"It is not so easy to prepare for how loud it gets in this gym," said visiting coach Brad Pakler of the Jewish Community Center girls' basketball team. "It gets extremely loud dealing with all the noise."

Then again, he can hear.

Other than being deaf or hard of hearing, athletes at the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf are like any other teenage boys and girls who want to play the game.

"There are some kids who think they can't do something because they are deaf, but they can do a lot of things if they work hard at it," WPSD athletic director Valentine Wojton III said via interpreter Connie Stepien, an assistant dean at the school. "There are challenges, but I know they can do it. These kids here have proven they can do it.

"Of course, you always want to win, but we try to teach sportsmanship and that is it all right to lose. Everyone here is a winner."

The WPSD Lions compete in the Eastern State Schools for the Deaf Athletic Association, but they also play against teams from area private and parochial schools. Playoffs begin next week.

"(WPSD athletes) don't want any pity," said Gregg Bowers, WPSD dean of students. "They want to be treated like everyone else. They have high expectations."

While the fundamentals of the game are the same as with any WPIAL or City League team, the biggest difference is how players communicate with each other and their coaches. Because many of them can't hear or have limited hearing, they must look at their coaches between plays and at teammates at all times.

For WPSD junior guard Andrea Aquilino, of Washington, communicating with her teammates is not always easy, but she finds ways to make her point.

"At first, I try to communicate through sign language, but then if someone doesn't understand then I write it down," Aquilino, a 1,000-point scorer, said via an interpreter. "I love playing sports. They are fun and help keep me in shape."

Screaming can be ineffective for coaches, so they use hand signals and sign language to get their message across. In an act of frustration, coaches speed up the movement of their hands when their players aren't following orders. Coaches also wave their arms and stomp their feet to get their players' attention.

"We prepare for them as we do any team," said JCC boys coach Aaron Outrakis. "They are one of the best teams we play. They are always competitive. I am amazed by what they do and how well they communicate with each other. I have no idea what they are trying to say to one another. They are also a well-coached team. They play hard. We know every time we play them it is going to be a good game."

Officials, including those who have learned sign language, still use whistles because some athletes wear hearing aids and can pick up certain sounds. A red light above each basket illuminates to signify a stoppage in play.

WPSD boys coach Troy Verner, who is deaf, said sports are more than wins and losses for him. They were a big part of his childhood and he wanted to do something to help other deaf athletes because there were many people who helped him along the way.

Kelby Brick, Director of Law & Advocacy for the National Association of the Deaf in Silver Spring, Md., said deaf athletes derive as many benefits from sports as their hearing peers.

"Deaf kids were not always allowed to associate with each other to play sports," Brick said. "The fact you're seeing healthy and strong deaf children at WPSD playing sports shows that our educational system for deaf and hard of hearing children is now breaking free from the post-colonial approach of isolating deaf kids from their peers."

Junior guard Zane Noschese said basketball has taught him to cooperate with people on and off the court.

WPSD girls coach Wilmonda McDevitt agreed with Noschese.

"Sports help develop cooperation and confidence," she said. "It helps these players believe in themselves. They really want to win. They are dedicated and work hard every day."

At WPSD, which has a no-cut policy, boys and girls compete in basketball and track. There also are boys soccer and girls volleyball teams, as well as cheerleading.

"Sports here are like sports anywhere else," said WPSD girls volleyball coach James Noschese, who learned to sign before he could speak because his parents are deaf. "They are like normal kids who want to enjoy the social aspect of being part of a team. They learn competition and to work hard and endurance and all the things sports helps kids learn.

"They will communicate with hand gestures, and they work hard at working together. They have picked up the sport pretty fast. We might have a little advantage to using sign language against teams, but when we play another deaf team that all goes out the window."

By JoAnne Klimovich Harrop
http://pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/sports/highschool/s_422859.html