After 15 years of hard work and training, a University student with a hearing impairment got the chance to play soccer with some of the top athletes in the nation.
Kinesiology junior Craig Verdin, a goalkeeper, traveled to Columbus, Ohio, this weekend to train with the USA Deaf Soccer team. The team represents the country in international games.
Spots on the team are hard to come by because only one or two players are invited to attend each tryout, Verdin said. He estimated about 25 to 26 people were at his tryout camp.
The Houma native is hearing impaired with a hearing level of 70 decibels, and the minimum level required to qualify for the team is 50 decibels. The more decibels a person has, the less he or she can hear.
Verdin said when he first arrived in Columbus, he was uncomfortable because everyone else was deaf, and he didn’t know sign language, making communication difficult.
“I don’t know sign language,” Verdin said. “But by the end of the camp, I was able to communicate with everyone. I learned a lot more about the deaf community this weekend.” Verdin said he learned a lot from the tryout.
“It was a different experience because they communicate differently,” Verdin said. “Everybody knows everybody’s role, which gives each player a lot more responsibility to own up to.”
Players are not allowed to wear hearing aids during the game, Verdin said.
In order for players to know when play has been stopped, referees wave flags instead of blowing whistles.
The camp was intense, with players training three times per day, but Verdin said it was a fun learning experience overall. “It was eye-opening, and I made a lot of new friends,” Verdin said. “Hopefully it opens doors for future games.”
Despite his hearing impairment, Verdin said he has never faced challenges on the soccer field or in the classroom, and he can read lips.
“It has never impeded on my ability to learn,” Verdin said. “Nothing changed because of it.”
Verdin said he learned about the USA Deaf Soccer team from watching YouTube videos.
“I e-mailed the team representative asking about the structure of the team,” Verdin said.
The team then invited Verdin to attend this year’s spring camp.
Before coming to LSU, Verdin played in a soccer Olympic Development Program for three years. He said members of national teams are picked from the program.
Soccer stabilizes his hectic schoolwork load, Verdin said. “Before I got the call, I was stressed out with school,” Verdin said. “Soccer helps me from going insane.”
Saul Martinez, Verdin’s trainer, said he has known Verdin for about seven or eight years.
“Anyone who decides to become a goalkeeper becomes special to me because goalkeeping is the hardest position,” Martinez said.
Martinez said Verdin surprised him when he called to ask to train for the USA Deaf Soccer Team.
“No doubt I was excited,” Martinez said. “Craig told me, ‘I have to get ready no matter what it takes.'” Martinez said Verdin’s hearing impairment was never an issue during training and playing.
“It’s a motivation for him because goalkeepers have to give instructions to other players,” Martinez said. “He had to step up to the leadership position.”
 
____ Contact Claire Caillier at [email protected]