The Way the Ball Bounces (In memory of Kiddo: one-legged goalie, OM, DJ, friend, & hero)
Hi Guys,
I'm reposting this article that I wrote about Kiddo. It was published in Sunstar a few years ago.
~Shine
Momentarily clutching the metal frame of a 6 X 6 Ft Small Sided Soccer Net to regain balance, 2 9 year-old, 5- foot -10 Joseph del Gallego, keeps an eagle eye on the ball. A goalie since high school, "Kiddo," homophonic to the vernacular word of hanging rice, is the nickname he is referred to by his soccer teammates. "His high energy simply rubs off on everybody on the field ," a onlooker observes. But even if he plays with one leg, he doesn't just give the game away. In fact, his being a team player with a high intensity level can be felt on and off the field being a goal keeper and a travel account team manager in Peoplesupport, Cebu.
*Time-out*
It was Kiddo's cousins and friends from Dumaguete who had influenced him to play soccer. He used to swim competitively as well and was able to join two events in Palarong pambansa and a lot of National Age group competitions when he was still in elementary and highschool. Summer of 1996, during a championship game, when Kiddo dove to catch a ball way off course to keep the challenger from scoring. He fell hard on the ground which caused his left knee to swell and the lump kept growing until he began to limp. Several doctors confirmed that leg had to go away because of bone cancer. "I thought it was all downhill from there. I have been a goalie since 1990," Kiddo recalls. It took him several physical therapy sessions, support, prayers, determination and a lot of right attitude before he got back on track. A prosthetic leg, a gift from his grandparents, Cesar and Emma Vincoy, is what he uses when he is not playing .
*A whole new ball game*
Kiddo still gets the ball rolling by practicing soccer with his Peoplesupport Football Club (PSFC) teammates every weekend for upcoming tournaments. His defense play as goalie is to pay attention to every little detail that happens in the court and to communicate with the players. "Being the last line of defense means I see every bit of action. The goalie should be the noisiest player on the field," Kiddo stresses. The drills he would recommend to novice players is juggling. "Ball control is the most essential skill if you ask me," Kiddo adds. He finds the status of soccer, as a sport here in the Philippines, better than it was before. "We see more & more people joining tourneys, watching games & even parents encouraging their kids to start young." From first glance, a striker might find him an easy target but his tactics and soccer moves are as good as any player. The name of the game is to stay focused all the time.
*Put the new play into action*
When he's not wearing his studs, you would see him spending quality time with his wife, Lourie Lei, and kids, Andre and Owen, playing computer games or rooting for his favorite club, Manchester United. His life may have had fleetingly went out of bounds but the match has not stopped. His game plan is to win in anything in life, if not , life itself. His only opponent in the play-offs is time.
I'm reposting this article that I wrote about Kiddo. It was published in Sunstar a few years ago.
~Shine
Momentarily clutching the metal frame of a 6 X 6 Ft Small Sided Soccer Net to regain balance, 2 9 year-old, 5- foot -10 Joseph del Gallego, keeps an eagle eye on the ball. A goalie since high school, "Kiddo," homophonic to the vernacular word of hanging rice, is the nickname he is referred to by his soccer teammates. "His high energy simply rubs off on everybody on the field ," a onlooker observes. But even if he plays with one leg, he doesn't just give the game away. In fact, his being a team player with a high intensity level can be felt on and off the field being a goal keeper and a travel account team manager in Peoplesupport, Cebu.
*Time-out*
It was Kiddo's cousins and friends from Dumaguete who had influenced him to play soccer. He used to swim competitively as well and was able to join two events in Palarong pambansa and a lot of National Age group competitions when he was still in elementary and highschool. Summer of 1996, during a championship game, when Kiddo dove to catch a ball way off course to keep the challenger from scoring. He fell hard on the ground which caused his left knee to swell and the lump kept growing until he began to limp. Several doctors confirmed that leg had to go away because of bone cancer. "I thought it was all downhill from there. I have been a goalie since 1990," Kiddo recalls. It took him several physical therapy sessions, support, prayers, determination and a lot of right attitude before he got back on track. A prosthetic leg, a gift from his grandparents, Cesar and Emma Vincoy, is what he uses when he is not playing .
*A whole new ball game*
Kiddo still gets the ball rolling by practicing soccer with his Peoplesupport Football Club (PSFC) teammates every weekend for upcoming tournaments. His defense play as goalie is to pay attention to every little detail that happens in the court and to communicate with the players. "Being the last line of defense means I see every bit of action. The goalie should be the noisiest player on the field," Kiddo stresses. The drills he would recommend to novice players is juggling. "Ball control is the most essential skill if you ask me," Kiddo adds. He finds the status of soccer, as a sport here in the Philippines, better than it was before. "We see more & more people joining tourneys, watching games & even parents encouraging their kids to start young." From first glance, a striker might find him an easy target but his tactics and soccer moves are as good as any player. The name of the game is to stay focused all the time.
*Put the new play into action*
When he's not wearing his studs, you would see him spending quality time with his wife, Lourie Lei, and kids, Andre and Owen, playing computer games or rooting for his favorite club, Manchester United. His life may have had fleetingly went out of bounds but the match has not stopped. His game plan is to win in anything in life, if not , life itself. His only opponent in the play-offs is time.
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