Breaking the sound barrier

  • Bob Mortenson / Herald Writer
  • Wednesday, November 7, 2001 9:00pm
  • Sports

By Bob Mortenson

Herald Writer

Forget their proud smiles and twinkling eyes if you can. These are football players.

Their brand of play may not be smashmouth, but they’ll drive you backward quick as a whip — and maybe knock you on your backside in the bargain.

Meet Ben Joss and Wesley Wilson, both age 9. Meet their teammate Dolan Edney — whose age, by the way, is 8 1/2, not just plain 8.

Seamlessly integrated into a squad of 20 rough-and-tumble boys, about the only thing that sets the trio apart from their Lynnwood Tiger Orange 89er teammates is that they are deaf.

"Something I observed immediately is that the other kids didn’t even seem to notice," head coach Scott McKee said. "They accepted it readily. They were just part of the team like anybody else."

Not that there weren’t some challenges to overcome.

"There was the usual difficulty of teaching any 8- or 9-year-old the game of football," McKee said. "And the language barrier."

To overcome the latter, McKee and his assistants had to learn some rudimentary sign language and rely heavily on the volunteer services of interpreters Dee Goertz and Mike Merrifield.

"They are fantastic," McKee said. "We would be lost without them."

The pair, trained at the American Sign Language Interpreter School of Seattle, shadow the coaches along the sidelines and during timeouts to help provide Ben, Dolan and Wesley with the same steady stream of encouragement and instruction their teammates get.

"I try to add the emotions of the coaches, too," Merrifield says.

That can be a tall order, especially given the comic staccato and physically animated style of assistant coaches David Girgus and Jason Corcoran.

The other players have learned some sign language and developed a little bit of their own along the way. In the huddle, Tiger quarterbacks use hand motions to indicate if the next play is a run or a pass and tap the appropriate side of their helmets to show direction.

Ben, an offensive tackle, loves laboring in the trenches for the Tigers and opening the holes that spring running backs for big gains. To avoid Ben having to look sideways for the center snap, offensive guard Connor White holds his hand until the instant the ball is hiked.

"I like to block," Ben says through his mother, Susanne Joss.

Susanne and Michael Joss emigrated to the United States from Germany 14 years ago and Michael laughs about being more familiar with the likes of soccer star Franz Beckenbauer than American football icons.

"It’s been a real learning experience for us," he said. "We started liking it more as we learned the rules. Ben has really enjoyed this. It’s been a wonderful team."

Away from the gridiron, Ben likes fishing, bike riding, working on his tree house and playing in the woods. He even built a go-cart with his dad.

Wesley is a talented second-year player who helps anchor the Tigers’ solid defensive line. He unhesitatingly takes on bigger opponents and seems to be involved in just about every play.

His parents, Dale and Kathy Wilson, beam with pride at Wesley’s accomplishments on the football field. Kathy says her son is interested in becoming an engineer or a lawyer, but being a professional football player is also in the running. Wesley enjoys BMX racing, hot wheels and is a collector who browses for bargains on eBay.

Dolan played defensive end almost exclusively before being inserted at wide receiver for the final regular-season game, a strategic move he initiated.

"I kept telling them I’m a good runner and a good catcher," Dolan said.

"Dolan’s an unofficial assistant coach," Girgus said. "He’s always willing to point out what we do wrong."

"Dolan had been asking to play receiver all season," McKee said. "When we gave him the sign it was a pass play he asked if it was going to be a fake. When we said ‘no,’ he got a really big smile and his eyes got really big, he was excited."

With good reason. In a scrimmage the night before, Dolan hauled in a touchdown pass and his coaches suspected they might have found a new secret weapon.

The next day at Mariner High School’s Goddard Stadium, he lined up at wideout on third and long. After the snap, Dolan drifted behind the defenders. Tiger quarterback Kris Hobson spotted Dolan open and fired a strike. Dolan made the catch and sprinted downfield for a 50-yard gain to set up a touchdown.

It’s hard to guess who was more excited, Dolan or his parents, Ken and Nancy Edney.

"It’s been fantastic," Ken says of Dolan’s football experience.

Dolan, who holds an orange belt in karate and also plays soccer and baseball, attends Syre Elementary School in the Shoreline School District. An interpreter assists him in the classroom and his teachers are outfitted with FM transmitters, paid for by the Edneys, that transmit to antennae attached to his hearing aids.

Tiger teammate Cameron Girgus, coach Girgus’ nephew, says he and Dolan are "tight buds." Asked why, Cameron replies succinctly, "Because Dolan’s funny and he’s nice."

With his hearing aids, Dolan has a limited ability to hear. He can pick up deep vowel sounds, has difficulty with consonants, and can often fill in the blanks by reading lips.

"Socialization (for Dolan) is tough in general communication," Nancy Edney said. "But, most of the kids are aware of it and good about making good eye contact."

Ben and Wesley attend the Washington State School for the Deaf in Vancouver, where both play soccer and list science as their favorite subject. During the week the boys live in dormitory-style cottages at the school. They come home on a chartered bus on Friday afternoons and are bused back to the school on Sunday afternoons.

"It was a hard decision to send Benjamin to the state school," Susanne Joss said. "But, he was very frustrated here. Not only with school, but also with the after-school time and not having friends to play with."

Wesley’s parents are deaf and both also attended the Vancouver school.

"It’s hard for the families," Kathy Wilson says through Susanne Joss, who acts as interpreter. "But the kids love it there. There are a lot of activities for them after school. There is good communication for them through ASL. If they go to public school they come home and there’s nothing for them to do."

Coach Girgus says Ben, Dolan and Wesley are an inspiration.

"But, you know, they really just want to play and compete. They’re just kids," Girgus said.

A heartbreaking loss in the season finale apparently meant elimination from the battle for a playoff spot. They’d played their hearts out, but the Tigers gathered around their coaches with stripes of hurt trickling down their cheeks. Some 60 parents, grandparents and other supporters gathered, too, in the driving rain.

Mike Merrifield stood by ready to sign any words of comfort from the coaches.

"You guys played fantastic football," coach Girgus said. "You played like an army. You are awesome warriors."

"It hurts to lose a close game, but it can make you a better person," coach Corcoran said.

McKee tells the team to be ready for practice next week, drawing puzzled looks from the Tigers.

"The reason we’re coming back is there was a slight miscalculation. It turns out we did make the playoffs," McKee said.

Unbridled joy being an international language, no interpretation was needed.

Ben, Dolan, Wesley and their teammates are football players.

Those people with the proud smiles and twinkling eyes? That would be the parents.

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