On May 16–17, BORP hosted the first-ever Chris Finn Memorial Invitational — “You Are Able” Power Soccer Tournament at James Kenney Community Center in Berkeley.
While BORP regularly hosts a power soccer tournament in May, this year’s event marked something new: the naming of the tournament in honor of Chris Finn, who coached power soccer at BORP from 2002 to 2020. The name was a choice made by BORP’s power soccer athletes themselves, who wanted to honor someone who was deeply invested in improving the lives of people with disabilities through sport. They made sure to include his rallying cry — “You are able” — in the event title. It’s a phrase that carries particular weight in disability community spaces, where people are too often told the opposite.
At the tournament, referee Johnathan Newman (a former power soccer coach and BORP’s Adult Sports Program Director), along with athletes Rian Dindzans and Brittanie Hernandez-Wilson, spoke about Chris’ legacy and what power soccer has meant to the community he helped build.
On May 16th, five teams faced off in a round-robin schedule: the BORP Shockers, Chico Gophers, San Francisco Ducks, San Jose Flash, and San Jose Steamrollers. The BORP Shockers finished the day 1–1. On May 17th, the BORP Bombers took on the Sacramento Republic in two back-to-back games. It was a hard-fought day of competition — the Bombers finished 0–2, but showed up and played with heart.
Thank you to all the athletes, coaches, officials, and volunteers who made the event happen. Special thanks to Scot Goodman, who snapped fantastic photos of the tournament.
We’re proud to carry Chris’ legacy forward through this tournament, and look forward to making it an annual tradition.
