Here's how power soccer is helping Bay Area community with disabilities be active, competitive

Fast, furious and fun. On a Sunday afternoon, inside a small gym in downtown Santa Rosa, Ian Kinmont leads the Santa Rosa Phoenix's Power Soccer practice.

Never heard of power soccer before? We've got ya covered. The game has two halfs -- 20 minutes each with teams of four using modified motorized wheelchairs to ram the ball into the goal.

For wheelchair users like Ian, who was born with Cerebral Palsy and has played since he was 14, the sport is more than just a game.

"I feel I feel very free when I when I'm on the court and in passing the ball. And it always makes me very happy to see people, people smiling and having fun."

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Ian's mother, Naomi Hupert, saw how the sport changed Ian by providing him with a basic need many of us take for granted: friendship.

"I think the most important piece of it is that it really creates an opportunity to have friends that are really connected over multiple years. And that's something that you don't often get, especially among people with a disability."

But, like most activities for people with disabilities, there are financial and logistical challenges. Many in the community survive on low or fixed incomes. Post-pandemic budget cuts continue to severely limit state and county-funded disability transportation programs. That means -- the hardest part about practices -- is getting there.

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Naomi saying it's tough to get to practice and they have means.

Naomi says they struggled at first to find any recreational activities for Ian where they live in West Sonoma County.

The search took them all the way to the Power Soccer Club in Berkeley -- over an hour away. They made that trek weekly. But the pandemic blew the whistle on that.

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So Ian decided to coach his own squad in the North Bay and the Santa Rosa YMCA stepped up and donated facilities.

"I've played for 11 years now, and now I can -- I'm starting to learn how to spin, kick and score," says teammate Karen Washburn, adding, "And I've done a couple of tournaments now and it's just it's really been a blast"

Karen Washburn began playing after having a limb removed due to an accident over a decade ago.

She says it gives her a sense of belonging.

The nice thing is it's a good activity for you to get together with other people that also are disabled and where you're not judged. You can have a lot of fun and you kind of feel more like you're normal again because you're getting to play a sport"

Ian's mother, Naomi, is realistic but optimistic local government can step up with resources in the future.

"We'll figure out ways to have the county and other programs support players that want to play but don't have the capacity to show up regularly because they don't have transportation or they don't have aids."

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There's no doubt that the long-term challenges Ian and his teammates face are daunting, but for Ian, introducing power soccer to more people with disabilities could be the key to overcoming them.

"I'm just playing soccer and helping and, and, uh, bringing in new players and teaching them how to be good, good players.

Good players. And even better people.

" Follow this link to find out more about joining or supporting the team and the sport.