[media-credit name=”Marshall Murphy ” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]Joey Chavez is going to London, the birthplace of soccer. Fitting, as Chavez seems to have been born to play the planet’s most popular sport.
He was also born with cerebral palsy, but to the hard-charging exercise science major that detail seems merely a footnote. Chavez is the striker on the national Paralympics soccer team and his goal is to score goals.
A striker is the team’s primary scoring threat.
“I feel a lot of pressure being in that position there are a lot of responsibilities,” he said. “ (But) get the soccer ball under your feet and it will find its way to the back of the net.”
Chavez and his teammates all have cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder that affects motor skills. Some may call it a “disability” but not Chavez.
“I’ve never actually ever felt that my disability is a bad thing,” he said.
His father, John Chavez, said his son is a role model for those in the disabled community.
“(Joey) has done a lot for people with handicaps, to show them you never stop, keep trying,” said John Chavez. “When he was born they said he would never walk, but he has been running. He is an inspiration to kids with handicaps. There is always something you can do, don’t stop.”
Once Chavez puts on his uniform and gets on the field, he is determined to let no obstacle stop him.
“That’s the thing, we never let that get in our way,” said Chavez. “We don’t like to think we have a disability. We like to go out and play soccer. We have that same thing, we come from the same story, we live our life and try to overcome those obstacles.”
Chavez said he would like to work someday as a personal trainer, physical therapist or adaptive PE teacher.
“I know how it feels to be a client and I want to help others with disabilities,” he said. “I love to see the smile on their faces when they have their needs met.”
August 29 is the official start of the games and Chavez said he intends to be in optimum competitive condition. This may mean he has to put the pencils down for a while to keep his cleats on.
“I want to be in the best shape I can,” he said. “I know where I started and what has set me back, the surgeries. I want to focus less on time studying and replace that with more time on the soccer field and training. Every day I’m training, the day I miss I know someone else is getting better.”
His parents support his soccer sabbatical.
“I am his number one fan,” said his mother, Vickie Chavez. “If you ask him he will tell you. He is amazing I am so proud of him, I think I taught him to never say I can’t, just keep trying keep doing.”