Every Player Is A VIP On Mililani Miracles Soccer Team

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The Mililani Miracles are (front, from left) coach Emily
McCollum, Marly Garces, Catherine Michel, Aubrey
McKenzie, Merrin Guthrie, Chelsea Ferrick, (back)
Kenji Momohara, coach Desi McKenzie, Tim Choi, Ryan
Tabora, Kristen Lum, Max Marciel, Mikey Stewart and
coach Sharon Mujtbaa. Photo courtesy of the team.

The AYSO motto “Everyone Plays” rarely rings truer than it does during the league’s Very Important Players (VIP) Program, which caters to children with special needs.

And for longtime Mililani resident Desi McKenzie, that’s nothing short of a miracle. “My Christmas card this year was ‘Miracles Can Happen,’ with my daughters and I signing ‘I love you,’ ” said McKenzie, who coaches the Mililani Miracles along with Emily McCollum and longtime area coach Sharon Mujtabaa.

McKenzie’s youngest daughter Aubrey has Down syndrome, which presents poor muscle tone, hearing impairment and cognitive challenges. Aubrey communicates in sign language and didn’t walk until she was 4, but two years after starting VIP soccer, the 8-year-old is “running around, staying active” and is “so much stronger because of soccer,” her mother said.

At the Kirk Banks VIP tournament in March Aubrey - who’s nicknamed “Strawberry Shortcake” for her red hair and freckles - scored 10 goals. “She just really wants to be like her big sister,” McKenzie said, referring to 12-year-old Ashley, who plays for the the mainstream Knockouts team of Mililani.

Two years ago Aubrey joined a VIP team in Leeward Oahu because Mililani didn’t have one. Last year, however, her mom started the Mililani Miracles, which attracted 14 players in its inaugural season. The players most common disabilities were autism, cerebral palsy and Down syndrome.

A player in a wheelchair will join the team next season. “What I told this new mom is, ‘Have your son wear the shoes and the shin guards just like the other kids. Even if his feet never touch the grass, he can be like all the other kids and feel like an integral part of the program,’ ” said McKenzie, a single parent who also teaches piano and voice and directs the Hawaii Youth Chorus.

The season runs September to October, and practices are from 2 to 4 p.m. Sundays. The team is always looking for people who “have the heart and compassion” to serve as “buddies,” or volunteers for players on the field. (Many of the team’s buddies already play AYSO with under-12 and under-14 teams. They include Ashley and Rory Yamamoto, a Mililani High varsity player whose father coaches the boys varsity team.)

VIP soccer sometimes acts as a transition to mainstream soccer and teaches soccer skills, appropriate field behavior and the ability to take “great joy in watching somebody else score” off one’s assist, McKenzie said. “The greatest thing they learn is awareness of others, just playing with others. It’s just amazing.”

For more information, contact her at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 623-2411.