If he's not on the bench supporting the team, he's trying to enthuse the crowd with his antics.
Wayne Clements, 45, a local man with Down Syndrome, is the assistant coach of the Kelly Road Secondary School senior boy's volleyball team, coached by Todd Kuc. Wayne is the team's biggest fan.
The inspiration behind his involvement with the team is J.T. Birkhiem, a Grade 12 student who has been playing volleyball at Kelly Road since Grade 8.
Wayne lives with the Birkhiem family as part of the homeshare program offered by Community Living B.C. and J.T. and Wayne are close.
"It's good to be on the team," Wayne said. "All the boys are pretty cool."
He became the assistant coach of the team when he kept coming out to the games.
"Wayne was always a very enthusiastic spectator, always getting up and being animated, so one time I invited him to the bench and he never left," Kuc said. "He's part of the team and the boys like how animated Wayne gets."
"J.T. was six years old when Wayne moved in with us and J. T. does everything with him," J.T.'s mom Stacey said. "It's really neat."
When Wayne started attending sporting events to support J.T., it became apparent to everyone that Wayne brought a special kind of enthusiasm with him.
"Everybody at school knows Wayne," Stacey said. "He's fantastic."
Stacey said a lot of the parents of the players are really touched by Wayne's support of the team.
"Some of the parents get choked up when they see how Wayne is with the boys," Stacey said. "He does the cutest things out there and he doesn't even realize how much joy he brings. It's really heartwarming to watch Wayne with the boys."
J.T. said it's always fun having Wayne at the games.
"He's always doing stuff to make us all laugh," J.T. said. "He dances constantly when we mess up."
Wayne also makes hand gestures offering his opinion on the positive or the negative but it's all in good fun.
"He always puts a smile on our faces, especially if we're losing," J.T. said.
Braeden Muise is another member of the team who really gets a kick out of Wayne and his unending enthusiasm.
"I've known Wayne since I was in elementary school and he's always been a great guy," Braeden, who is neighbours with the Birkhiem family, said. "He always gets us going on the bench with all of his funny dance moves. He cracks me up every time. I just love having Wayne on our team and he always lightens our day. He makes our team that much better."
Stacey commends the boys for their inclusion of Wayne on the team.
"So often many teens are so busy on their phones and just not aware of their surroundings," Stacey said. "And this group of boys is really kind. They can be remembered for being a big player on the team that made all these points but people will forget that but over time people don't forget how kind and genuine people are and the boys on this team - that's what they are - and I'm really proud of them for that."
