Miss-Delectable
New Member
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2004
- Messages
- 17,160
- Reaction score
- 7
Rummo on U.S. Deaf Soccer team | Daily Record | dailyrecord.com
Greg Rummo likes to watch CNBC over breakfast. But not while his son, James, is home from college. James Rummo always switches the family television to ESPN. Now the Mountain Lakes graduate is hoping to make his own “SportsCenter” highlights later this fall.
Rummo has been named to the U.S. Deaf Soccer team which will play at the Pan American Games in Brazil in November.
Originally selected as an alternate, Rummo was elevated to the full national team on Aug. 22. “Very excited” by the news, he immediately forwarded the email to his parents back home in Butler.
Born profoundly deaf, Rummo started an early intervention program at Lake Drive School in Mountain Lakes when he was 9-months old. His maternal grandparents, Hayako Gebbia and George Lee, are also deaf, but his parents, Greg and Jenny Rummo, can hear — and often have to ask James to slow down when he’s signing.
Now a junior at Gallaudet University in Washington. James Rummo started playing soccer on a Butler-Bloomingdale team Greg coached when he was 9-years old. Though he played both soccer and lacrosse at Mountain Lakes, Rummo was always the only deaf athlete on his team.
A small but quick striker, Rummo has started seven of Gallaudet’s eight games this fall, and has one shot on goal. The Bison are 0-8, and have an 18-game losing streak dating back to last season. Gallaudet has won just once in its last 80 matches, but Rummo has been trying to keep the players organized and motivated. He serves as a conduit between the Bison and head coach Luis Gendive, who is not on campus full-time.
“It’s better for me, because the deaf kids and I understand our barriers,” said Rummo, who earned a full scholarship to Gallaudet, where he is majoring in accounting with a finance minor. “It took two weeks for me to adjust with the deaf kids. The biggest challenge for me, as a deaf player, is knowing who’s behind me. It’s difficult for me because I can’t hear when a player is coming at me from behind. To avoid that, I have to take a look behind me before receiving the ball.”
Added Gendive, “He provides good effort. He should slow down sometimes, but I like youthful mistakes from someone who is very enthusiastic.”
Rummo had been invited to try out for the national team while at Mountain Lakes, but chose to wait until he had more high-level experience. He hopes to earn international playing time, and help the United States win a gold medal and eventually qualify for the 2013 Deaflympics. Each Pan Am player must raise $3,000 to cover expenses, and Rummo is currently trying to find sponsors.
Said Rummo, “I am profoundly deaf, but I have never let it stop me from doing anything that I truly want to do.”
Greg Rummo likes to watch CNBC over breakfast. But not while his son, James, is home from college. James Rummo always switches the family television to ESPN. Now the Mountain Lakes graduate is hoping to make his own “SportsCenter” highlights later this fall.
Rummo has been named to the U.S. Deaf Soccer team which will play at the Pan American Games in Brazil in November.
Originally selected as an alternate, Rummo was elevated to the full national team on Aug. 22. “Very excited” by the news, he immediately forwarded the email to his parents back home in Butler.
Born profoundly deaf, Rummo started an early intervention program at Lake Drive School in Mountain Lakes when he was 9-months old. His maternal grandparents, Hayako Gebbia and George Lee, are also deaf, but his parents, Greg and Jenny Rummo, can hear — and often have to ask James to slow down when he’s signing.
Now a junior at Gallaudet University in Washington. James Rummo started playing soccer on a Butler-Bloomingdale team Greg coached when he was 9-years old. Though he played both soccer and lacrosse at Mountain Lakes, Rummo was always the only deaf athlete on his team.
A small but quick striker, Rummo has started seven of Gallaudet’s eight games this fall, and has one shot on goal. The Bison are 0-8, and have an 18-game losing streak dating back to last season. Gallaudet has won just once in its last 80 matches, but Rummo has been trying to keep the players organized and motivated. He serves as a conduit between the Bison and head coach Luis Gendive, who is not on campus full-time.
“It’s better for me, because the deaf kids and I understand our barriers,” said Rummo, who earned a full scholarship to Gallaudet, where he is majoring in accounting with a finance minor. “It took two weeks for me to adjust with the deaf kids. The biggest challenge for me, as a deaf player, is knowing who’s behind me. It’s difficult for me because I can’t hear when a player is coming at me from behind. To avoid that, I have to take a look behind me before receiving the ball.”
Added Gendive, “He provides good effort. He should slow down sometimes, but I like youthful mistakes from someone who is very enthusiastic.”
Rummo had been invited to try out for the national team while at Mountain Lakes, but chose to wait until he had more high-level experience. He hopes to earn international playing time, and help the United States win a gold medal and eventually qualify for the 2013 Deaflympics. Each Pan Am player must raise $3,000 to cover expenses, and Rummo is currently trying to find sponsors.
Said Rummo, “I am profoundly deaf, but I have never let it stop me from doing anything that I truly want to do.”