D'Aloise isn't sure if Joey ever saw those highlights. He was too busy be swarmed by teammates and swallowed in celebratory hugs.
"That's something I'll never forget because I don't think I've ever seen someone so happy," she said. "A lot of time athletes take for granted the opportunities that we have to practice and pass the ball. Things like this make these athletes so happy, and I don't think I've ever seen someone that happy after scoring a goal."
The dream continued for both Joey and D'Aloise after the final whistle. Players from both FC Dallas and LA Galaxy had returned to the stands after they finished showering in their locker rooms. When the match ended, they stuck around to meet the athletes and partners on the field.
"I know that these kids are all huge fans of the pros because these are the games they go to all the time," D'Aloise said. "But it's also a cool experience for me because I got to meet some of the pro soccer players that I had been watching for quite a while and respected an incredible amount."
Playing with the athletes changed D'Aloise's outlook on the game. She's always loved the game, but the experience reignited her passion as she realized some of the things she'd been taking for granted.
She played with the club for two years but wasn't ready to leave the organization. While she can't be on the travel team any longer, she remains involved in the tryout process and volunteers in scrimmages to give the unified team practice before they meet other clubs.
Through it all, one thing stood out – gratitude.
"We'd be warming up and they'd say thank you for being here," she said. "I was like, 'Well okay, but I don't want to be anywhere else.' It's just crazy how you could see how much it mattered to them even when they didn't have the perception of how different it is. They were just thankful."
It's an experience D'Aloise will never forget.
"I've seen first-hand that differences and disabilities, they don't define you," she said. "They're not what matters. These athletes have opened my eyes to a world that's bigger than myself. Knowing them has given me a different outlook on life."
STARKVILLE – As the clock reached the latter minutes of the second half in Los Angeles, Alyssa D'Aloise and her teammates got up from their seats. They wouldn't see the end of the match between FC Dallas and LA Galaxy, because they had their own contest to get ready for.
The group headed downstairs to a spare locker room. There, 10 athletes along with eight "partners" prepared for their time in the spotlight. The athletes had been waiting for this match all summer long.
D'Aloise joined FC Dallas' Special Olympics Unified Team following her freshman year of high school. The father of one of her teammates at Ursuline Academy worked with the organization. While her friend couldn't take the opportunity because it came with a two-year commitment, D'Aloise signed up as a partner, helping give athletes with special needs a chance to compete.
"A lot of these kids did not get opportunities at all to play sports in their schooling experiences," she said. "It's a unique program of training, competitions and even social experiences for these individuals. It's more than just soccer, not only teaching them to have skills but having the opportunity to carry out the things they have a passion for and weren't able to in the past."
Prior to making the trip out to California, LA Galaxy's unified team made the trek to Frisco, Texas, for D'Aloise's first match with the squad. FC Dallas lost that game, so they were hungry for redemption on the West Coast.
D'Aloise remembered one athlete in particular, Joey, was really anticipating taking the field again. Joey was 23 years old at the time, and his brother Matt was also on the team. Like all the athletes, he lives with an intellectual disability and would often talk about his dream of scoring a goal.
"He'd score goals in practice, and he'd be so excited," D'Aloise said. "You could just see the joy in him when he got the ball at his feet and got the opportunity to shoot and score. He'd always talk about how he wanted to score in a game."
That night in LA would be his last chance for a while. The team only played twice that summer, though in D'Aloise's time with the program, FC Dallas met Sporting KC, Colorado Rapids and Chicago Fire on the pitch. It wasn't going to be easy for Joey, the game might be a little different in these conditions, but there's still a good degree of competition on the field.
"Let's say an athlete was dribbling at me with the ball out for me to take, then they want me to take it," D'Aloise said. "They don't want it too easy. If I'm standing a foot from the goal and get the ball, obviously they want me to score, but the first look is always to find an athlete and see if they can get a touch. This is for them, not for us."
So when D'Aloise found herself alone running down the sideline, she started looking for a way to get the ball to Joey. She turned to see him jogging up the field before settling in the middle of the goal. Everything was shaping up exactly how they'd practiced it. She sent the ball in to Joey in the box, and the highlights began to play.
At the beginning of each season, the Special Olympics staff holds a full media day for the athletes, taking headshots and filming clips in the studio in case a player ever scored in a game. D'Aloise isn't sure if Joey ever saw those highlights. He was too busy be swarmed by teammates and swallowed in celebratory hugs.
"That's something I'll never forget because I don't think I've ever seen someone so happy," she said. "A lot of time athletes take for granted the opportunities that we have to practice and pass the ball. Things like this make these athletes so happy, and I don't think I've ever seen someone that happy after scoring a goal."
The dream continued for both Joey and D'Aloise after the final whistle. Players from both FC Dallas and LA Galaxy had returned to the stands after they finished showering in their locker rooms. When the match ended, they stuck around to meet the athletes and partners on the field.
"I know that these kids are all huge fans of the pros because these are the games they go to all the time," D'Aloise said. "But it's also a cool experience for me because I got to meet some of the pro soccer players that I had been watching for quite a while and respected an incredible amount."
Playing with the athletes changed D'Aloise's outlook on the game. She's always loved the game, but the experience reignited her passion as she realized some of the things she'd been taking for granted.
She played with the club for two years but wasn't ready to leave the organization. While she can't be on the travel team any longer, she remains involved in the tryout process and volunteers in scrimmages to give the unified team practice before they meet other clubs.
Through it all, one thing stood out – gratitude.
"We'd be warming up and they'd say thank you for being here," she said. "I was like, 'Well okay, but I don't want to be anywhere else.' It's just crazy how you could see how much it mattered to them even when they didn't have the perception of how different it is. They were just thankful."
It's an experience D'Aloise will never forget.
"I've seen first-hand that differences and disabilities, they don't define you," she said. "They're not what matters. These athletes have opened my eyes to a world that's bigger than myself. Knowing them has given me a different outlook on life."
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