Riverhead cop, Pulaski Street teacher team up to offer bilingual soccer clinic

Growing up the son of Guatemalan immigrants, Riverhead Police Officer Byron Perez knew what it was like to live in two cultures.

“I was in American culture at school but when I went home, I was in Guatemalan culture,” the young officer says.

His parents, who immigrated to the United States in the 1970s, were unaware of the recreation and other programs for children in the community. So he never participated in any of them.

“My father worked all the time. My mother was a stay-at-home mom. I went to school and I went home.”

“Activities are important for kids, especially kids whose lives span two cultures, like mine did,” he says.

Perez, Riverhead’s first Latino cop — he joined the Riverhead Police Department in December 2014 — is a presenter for the Riverhead Community Awareness Program. Riverhead CAP has been providing monthly prevention education taught by community by volunteers in the Pulaski Street Elementary School since 1982.

The officer is a CAP presenter in Erica Peralta’s bilingual class at Pulaski, where students are taught in both English and Spanish.

“I know what their lives are like,” he says, “because I grew up like that — how they’re growing up right now. That’s why we’re doing this.”

“This” is a Sunday morning soccer clinic he and Peralta run for Spanish-speaking students in her bilingual class. Perez and Peralta volunteer their time to teach soccer skills and rules of the game — and the English words for them.

So far, they’ve had 19 children participate in the Sunday sessions, which take place on a portion of the football field.

Each week students are asked to bring in a good grade or homework they need help on.

“I tell them, ‘When you get to the middle school or high school and you want to be in sports programs, you can’t if you don’t have the grades,’” Perez says.

“I want them to know they can do anything they set their sights on.”

Perez and Peralta went to Riverhead Schools Superintendent Nancy Carney to pitch the idea of “Soccer Sundays” and she was very receptive, authorizing them to use the field and ask the students’ parents for permission for their children to participate. District athletic director Brian Sacks scheduled their use of the field, goals and equipment.

“We were expecting five or eight kids,” Perez says. “The first day we had 14.”

“Not bad for a pilot program,” Peralta adds. “It’s really been great.”

The students’ enthusiasm for the soccer clinic is obvious, as they eagerly chase the ball down the field, while Perez and Peralta shout instructions, shifting from English to Spanish and back again.

The emphasis is on basic skills. “Pass it! Pass it! Pass the ball!” he shouts. “Spread out.” 

Perez says he hopes some of their young charges will be ready for PAL soccer this fall and some will be able to move on to playing soccer in the middle school.

Most of all, he says, it gives them something to do. “Instead of staying home. They get out, they exercise. It protects them from gangs,” Perez said.

“It’s a lot of fun,” said Leydy Alvarez, 11, of Manorville, a fifth-grader. “I never played soccer before.” She looks forward to the Sunday sessions, she said. “Our teacher is fun and Officer Perez is cool.”

Leydy dreams of being a professional gymnast some day.

Emmanuel Lopez of Flanders, also an 11-year-old fifth grader, said he loves soccer. He is learning to play the position of forward. “It’s so much fun,” he said, a broad smile lighting up his face.

After this week’s practice, as the students enjoyed fresh oranges and water donated by local businesses, Perez told them they would take a break on May 14 for Mother’s Day. The kids lamented loudly in unison: “No!”

“Mrs. Peralta should be home with her kids on Mother’s Day, don’t you think?” Perez tells them, laughing. The kids laugh with him and agree with exaggerated reluctance. The queue up to drop their names in pail for the drawing that ends each weekly two-hour practice. The winner gets two tickets to Splish Splash, which have been donated by the Calverton water park.

As parents arrive to pick them up, the kids exchange goodbyes with each other and with their coaches.

Perez laughs at the coach moniker. “I am not a soccer guy,” he said. “But I know enough to get them started on their way.”