At Colorado Rush, Cora Roberts’ Teammates Are Learning Her Language

Delaney Daniels wanted to get to know her new Colorado Rush teammate, Cora Roberts. Their friendship soon added something to the team’s routine: sign language lessons before practice. As Daniels learned from Roberts, other players joined in, building a vocabulary that would help them communicate on the field and get to know one another off it.

Roberts, a junior at Niwot High School with ambitions of playing professionally, has severe hearing loss in both ears. In a profile by Denver7’s Maggy Wolanske, she described being diagnosed after her eardrums ruptured at age six. Eight surgeries have not repaired the damage, and hearing aids have been part of her life for a decade. She spoke comfortably about using them and about the soccer she wants to play.

At Niwot, where she competes during the spring, head coach Stephen Dimit has watched her become a leader. His description of Roberts centers on how she plays and what she brings to the group.

“She's expressive on the ball. She has nothing but love for her teammates and just brings an outstanding energy to our team,” Dimit told Denver7.

In May, Roberts took her game into a different environment. She was one of 18 teenagers selected for the USA Deaf Soccer Development Program in Georgia, training at the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center. The group included players with varying degrees of hearing loss, supported by coaches and American Sign Language interpreters. For Roberts, it was her first experience competing alongside other deaf and hard of hearing athletes. She told the Left Hand Valley Courier she could ask someone to repeat themselves as often as she needed.

With Rush, communication has become something her teammates are working on together. Roberts explained to Denver7 that wind and rain can make hearing more difficult, even with hearing aids. Signed nicknames offer one practical solution: on corner kicks, she can identify the teammate she intends to play the ball toward. The signs have a specific job to do within the game.

That detail offers a useful lesson for coaches and players across Rush. Asking a team to communicate is a starting point. Understanding how each player receives information makes that instruction useful, and players themselves can help find what works.

Roberts hopes to receive another invitation to the development program. She also wants greater visibility for athletes with hearing loss and hopes to support younger generations. As she continues pursuing her own soccer ambitions, she is already thinking about the players who will follow.