THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 22, 1995 TAG: 9501200263
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 16 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, BEACON SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Long : 161 lines
IN A SMALL CHURCH fellowship hall transformed into a makeshift gym, 18 boys are learning more about life than they ever dreamed.
The mere chance to learn is enough to make them jump for joy, but having their own basketball team has them standing as tall as any professional player.
Participating in mainstream activities is something that students at Chesapeake Bay Academy don't often experience.
But all that is changing.
The academy at Heritage United Methodist Church is the only school in southeastern Virginia devoted exclusively to learning disabled children.
Of its 40 students ages 5 to 15, 33 are boys. Of the 20 or so boys who are old enough, 18 are participating in the new athletic program. And of the school's seven girls, four of them are cheerleaders.
Because of their specialized learning needs, these children have at one time or another experienced cruel prejudices. Participating in activities like organized basketball helps remove those stigmas - both for the children and for those around them.
``We are usually not the first school these children have gone to,'' said first-year head of school Mary Anne Dukas. ``By the time these kids get here, they have experienced so much negativity.
``Anything we can do to make them feel better is important. Having a basketball team makes their life more normalized.''
Math teacher John Fox got things started last year with a soccer team. This year, he formed a basketball team and even helped organize the Tidewater Conference of Small Schools in which the Dolphins play.
Once the organization was in place, the hard work really began. Only a few of Fox's players had ever participated in any organized sport.
``With soccer, it wasn't quite as tough,'' said Fox. ``There is a wide spectrum of abilities here, but with soccer, it was more or less them out there running around kicking the ball. They knew where it was supposed to go and who their teammates were.
``But with basketball, there are many more things to teach, and we are starting from the very, very bottom.''
Fox enlisted coaching help from Dave Carlson, a former Cox High player. He approached Danelle Gownley and Mandy Vipperman to head up the cheerleaders.
``I think it's just great,'' said Gownley, a former cheerleader for Monacan High near Richmond. ``The girls love it, and all the kids really show their spirit.
``It's probably one of the best things that's ever happened to some of these kids.''
With the tables and chairs pushed to the stage end of the church's fellowship hall, Fox and Carlson erected a portable basketball goal and purchased several balls.
Then it was time for fundamentals - dribbling, layups, shooting, a few defenses. And there was conditioning - wind sprints, laps and agility drills.
``He doesn't treat them any different than if they were a team at a public school,'' Dukas said. ``He pushes them.''
Sometimes he runs with them.
Jogging backward at a recent practice, Fox shouted to Tyler Owens, ``Hey, are you gonna let an old guy beat you?''
Owens smiled and kept plugging away, getting back to his teammates in line and tagging the next runner.
``Sometimes you have to really spell out for them what it is you want them to do,'' Fox said. ``Most of them are visual learners, so you have to show them.''
But he can't on the court.
Out there, they can only hear his loud vocalizations of instructions, praise and sometimes disappointment.
``It's important to start with the positives with these guys,'' Fox said. ``Then you can show them what they did wrong.''
In their first game against Baylake Pines, the Dolphins scored only a few baskets. They got a little better against Trinity Lutheran, but the score remained lopsided.
What might be the highlight of the year, however, came in that contest when Danny Aul let fly with a halfcourt buzzer-beater for three points.
``They went ballistic,'' Fox said. ``That was like a victory in itself. They didn't care about the score. All they cared about was that shot. Nobody could believe that he hit it.''
Next was the long haul to Courtland to play Southampton Academy - a school with a reputation for quality athletics.
During the shoot-around and warmups, it was apparent that the Raiders had quicker athletes and better shooters. But Chesapeake Bay had been improving, and the previous week's practices had gone well.
While there was little hope for a victory on the scoreboard, Fox and Carlson were aiming for another win in their long-range plan for improvement.
And they got it.
Down 41-12 at the half, Fox's halftime speech was full of praise before he gave the guys what-for about things they were doing wrong.
``We've had three games and I have seen much more improvement,'' he said before guard Joseph Dolsey chimed in with, ``Yeah, and we've already got 12 points. We can break our record.''
Meanwhile, out in the gym, the Dolphin cheerleaders were chanting ``Y.E.S., the attitude of success. Y.E.S., the attitude of success.''
The Dolphins returned for the second half and finished the game with a team-record 24 points - aided mostly by the hot hand of Dolsey, who finished with 10.
That winning attitude seems to have taken root.
``I see the benefits coming back into the academics,'' Fox said. ``They're so much more motivated. Finally, they can say to themselves that they're at a normal school, playing sports.
``It all makes me feel like I'm doing something right for these kids.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by MORT FRYMAN
[Color cover photo. No cutline or photo credit available.]
In a 85-24 loss to Southampton Academy, coach John Fox, right, and
assistant Dave Carlson make their point to Joseph Dolsey and his
teammates: Shoot the ball when you're open.
The Dolphins' Joseph Dolsey and Whit Miller, 21, scrap for a loose
ball against their more talented opponents.
Parents and supporters of the Chesapeake Bay Academy basketball team
followed the Dolphins for a long haul to Southampton Academy in
Courtland. They were led in cheers by the new Dolphin cheerleaders,
who chanted ``Y.E.S., the attitude of success. Y.E.S., the attitude
of success.''
Gerry Robertson heeds his coaches' shooting advice. Heritage United
Methodist Church runs the only school in the area devoted soley to
learning-disabled students.
Of Chesapeake Bay Academy's 20 or so boys who are old enough, 18 are
participating in the new athletic program. And of the school's seven
girls, four of them are cheerleaders.
With the tables and chairs pushed to the stage end of the church's
fellowship hall, coach John Fox and assistant Dave Carlson erected a
portable basketball goal. But players like Jonathan Reed must
contend with a low ceiling.
Graphic
DOLPHINS
Players
Danny Aul, Greg Barto, Joseph Dolsey, Michael Fedida, Chad
Furlough, Spencer Holt, Dan Hoyle, Chris Johnson, Tyree Joyce, Whit
Miller, Tyler Owens, Jonathan Reid, Gerry Robertson, Mike Romine,
Chris Scollan, Dan Skjei, Mike Wagner, Adam White
Cheerleaders
Meghan Gibson, Lisa Grant, Alexis Lassiter, Andrea Lymbouris
Remaining schedule Jan. 24: Williams School, 4 p.m., home court
at the Norfolk Salvation Army
Jan. 26: Tidewater Junior Academy, 4:30 p.m., away
Jan. 31: Tidewater Academy, 4:30 p.m., away
Feb. 2: Baylake Pines School, 5 p.m., away
Feb. 4: Christ the King, 1 p.m., home at Salvation Army
Feb. 7: Williams School, 4 p.m., home at Salvation Army
Feb. 9: Alliance Christian, 5:45 p.m., home at Salvation Army
Feb. 11: St. Pius, 1:15 p.m., away
Feb. 25: Eastern Tidewater Independent Schools Tournament at St.
Pius
by CNB