Conner, who's wearing number 45, unleashes a karate chop of a kick and bellows over his victory. He instructs his teammates, yelling "Let it go!" when an opponent's kick sends the ball hurtling toward the sidelines. And when he steps up to throw the ball back into play, he jerks his head oh-so-subtly to communicate his intentions to his teammates in blue.

While Conner appears to be a natural on the soccer field, this is one of the first activities he's participating in outside of school that can handle his special needs. He's one of 62 players participating in the newly formed American Youth Soccer Association VIP Soccer Program in southeastern Santa Clara County. And it's just completed its first season.

The VIP program stems from the regular AYSO soccer program, which was created in 1964 by a group of soccer enthusiasts in Los Angeles. It was built on the philosophy that everyone plays, but in reality excluded those with mental and physical disabilities.

In the mid-1970s, an AYSO coach did something that revolutionized the organization—he introduced the first player with Down syndrome. In the following years, soccer was included in the Special Olympics, and the VIP program began. To date, the VIP program is incorporated in 75 regions—this program being the most recent—and boasts more than 1,000 players, ranging from 5 years of age to 18. It's open to children and young adults with all types of disabilities, including autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, impaired vision and mobility limitations.

Bob Hopkins of Cupertino is the region's program director and worked to bring VIP soccer to the area. Generally, the game setups have followed that of the national organization, but the administration has tweaked as necessary.

"We're learning along the way," Hopkins says. The Sunday sessions, which combine practice and a scrimmage, originally took two hours, but Hopkins found the time was too long for participants in this area. Players and their parents are happier with the current 90-minute games.

Another change Hopkins made was creating a separate division for older, more experienced players like Conner, whose robust frame and quick feet could easily overwhelm someone his own age. Instead, he now gets to play alongside high school students. "Getting bumped up to the next division was a big boost for him," says his mom, Celia Stjernstrom.

Conner doesn't have to fight through physical disabilities like many of his fellow players do, but experiencing a violent crime left him with post-traumatic stress disorder and problems with self-esteem. Stjernstrom says he's in a good program at Eisenhower Elementary School, but extracurricular activities like Boy Scouts hadn't worked out until she heard about the VIP soccer program from Conner's teachers. "Now, he comes out here every week with a smile on his face," she says.

The weekly games are staged much differently from those of most soccer leagues. Personal interaction comes from the buddy system—each player is teamed with a companion to help prevent any injuries and to make the players feel more confident in their abilities. With shyer individuals, usually those with autism, buddies encourage players to kick the ball. In other cases, they prevent them from wandering off the field. For some, the field might seem overcrowded, but the buddy system provides much comfort for the players.

"Our main priority is to give children with special needs a safe, fair and fun environment to play in," says Mark Linsky, the area director for the Northern Region. "The buddy system enriches the program." Buddies are typically local middle or high schoolers who are familiar with soccer and normally-abled.

Thirteen-year-old Brittany Hopkins, Bob's daughter, volunteers as a buddy to 5-year-old Stacey Yee, who has cerebral palsy. "You have to get to know the kids," she says. Buddies were trained by Donelle Woleslagle, a certified adaptive physical educator, but Brittany says the experience truly taught her how to handle kids with special needs. "Stacey's pretty normal, but she gets tired really easily," she says. "I have to motivate her. I just keep telling her, 'You're doing good!'"

Monta Vista sophomore Nayson Fernandes agrees. He became involved with VIP soccer through Octagon, a public service club on the Monta Vista campus in Cupertino. "I didn't know much about disabilities before," he says. "I've learned I have to be a lot more patient."

This approach is the hallmark of the VIP program. "Every child is unique," says Woleslagle. "There are certain behaviors to look out for. Everyone needs to know when to back off and allow the children to have their own space."

Woleslagle explains that children with autism, who may be extremely sensitive to light, smell or sound, might exhibit shaky hands, jump up and down or bite and pinch themselves as a sign of over-stimulation. In such cases, she advises coaches to take the child aside and engage in deep-breathing exercises or go for a walk to calm the child down.

Children with Down syndrome are different in the sense that they tend to wander off and want to do things their own way, says Woleslagle. These children need a lot of demonstration and repetition for a task as simple as kicking a ball to a teammate or the goal. Some might need a buddy or a coach to physically move them in the right direction.

Cupertino City Councilman Richard Lowenthal serves as a referee for children between the ages of 4 and 11 and says that the experience can be challenging. "The players all have different abilities and learn at different rates," he says. "We found out that blowing the whistle near certain kids scares them, and I've had players who would run away if their team cheered them on." Several weeks ago, Lowenthal supervised a game with two visually impaired children, one in a wheelchair and one barely mobile due to severe autism.

"The idea is to be flexible with the kids and to make them feel comfortable," Woleslagle says. "Every child responds differently in each situation. We learn how to deal with each and every one of them through trial and error."

The idea is to modify equipment to minimize the amount of effort needed to play and make the experience as normal as possible. Children with mobility problems wear shin and ankle braces for support or have able-bodied assistants guide their movements. Those teams with visually impaired players use softer yellow soccer balls that beep. "It's truly about the kids having fun," Lowenthal says. "We often have high-scoring games, and it's great to see those kids score and get excited."

Lowenthal has refereed for AYSO for a number of years and heard about the VIP program when Hopkins contacted him, looking for available fields in Cupertino. The city doesn't allow Sunday play, so Lowenthal helped Hopkins locate Congress Springs in Saratoga and then decided to come on board as a referee. He says he has no doubt that he'll return next year. "I can have a very lousy week, and Sunday really brightens it up," he says.

With the end of the soccer season, many VIP parents are wondering what to do in the off-season. Lowenthal says he's heard casual discussions about maintaining the momentum of the VIP soccer program through a spring season, or even expanding into the basketball arena. "I think we're experiencing a change in the air with special-needs kids," he says. "They and their families are coming into the community."

So far, the VIP program has been a great experience for many parents and their children. Eleven-year-old Megan Devine has Down syndrome and participated in the VIP program when her family lived in San Mateo. Her parents, Corine and Dave, say she was disappointed when the family moved to Cupertino two years ago and found there was nothing similar offered.

Instead, Megan busied herself with more individual sports like track through Special Olympics. "She's never been the aggressive type," says Dave. Now that VIP is available for Cupertino residents, Megan's laced up her cleats once again, this time as a member of the Dolphins. Her parents say she loves the sport, but also the resulting camaraderie. "I think she has more fun being with the buddies," Corine says.

Indeed, after spinning around with her buddy, Megan scores the first of several goals for the afternoon. The sidelines erupt with applause, and Megan gathers her buddy to her in a tight hug. After some coaxing, her coach finally elicits a high five.

Such a sight brings smiles to the faces of Megan's parents. Her 16-year-old sister has played soccer for years, and Megan's been forced to watch from the sidelines. "And now, it's her time to shine," says Corine.

For more information about the AYSO VIP Soccer Program, contact Mark Linsky at 408.741.1949 or visit http://www.soccer.org.