Columbus East senior Joe Hefner works with Charlie McGowen at a TOPSoccer session in October at Richard Wigh Soccer Complex.
Submitted photo
Joe Hefner had watched his brother Jacob go through the TOPSoccer program while other Columbus East soccer players organized the program for their senior projects.
So when Joe Hefner needed a senior project for his senior year this year, he knew exactly what he wanted to do. He ran a TOPSoccer program, which gives children with special needs a chance to learn the game of and play soccer.
“My brother has Down Syndrome, and I learned it through him,” Joe Hefner said. “I thought it was a great idea for a project, and that’s something I was wanting to do.”
Joe’s work with the TOPSoccer program has earned him a major honor. He recently was named Indiana Soccer’s TOPSoccer Buddy of the Year.
“It was a great feeling,” Joe said. “I didn’t realize that I had a chance to win it, so when I learned that I had, it was a really great feeling.”
Ty Smith, director of coaching for Columbus Express Soccer Club, nominated Hefner for the award.
“I had the privilege of witnessing Joe lead a TOPSoccer training program free of charge for children and teenagers,” Smith wrote in the nomination. “Joe and some of his club and high school teammates interact and lead training sessions. Joe’s patient demeanor, encouragement and enthusiasm towards working within the TOPSoccer environment was apparent and enlightening. Joe possesses a pragmatic and steady approach to life and soccer. He has been a great role model for our players within Columbus Express, and I hope that many carry on the tradition of TOPSoccer for their senior project.”
TOPSoccer stands for “The Outreach Program for Soccer” is a community-based training and team placement program for young athletes with disabilities, organized by youth soccer association volunteers. Former East player Andrew Thomasson started the local program in 2015, and other former East players, including Dustin Rodgers and Thomas Soedel, have kept it going in recent years.
Joe Hefner focused his time with the players on fundamentals and the basics of soccer like dribbling, shooting and passing.
“It was a really good experience getting to meet all the different children and getting to know them on a personal level and bonding with them,” he said. “It was a lot of fun. I think it turned out really well. I think the kids learned a lot. One of the helpers I had is going to continue on in the program and work with the kids and teaching them how to play.”
Jacob, 15, was one of the players who took part in the program last fall.
“I didn’t get to work with him one-on-one because I was coaching, and we had helpers,” Joe said. “But as I was watching all the kids do stuff, he seemed to really enjoy it and was always watching. He’s pretty good at figuring things out.”
The program took place the last three weeks of October at the Richard Wigh Complex. The final day of the program was Halloween, and they held a Trunk-or-Treat party.
Joe was a starting outside back for the Olympians last fall when they won their third consecutive sectional championship. He is going to Ohio Northern University to major in pharmacy, but will not play soccer in college.
“I had thought about it, but I wanted to focus on academics,” he said. “It’s a six-year program, so I’ll have a lot of work that I’ll have to do.”
