This story was submitted by Ashley Chase from the University of Vermont Athletic Communications office. It features Jesse Cormier, head men's coach and NSCAA member who works with the local Power Soccer team.

Soccer is a sport that triggers images of cleats tearing up the turf and powerful kicks. But for one group of soccer players, there are no cleats, no turf, and the powerful kicks are just a spin move away.

This is power soccer, a four-on-four sport played by power wheelchair users on a regulation size basketball court, using a 13-inch soccer ball. University of Vermont senior Zachary Schmoll calls it a “hybrid of hockey and basketball.” Players use metal guards mounted on their chairs to push the ball up and down the court and propel the ball using a spinning motion, or “kick.”

Schmoll plays this hybrid on local basketball courts, including UVM's own Patrick Gym, with the Vermont Chargers. 

“It is the fastest growing adaptive sport in the world,” explained Schmoll's teammate Scott Goyette. “It's the only competitive team sport available to people who use power wheelchairs.”

The Chargers are coached by adaptive sports expert Sandy Craige, a board member for Vermont based Northeast Disabled Athletic Assocation. This season, they added a new member to the coaching staff: UVM men's soccer head coach Jesse Cormier.

Cormier was sought out by one of the Chargers' founding members, Jeff Rhodes, to help him work on individual skills. Rhodes started weekly training under Cormier, and eventually all of the Chargers joined their Tuesday afternoon skill sessions.

“This year I actually built my schedule so I could be here,” Schmoll said. “Jesse's great. He's so high energy. He keeps us engaged and if we start losing focus he's very attentive to that, which is helpful.”

Cormier credits Schmoll as being a fantastic student-athlete. “He's someone the team can really count on.”

The Chargers feel the same way about Cormier.

“Jesse has been tremendous for our program,” Goyette remarked. “To have access to a professional coach like Jesse has made a tremendous difference, not only in how we play the game, but we've taken a lot off the court as well.”

Cormier does not hold back when he assists with the Chargers. “He yells at us a little bit,” Goyette said. “But we respect that because we know he wants us to get better and perform and win. And the results are happening.”

The Chargers hosted the Zach Stamatis Memorial Cup tournament on Saturday, March 23, at Patrick Gym. Vermont defeated a team from the Massachusetts Hospital School to win the tournament, 5-1. This win means a lot to the Chargers, because the tournament is named for a former teammate who passed away in an accident two summers ago.

“It's our way of honoring him and showing people the sport that we love,” Goyette explained. “Burlington is a great sports town. We're grateful to have this venue to show people what we can do.”

Unfortunately, the Chargers played their home tournament without the teammate who introduced Cormier's high level training to their squad. Rhodes is in the hospital recovering from surgery.

“It's our way of honoring him and showing people the sport that we love,” Goyette said. "We hope folks come out. Burlington is a great sports town. We're grateful to have this venue to show people what we can do.”

Unfortunately, the Chargers will play their home tournament without the teammate who introduced Cormier's high level training to their squad. Rhodes is in the hospital recovering from surgery.

While Rhodes has been recuperating, he hasn't been alone. Cormier stops by often and even once brought the Vermont men's soccer team to pay a visit. They presented an autographed jersey to Rhodes in his hospital room. He was thrilled to have their company.

“It's quite the thing to have the guys come up and visit me,” Rhodes said. “Jesse really runs a good crew of guys that were willing to come up and help try to make people's days better.”

“His mental toughness, going through what he's been through, and going through what he's going through now, is remarkable,” Cormier said. “For a human being to have that level of mental strength and attitude to endure his challenges the way he does, it's inspiring to me.

“Jeff's inspiring to me. They're all inspiring to me.”

While training on the court with Cormier has been very beneficial to the players, even more powerful is the relationship now in place between the Chargers and the UVM men's soccer team.

“We go to all the home games,” Goyette said. “We're there on the sidelines.”

Cormier appreciates their presence. “They came to all our guys' games and supported them and were just an amazing group of people that see the bigger picture and are really good influences on our guys.”

“We feel like we're part of the athletic community here,” Goyette noted. “We're very grateful for that.”

“A lot of our guys gravitate towards them after our games here, to be with them,” Cormier said. “It's been really nice and a good experience for me.”

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