By admin 
ROCK HILL, S.C. (WJZY) – The world calls it “the beautiful game.”
At Winthrop University, the real beauty of soccer is a constant revelation.
“So basically, it’s a game of keep-away,” assistant coach Laurin Uptegrove explains to the Winthrop Inspire team during practice. “You can pass it anywhere you want. You can pass it to whoever you want.”
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The Winthrop-based squad is a new team in the Inspire Soccer League, which is geared toward players who are intellectually impaired.
“It’s very gratifying to see the happiness that it brings to the players,” says coach Mia Gray. “The sense of independence and the kind of a normal opportunity is kind of refreshing.”
Winthrop Inspire will compete all over the country in places like Knoxville, Tennessee, and Spokane, Washington. They’ll play at home in Rock Hill on Winthrop’s Eagle Field the weekend of Nov. 20.
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When you meet them, you’re likely to smile.
Steven Heimerle has played soccer since he was 5.
“I very very enjoy teamwork,” says Heimerle.
“He’s really came out of his shell with soccer,” his dad told Queen City News.
The name of the game is inclusion.
“A lot of skill and competition,” said Gray.
As they move the ball around, it generates positive energy.
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“Passing the ball, shooting, sometimes getting an assist to my teammates; that’s the best feeling, giving your teammates a score,” said Zachary Burkholder of Concord.
Watching them in action should give us all goals and maybe that’s the beauty of it.
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“I’m passionate about soccer,” Burkholder says.