{"id":718076,"date":"2026-06-06T02:13:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T02:13:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/718076\/"},"modified":"2026-06-06T02:13:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T02:13:13","slug":"edison-girls-soccer-player-enjoys-the-first-usa-deaf-development-camp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/718076\/","title":{"rendered":"Edison girls’ soccer player enjoys the first USA Deaf development camp"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ashley Sullivan has been playing soccer since she was 3 years old, and has no problem carrying responsibility on the pitch.<\/p>\n

Sullivan, who is finishing up her sophomore year at Edison High, played attacking midfielder, holding midfielder or outside back for the Chargers junior varsity girls\u2019 soccer team last winter.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn the field, she\u2019s very gritty and she\u2019s very smart,\u201d Edison coach Nikki Fedele said. \u201cShe\u2019s very strong. She\u2019s got a really good foundation and a good soccer IQ. She knew which passes to play and when to play them, and she was just tough. Just a tough, strong foundation in the middle, that\u2019s what she gave us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sullivan has good instincts, which serves her well sometimes when her hearing doesn\u2019t. She is a third generation member of the Deaf community in her family on the side of her father, Randy, and is fluent in American Sign Language. And she recently got a great opportunity.<\/p>\n

\"Edison <\/p>\n

Edison High School teacher Kristie Sullivan, left, and her sophomore daughter Ashley.<\/p>\n

(Matt Szabo)<\/p>\n

She was one of 18 players selected to attend the first USA Deaf National Youth Development Camp, held a couple of weeks ago at Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center in Atlanta.<\/p>\n

Newport Beach resident Everly Larson was also among those selected.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really enjoyed it,\u201d said Sullivan, 16, who lives in Aliso Viejo. \u201cIt felt really easy to communicate with everyone, especially those who knew ASL. It just felt so easy to be around everyone, and it eventually felt like a family.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sullivan\u2019s mother, Kristie, is a longtime ASL teacher at Edison who is herself deaf. She said via sign language that the USA Deaf National Youth Development Camp<\/a> began noticing hearing loss in Ashley when she was about 7 years old. She still has some hearing but about 50 decibels of hearing loss, which qualifies as moderate.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t surprising to us, because of genetics on her dad\u2019s side,\u201d Kristie Sullivan said via sign language, through interpreter Harmony Soliz. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t change anything. She already signed, so nothing changed in our environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Ashley <\/p>\n

Ashley Sullivan dribbles the ball at the soccer field at Edison High School.<\/p>\n

(Matt Szabo)<\/p>\n

Sullivan\u2019s older brother Ethan, 20, is a goalkeeper for the U.S. Men\u2019s Deaf National Team<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ashley participated in a pair of scrimmages on the final day of the camp. She and her teammates edged the Georgia U17 Girls Olympic Development Program team by a score of 5-4.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of my favorite parts was getting to know other players who had similar experiences, and just learning about how everyone had different pathways,\u201d she said. \u201cSome had cochlear implants, some wore hearing aids, some knew sign language. It was great to learn about the differences, but we\u2019re all connected in a similar way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her mom also enjoyed the trip.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always feel like we\u2019re having to ask her, \u2018What\u2019s going on, what did they say?\u2019\u201d Kristie Sullivan signed. \u201cBut being there, it was so easy because we could see all of the coaches signing, there were interpreters all over. We could understand how everything was being relayed with the players, what the expectations were. It was a learning experience for us, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ashley Sullivan is a dedicated club soccer player as well, with Sporting California, and she hopes to make Edison\u2019s varsity team next year.<\/p>\n

Her JV coach, Fedele, said it was not surprising that she would be selected for the camp. In the \u201cit\u2019s a small world\u201d category, Fedele is good friends with Emily Spreeman (Cresse), the all-time leading goal scorer for the U.S. Women\u2019s Deaf National Team.<\/p>\n

\u201cKnowing Emily and the legacy and the person that Emily is, it just makes sense that Ashley is there,\u201d Fedele said. \u201cShe is such a good person, such a good player. She can impact any game in such a positive way that the team is really lucky to have her. It\u2019s great for her, and it doesn\u2019t even surprise us.\u201d<\/p>\n