Latest news with #Altobelli
Montreal Gazette
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Montreal Gazette
York United defeats Quebec semi-pro side FC Laval 5-0 in Canadian Championship play
TORONTO — Quebec semi-pro side FC Laval learned a painful lesson Tuesday in its second-ever trip to the Telus Canadian Championship. 'The learnings are simple,' said Laval coach Amro Radwan. 'At the top level, you can't take a break for half a second, even if you think the ball is far away from you and it's not dangerous. That's the difference between being a pro and an amateur player. 'We have to learn from this that, no matter what, we have to be disciplined for 90 minutes in everything that we do. If not we get punished.' York United FC administered the punishment, cruising to a 5-0 win in preliminary-round play. Julian Altobelli, Max Ferrari, Adonijah Reid, Bryan Rosa and Massimo Ferrin scored for the Canadian Premier League team at York Lions Stadium. The well-drilled Quebec Ligue1 champions defended well until York struck twice on the eve of halftime. Things went downhill from there. 'When you (give up) two goals so late (in the half), it changes everything,' Radwan lamented. 'And then you have to open up. And when you open up against opposition like this, they don't need big chances to score. It's heartbreaking. It's tough. I don't think the boys deserved that score line.' Altobelli opened the scoring in the 45th minute after captain Oswaldo Leon found him in the penalty box with a gorgeous left-footed feed from distance. The ball floated over the head of a defender to Altobelli, who pivoted and knocked the ball home. Altobelli, a former Toronto FC 2 player, has had a dream start to life in the CPL with five goals in five games before Tuesday. Three minutes later, Ferrari headed home Orlando Botello's cross to make it 2-0. Laval's French-born goalkeeper Martin Cantona, the nephew of former Manchester United star Eric Cantona, got a hand to the ball but could not keep it out. York outshot Laval 11-3 (6-1 in shots on target) and had 59 per cent possession in the first half. Reid upped the lead to 3-0 in the 52nd minute on a pretty goal. Ferrari started it on the right flank, beating a defender before sending in an accurate cross to the far post that Ferrin chested down for an unmarked Reid to poke home. Rosa, bursting past two Laval defenders, beat Cantona with a low shot for a 4-0 lead in the 64th minute. Ferrin then scored from the penalty spot in the 79th minute. York will face CPL-leading Atletico Ottawa in the quarterfinals. The win was welcome to York coach Mauro Eustaquio, whose 1-3-1 team currently stands sixth in the eight-team CPL and is winless in four league outings (0-3-1) since a season-opening 2-0 victory at Vancouver FC on April 6. 'We knew that the goals were coming,' said Eustaquio. 'I think the players needed this win. The club needed this win. And I'm happy to be part of it.' In the late cup game Tuesday, visiting Vancouver FC defeated Pacific FC in a penalty shootout (4-2) after the game finished tied at 1-1 in regulation time. On Wednesday, it's Halifax Wanderers at Forge in another CPL showdown in Hamilton, and League1 B.C.'s TSS Rovers visit Winnipeg's Valour FC. Four teams had already made it to the two-legged quarterfinals, including the MLS-leading Vancouver Whitecaps who received a bye into the final eight as defending champion. CF Montreal dispatched Toronto FC in a penalty shootout, CPL champion Cavalry FC blanked League1 Alberta's Edmonton Scottish 6-0, and CPL-leading Atletico Ottawa downed League1 Ontario's Scrosoppi FC 2-0. Laval lost 3-0 at Forge FC in preliminary-round play in 2023 in its only other trip to the cup competition. Laval, which topped Ligue1 Quebec last year with a 12-5-3 record, has had just one league outing to date this season — a 3-1 win at CS St-Hubert on April 25. But Radwan says the team has been training since January. Laval, which only has a couple of holdovers from the 2023 squad that played in the cup competition, gets together three or four times a week in advance of matches. The young talent on the Laval squad includes forward Ibrahim Conde, the lone Canadian invited to the MLS College Showcase in San Diego in December. Conde is a good friend and former college teammate of Canadian international defender Moise Bombito at Iowa Western Community College and the University of New Hampshire. Laval was captained by midfielder Quentin Paumier, who won the U Sports men's soccer championship with the Montreal Carabins in 2021 and was runner-up to UBC last November. Eustaquio made four changes to the starting 11 that lost 2-1 to visiting Cavalry on Friday with Botello, Ferrin, Rosa and Frank Sturing slotting in. York exited in the preliminary round of the cup last year, beaten 3-1 at Forge. York made the semifinals in 2022, winning penalty shootouts at Atletico Ottawa and Pacific FC before losing 2-1 at the Vancouver Whitecaps. The Canadian Championship winner hoists the Voyageurs Cup and wins $50,000 and a berth in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, the elite club competition in North and Central America and the Caribbean.
Hamilton Spectator
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
York United defeats Quebec semi-pro side FC Laval 5-0 in Canadian Championship play
TORONTO - York United FC cruised to a 5-0 win over Quebec semi-pro side FC Laval in Telus Canadian Championship preliminary-round play Tuesday. Julian Altobelli, Max Ferrari, Adonijah Reid, Bryan Rosa and Massimo Ferrin scored for the Canadian Premier League team at York Lions Stadium. The well-drilled Quebec Ligue1 champions, making their second-ever appearance in the Voyageurs Cup competition, defended well until York struck twice on the eve of halftime. Things went downhill from there. Altobelli opened the scoring in the 45th minute after captain Oswaldo Leon found him in the penalty box with a gorgeous left-footed feed from distance. The ball floated over the head of a defender to Altobelli, who pivoted and knocked the ball home. Altobelli, a former Toronto FC 2 player, has had a dream start to life in the CPL with five goals in five games before Tuesday. Three minutes later, Ferrari headed home Orlando Botello's cross to make it 2-0. Laval's French-born goalkeeper Martin Cantona, the nephew of former Manchester United star Eric Cantona, got a hand to the ball but could not keep it out. York outshot Laval 11-3 (6-1 in shots on target) and had 59 per cent possession in the first half. Reid upped the lead to 3-0 in the 52nd minute on a pretty goal. Ferrari started it on the right flank, beating a defender before sending in an accurate cross to the far post that Ferrin chested down for an unmarked Reid to poke home. Rosa, bursting past two Laval defenders, beat Cantona with a low shot for a 4-0 lead in the 64th minute. Ferrin then scored from the penalty spot in the 79th minute. York will face CPL-leading Atletico Ottawa in the quarterfinals. In the late cup game Tuesday, Pacific FC hosted Vancouver FC in an all-CPL matchup. On Wednesday, it's Halifax Wanderers at Forge in another CPL showdown in Hamilton, and League1 B.C.'s TSS Rovers visit Winnipeg's Valour FC. Four teams had already made it to the two-legged quarterfinals, including the MLS-leading Vancouver Whitecaps who received a bye into the final eight as defending champion. CF Montreal dispatched Toronto FC in a penalty shootout, CPL champion Cavalry FC blanked League1 Alberta's Edmonton Scottish 6-0, and CPL-leading Atletico Ottawa downed League1 Ontario's Scrosoppi FC 2-0. Laval lost 3-0 at Forge FC in preliminary-round play in 2023 in its only other trip to the cup competition. Laval, which topped Ligue1 Quebec last year with a 12-5-3 record, has had just one league outing to date this season — a 3-1 win at CS St-Hubert on April 25. But coach Amro Radwan says the team has been training since January. The team, which only has a couple of holdovers from the 2023 squad that played in the cup competition, gets together three or four times a week in advance of matches. The young talent on the Laval squad includes forward Ibrahim Conde, the lone Canadian invited to the MLS College Showcase in San Diego in December. Conde is a good friend and former college teammate of Canadian international defender Moise Bombito at Iowa Western Community College and the University of New Hampshire. Laval was captained by midfielder Quentin Paumier, who won the U Sports men's soccer championship with the Montreal Carabins in 2021 and was runner-up to UBC last November. York (1-3-1) currently stands sixth in the eight-team CPL and is winless in four games (0-3-1) since the season-opening 2-0 victory at Vancouver FC on April 6. York coach Mauro Eustaquio made four changes to the starting 11 that lost 2-1 to visiting Cavalry on Friday with Botello, Ferrin, Rosa and Frank Sturing slotting in. Laval's commitment to the cause was shown in the 11th minute when six-foot-four forward Ludwig Amra, a former Halifax Wanderer, ran over York goalkeeper Diego Urtiaga. Referee Ben Hoskins showed the yellow card to three Laval players in the first half. York exited in the preliminary round of the cup last year, beaten 3-1 at Forge. York made the semifinals in 2022, winning penalty shootouts at Atletico Ottawa and Pacific FC before losing 2-1 at the Vancouver Whitecaps. York's only other cup fixture with a League1 club was in 2021 when it blanked Master's FA 5-0 in preliminary-round play. CS St-Laurent, the Ligue1 Quebec representative last year, upset Halifax in a penalty shootout before being thumped 11-1 in the two-legged quarterfinal by Toronto FC. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 6, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
York United defeats Quebec semi-pro side FC Laval 5-0 in Canadian Championship play
TORONTO – York United FC cruised to a 5-0 win over Quebec semi-pro side FC Laval in Telus Canadian Championship preliminary-round play Tuesday. Julian Altobelli, Max Ferrari, Adonijah Reid, Bryan Rosa and Massimo Ferrin scored for the Canadian Premier League team at York Lions Stadium. The well-drilled Quebec Ligue1 champions, making their second-ever appearance in the Voyageurs Cup competition, defended well until York struck twice on the eve of halftime. Things went downhill from there. A game ball for the Canadian Premier League is seen during a match between York United FC and Forge Hamilton FC in CPL soccer action at York Lions Stadium in Toronto on Friday, July 30, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Tijana Martin Altobelli opened the scoring in the 45th minute after captain Oswaldo Leon found him in the penalty box with a gorgeous left-footed feed from distance. The ball floated over the head of a defender to Altobelli, who pivoted and knocked the ball home. Altobelli, a former Toronto FC 2 player, has had a dream start to life in the CPL with five goals in five games before Tuesday. Three minutes later, Ferrari headed home Orlando Botello's cross to make it 2-0. Laval's French-born goalkeeper Martin Cantona, the nephew of former Manchester United star Eric Cantona, got a hand to the ball but could not keep it out. York outshot Laval 11-3 (6-1 in shots on target) and had 59 per cent possession in the first half. Reid upped the lead to 3-0 in the 52nd minute on a pretty goal. Ferrari started it on the right flank, beating a defender before sending in an accurate cross to the far post that Ferrin chested down for an unmarked Reid to poke home. Rosa, bursting past two Laval defenders, beat Cantona with a low shot for a 4-0 lead in the 64th minute. Ferrin then scored from the penalty spot in the 79th minute. York will face CPL-leading Atletico Ottawa in the quarterfinals. In the late cup game Tuesday, Pacific FC hosted Vancouver FC in an all-CPL matchup. On Wednesday, it's Halifax Wanderers at Forge in another CPL showdown in Hamilton, and League1 B.C.'s TSS Rovers visit Winnipeg's Valour FC. Four teams had already made it to the two-legged quarterfinals, including the MLS-leading Vancouver Whitecaps who received a bye into the final eight as defending champion. CF Montreal dispatched Toronto FC in a penalty shootout, CPL champion Cavalry FC blanked League1 Alberta's Edmonton Scottish 6-0, and CPL-leading Atletico Ottawa downed League1 Ontario's Scrosoppi FC 2-0. Laval lost 3-0 at Forge FC in preliminary-round play in 2023 in its only other trip to the cup competition. Laval, which topped Ligue1 Quebec last year with a 12-5-3 record, has had just one league outing to date this season — a 3-1 win at CS St-Hubert on April 25. But coach Amro Radwan says the team has been training since January. The team, which only has a couple of holdovers from the 2023 squad that played in the cup competition, gets together three or four times a week in advance of matches. The young talent on the Laval squad includes forward Ibrahim Conde, the lone Canadian invited to the MLS College Showcase in San Diego in December. Conde is a good friend and former college teammate of Canadian international defender Moise Bombito at Iowa Western Community College and the University of New Hampshire. Laval was captained by midfielder Quentin Paumier, who won the U Sports men's soccer championship with the Montreal Carabins in 2021 and was runner-up to UBC last November. York (1-3-1) currently stands sixth in the eight-team CPL and is winless in four games (0-3-1) since the season-opening 2-0 victory at Vancouver FC on April 6. York coach Mauro Eustaquio made four changes to the starting 11 that lost 2-1 to visiting Cavalry on Friday with Botello, Ferrin, Rosa and Frank Sturing slotting in. Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Sign up for The Warm-Up Laval's commitment to the cause was shown in the 11th minute when six-foot-four forward Ludwig Amra, a former Halifax Wanderer, ran over York goalkeeper Diego Urtiaga. Referee Ben Hoskins showed the yellow card to three Laval players in the first half. York exited in the preliminary round of the cup last year, beaten 3-1 at Forge. York made the semifinals in 2022, winning penalty shootouts at Atletico Ottawa and Pacific FC before losing 2-1 at the Vancouver Whitecaps. York's only other cup fixture with a League1 club was in 2021 when it blanked Master's FA 5-0 in preliminary-round play. CS St-Laurent, the Ligue1 Quebec representative last year, upset Halifax in a penalty shootout before being thumped 11-1 in the two-legged quarterfinal by Toronto FC. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 6, 2025.
New York Times
01-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
For a Padres rookie, path to majors paved by legendary coach who perished with Kobe Bryant
SAN DIEGO — One day five years ago, shortly after a tragic accident claimed the lives of his college baseball coach and eight others, David Morgan had a permanent reminder tattooed into his skin. A string of Roman numerals runs down the right side of his neck. Each symbol is filled with meaning. Alyssa Altobelli wore No. 5 as a member of the girls' basketball team coached by legendary NBA star Kobe Bryant, coincidentally donning the same number Morgan had as a high school infielder. Alyssa's father, John Altobelli, wore No. 14 for almost his entire tenure as a highly successful baseball coach at Orange Coast College. In 2019, to honor an OCC player who unexpectedly died a decade earlier, Altobelli wore No. 22. Advertisement On Jan. 26, 2020, two days before Morgan's sophomore season at OCC, grief again enveloped the program: John, his wife Keri and Alyssa, along with Bryant and his daughter Gianna, were among the victims of a fatal helicopter crash. In the weeks that followed, as tributes poured in for Bryant, so did remembrances of a junior college coaching icon and a father figure to scores of ballplayers. The young men Altobelli mentored across multiple decades at OCC included a freshman infielder who would eventually become a big-league pitcher in a moment of serendipity. When the San Diego Padres called up Morgan from Double A last weekend, the San Antonio Missions were on the road in Amarillo, Texas. Inside the visiting clubhouse, Morgan was occupying a locker labeled with the number 14. The 25-year-old relief prospect had spent the first month of the Missions' season wearing, for the first time in his career, No. 22. He would arrive at Petco Park on Sunday, which happened to be the birthday of Lexi Altobelli, John and Keri's surviving daughter. A little more than 48 hours later, Morgan stood inside the Padres' clubhouse as the seventh OCC alum coached by John Altobelli to reach the majors. He was the first to do so from Altobelli's final team, and he could end up being the last. It felt, Morgan said, like Altobelli was looking down on him. 'If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be where I am now,' Morgan said. 'It was always the goal to get here, but he was the reason I found the path of how to get here.' Tony Altobelli, the longtime sports information director at OCC, oversees media relations for 25 sports programs. His job precludes him from playing favorites in a professional sense. Still, he cannot help but gravitate to a certain team. The youngest of seven children, Altobelli played baseball growing up. So did John Altobelli, a fellow Chicago Cubs fan and the sibling closest to Tony in age. So did their oldest brother and their father. Advertisement In 2019, after John led OCC to a school-record 39 wins and his fourth California community college state title, Tony wrote a book chronicling the eventful final 26 hours of the program's championship run. At one point during the reporting process, Tony asked his brother for his thoughts on the team's starting third baseman. 'Love that kid,' John immediately replied. John, Tony recalled, went on to detail his affinity for David Morgan's work ethic and 'grinder' mentality, his willingness to take on any assignment, and his determination to get the most out of a 6-foot frame. 'I think John saw himself in David,' Tony said. Months earlier, Morgan had arrived on campus as something of a project. 'I wasn't quite that guy,' said Morgan, who came from nearby Mission Viejo High School. 'I was very small, trying to learn how to work, trying to learn how to compete. He taught me how to be competitive, the person I am now.' John Altobelli also instilled a certain sense of belief. The day they first met, the coach told Morgan he possessed the talent to play pro ball. Within his first week at OCC, Morgan received phone calls from a couple of major-league organizations. His athleticism and defensive ability had attracted early interest. So had his connection to a widely respected coach. 'He put me on the radar,' Morgan said. Morgan soon repaid Altobelli's confidence. The freshman appeared in 45 games, hitting .306, stealing 11 bases and filling a variety of lineup spots without complaint. He displayed rare arm strength from the hot corner, prompting OCC coaches to wonder aloud if he could pitch. His defense seldom wavered, even that May when he fell into a small slump. Then, in one 26-hour span, Morgan delivered five hits, including a two-run, go-ahead double in the final game of the season. Advertisement 'Probably the biggest hit of our year,' said then-assistant coach Nate Johnson. 'When we needed him the most, he came through for us.' 'He didn't show a lot of emotion,' Morgan said of Altobelli, 'but when I hit that double, I remember seeing him at the end of the dugout and he was fired up.' That game, it turned out, would be the last Altobelli ever coached. A half-decade after his death, after he amassed more than 700 wins across 27 seasons and sent hundreds of players on to Division I schools, Altobelli's legacy lives on. In OCC's John Altobelli Park, also known as 'The House That Alto Built.' In major leaguers such as New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge, who played for Altobelli in the 2012 Cape Cod League and, a decade later, hit two home runs in a game against the Cubs, pointing after each blast to Tony Altobelli in the Yankee Stadium crowd. (Tony, who was wearing an OCC baseball cap that night, captured Judge's attention before the game by yelling, 'Aaron, Alto's watching you today!') In Johnson's efforts as Altobelli's successor to foster a competitive yet inclusive environment despite the high turnover rate of junior college ball. And in an undersized but gifted prospect who embraced the opportunity to return to OCC. On Jan. 28, 2020, two days after the deaths of John, Keri and Alyssa Altobelli, Morgan batted cleanup and started at shortstop in an emotional season opener. A crowd of about 2,000 showed up for a junior college game, more evidence of John Altobelli's impact. Morgan, OCC's lone returning starting hitter, would move up a spot in the lineup the next game. He mostly stayed there the rest of that spring. 'Knowing that I had him at shortstop every single day and hitting in the three-hole, it calmed our pitchers down,' Johnson said. 'It calmed me down.' Advertisement The relative serenity would not last. Twenty games in, the COVID-19 pandemic ended the season. The amateur draft was shortened from 40 rounds to five, quashing the possibility that Morgan would be drafted out of OCC that summer. Yet the Pirates, the junior college ones, harbored broader ambitions. Before the games were stopped, they had won nine of their past 12. They rallied around the objective of winning another state title. And there was more to it: They wanted to win it all for Altobelli. 'Coming to the field and coming together and playing there was kind of our way to just honor him, and having that shut down was pretty rough,' Morgan said. 'It kind of sucked.' It was around the same time that Morgan decommitted from the University of Oregon, which had offered him the chance to play Division I baseball. He resolved to come back to OCC for what he hoped would be a full season. He didn't quite get one. As the pandemic continued, the start of the 2021 season was delayed. The Pirates found themselves limited to competing for an Orange Empire Conference title, with no regional or state playoffs on the potential schedule. So, they won their fourth consecutive conference title. 'Winning that conference championship, in my opinion, was just as special as any of the four of John's state championships put together,' Tony Altobelli said. 'Because that's as far as we could go.' In the moments after the triumph, Altobelli addressed the team. He had done so throughout the season, mostly managing to keep his emotions in check. But now, as his father Jim stood nearby, something welled inside of him. 'I just said, 'You made an old man really happy today,' and I pointed to my dad,' Altobelli said. 'And I said, 'You made a slightly old man very happy today, too,' and I pointed to myself. That's basically all I could get out before I just completely lost it.' Advertisement In Altobelli's recollection, Morgan was one of the first players to come up and hug him. The infielder told the sports information director he loved him. He told Tony he loved John, too. 'That was the goal,' Morgan said. 'It was, come back and win it all for him.' Pitching was never part of the original goal. Morgan took the mound as a Little Leaguer, but he didn't in any of his high school games. After years of cajoling, he relented to throwing a bullpen session at OCC in 2021. The results seemed to support his insistence that he was not meant to be more than a position player. 'It was all over the place,' Johnson said. 'It was like, we're not going to be able to do anything with that right now.' Already, however, Morgan's decision to return to OCC had set off an unintended chain of events. After going undrafted for a second consecutive summer, the infielder initially committed to spending the 2022 season playing shortstop for Kansas State University. He later was informed, he said, that he had taken too many junior college classes; if he transferred to a Division I school, he would have to sit out a season. Eager to keep playing, Morgan settled instead on Hope International University, an NAIA program fewer than 20 miles north of OCC in Fullerton, Calif. He quickly encountered more coaches hoping to unleash his arm. This time, he agreed. 'Because I was at such a small school, I was like, 'I'll throw a little bit off the mound and just see if that gives me a better shot at getting drafted,'' Morgan said. The ensuing experiment produced immediate intrigue. In a fall scrimmage against his old school, Morgan touched 96 mph. When the spring season opened for Hope International, he moved from shortstop to center field to preserve his arm. He appeared in eight games as a pitcher before a thumb injury paused his progress. Advertisement Morgan resumed pitching that summer, beginning his transition to full-time relief with the Portland Pickles of the collegiate West Coast League. There, Padres area scout Justin Baughman saw what another team official described as 'outlier' talent. Weeks later, after impressing in a predraft workout at Petco Park, Morgan signed with the Padres as an undrafted free agent. He called Johnson and told his former coach he would open his professional career as a full-time pitcher. Johnson responded by suggesting that Morgan might make it to the majors in three years. 'From the time that he stepped on campus to the time that he left, his arm is still probably one of the best arms we've had in the infield,' Johnson said. 'That kind of an arm is only going to be able to stay in the minor leagues for so long.' That prediction was validated on Sunday when the Padres promoted Morgan. His trajectory the past two seasons has featured steady improvement and, more recently, an eye-opening surge. With Double-A San Antonio this season, Morgan sat in the mid-to-high 90s with a potentially plus slider. In 8 2/3 innings, he struck out 19 batters and walked only one. When the Padres, temporarily carrying a nine-man bullpen, saw Logan Gillaspie go down with an oblique injury, they opted for Morgan's hot hand. In Orange County, people in and around the OCC baseball program exulted. 'He texted me (Sunday) and said, like, 'Man, I'm super excited. You guys meant a lot to me. I know Alto would be proud,'' Johnson said. 'Obviously, stuff like that gets you choked up.' Added Tony Atobelli: 'I have kids come and go every single year, but you never forget a kid like that. And regardless of state championships or not, he was just a good dude that you appreciated.' Meanwhile, Morgan found himself headed to San Diego, a city that holds special meaning. Before his parents married and settled down in Mission Viejo, Calif., they began dating in San Diego. Morgan grew up attending occasional games at Petco Park and consistently cheering for the Padres. Advertisement His full-circle moment, he believes, is no coincidence. It was more than six years ago that John Altobelli sent him down a particular path. Now, Morgan is awaiting his big-league debut. No matter what happens, he will always be able to say that he proved Altobelli right. 'He always talked about making every day the most important day of your life,' Morgan said. 'You never know when you're not going to get to keep playing, right? You never know when you don't wake up. He unfortunately passed away. That impacted me a lot, but it pushed me to be better. All the things he taught me pushed me through my failures, and (through) the lonely days of all the hard work, I would think about what he did for me. 'He was the greatest human being that I've come across in my baseball career. Every day, I think about just hoping I made him proud.' (Top photo of David Morgan: Courtesy of Orange Coast College Athletics)
CBS News
31-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
North Belle Vernon barber offers free haircuts for children with autism, Down syndrome
A North Belle Vernon Barber spent five hours cutting hair for free on Sunday. It's after an idea and a Facebook post to give kids with autism and Down syndrome some fresh cuts. For Joey Koffler, this experience is brand new. "This was his first haircut," Joey's mother, Pam, said. Pam Koffler watched in the corner as her six-year-old got a well-needed trim. Of course, there were some pre-cut jitters. "My shoulders were hurting before I came here because I was so stressed because I wasn't aware of what was going to happen," Pam said. Joey's father had a different role today. "His father always cut his hair, and it was just never, it always looked the same, you know?" Pam said. "It didn't turn out great, but I mean, it was out of his eyes," Joe Koffler said. Joe and Pam Koffler had wanted this for a while. "She kept wanting to take him somewhere, but we didn't know where to take him," Joe said. That's because Joey has autism. "We don't know how people are going to accept him." "It's really a tornado of emotions, which makes it really difficult," XX said. Lorenzo Altobelli knows this quagmire. "Imagine trying to shoot darts with a moving bullseye, you know what I mean? It's not easy to hit the target," Altobelli said. He wanted to help families like Joey's using his shop, LA Fades. "One night, I had a dream about an autistic haircut event," Altobelli said. That dream became a Facebook post. "I was just scrolling one morning, and I saw this autism haircut, free autism haircut. Within the first 12 hours, I booked out almost 20 haircuts." On Sunday, he used some of the quietest clippers out there. "They're way more sensitive to the sound, the vibration," Altobelli said. And with some toys and little gift bags, Altobelli tried to bring some calmness. "Really, it's just about creating that comfortable, loving environment," Altobelli said. Altobelli has been a barber for 13 years. This is more than cutting hair for him. "When you're blessed, you should give back. That's it. It's really simple," Altobelli said. It elates families like Joey's, too. "It's a blessing," Koffler said. "I can't wait until my son goes to school tomorrow so his teacher can see him, 'Oh my goodness, he's got a different haircut,'" Pam Koffler said. As he leaves with a brand-new hairdo after his brand-new experience. Altobelli says this is definitely something he's going to be doing going forward as well.
