If you’ve never heard of goalball, you’re not alone. Although it was invented after World War II as a way to keep blinded veterans physically active, it hasn’t become particularly well known in the United States, even after it was added to the Summer Paralympics in 1980.
Goalball is unique, in that it’s the only sport created specifically for visually impaired athletes. The fast-paced, strategic game is played competitively around the world, and recently, some participants from the Cleveland Sight Center’s sports camp had the opportunity to give this game a try at the Geauga Family YMCA in Chardon.
Camp participants – a group of seven males and females – ranged in age from 25 to 41. That evening, they worked with sighted camp staff to learn the fundamentals of the game, getting familiar by rolling and blocking the special goalball, a rigid plastic weighted ball with bells inside to indicate its location on the field of play.
Eventually, the group was divided into three-person teams to play the game. Jessica participated in the camp with her twin sister Andrea. Sitting on the sidelines as she waited for another game, she marveled, “I didn’t know we’d have the chance to play this. It’s a lot of fun!”
Wearing eyeshades, which allowed partially sighted players to compete on equal footing with blind players, three players took their positions on each side of the playing area – left wing, center, and right wing. Players oriented themselves within the goal box by feeling the cable that indicates the court’s edge lines, which was affixed to the gym floor. Players knelt, as they waited for the opposing team to roll the ball toward their goal. In a sport that seemed like a blindfolded combination of rugby and soccer, players listened for the ball’s ringing sound, working together to reach, stretch, dive and do whatever they could to stop the ball before it crossed the goal line.
Brooke, one of the participants, had some previous experience with the game. “I like to play center, because if I miss the ball, the players on either side of me have an opportunity to get it,” she explained. Teams alternated throwing or rolling the ball from one end of the playing area to the other, with players remaining in the area of their own goal in both defense and attack. Each throw was preceded by an announcement of, “Quiet on the floor!” ensuring that participants could focus solely on the sound of the ball being thrown. Each game consisted of two ten-minute halves. “As a spectator,” remarked Geauga Family YMCA’s Executive Director Jake Stechmann, “you can see everything. As a participant, having to sense it all, participants really need to rely heavily on their communications strategies,” he concluded.
“Goalball is a big deal, but it’s hard to find a good place to see it played,” explained Highbrook Lodge Camp Manager Lindsay Lowe. The United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) donated all the necessary equipment, including goal lines, eyeshades, kneepads and balls, to the Cleveland Sight Center for use in the camp. “This was the tenth and final camp of the summer, but it was our first sports camp,” Lowe added. Other sports camp activities included beep baseball, canoeing, swimming, bocce ball and basketball.
“Camp is a great way for campers to meet others who have experienced sight loss,” Lowe explained. “The camp setting facilitates a natural community where they can share experiences.” Most camp participants are working professionals, and included a call center rep, mental health professional, an intake specialist for a local non-profit, and a musician. Resident camp programs at Highbrook Lodge range from three-day weekend programs to 12-day getaways. This summer, 250 campers with vision loss have enjoyed the 63-acre facility in Geauga County.
“Campers did very well tonight, and everyone seemed to really enjoy the game,” beamed Desmond Kennedy, Recreation Specialist from Highbrook Lodge. “If we get enough interest in the sport, eventually we’d like to put together an area team,” he concluded.
The Cleveland Sight Center has been serving Northeast Ohio’s visually impaired residents for over 100 years by providing developmental, rehabilitation and vocational services. With a mission to empower people who are blind or who have limited vision, CSC provides education, recreation, training and assistive technology to help their clients live their lives to the fullest. To find out more, click here.
Through Highbrook Lodge, the Cleveland Sight Center runs summer camp programs for visually impaired individuals from birth to golden age during the summer months. Camp activities include family camps, as well as programs focused on art, music, drama, nature, sports, and more. In addition, Highbrook Lodge offers weekend programs during the fall and winter months, as well. In November, the Cleveland Sight Center will be hiring staff for next year’s summer programs at Highbrook Lodge. For more information, click here.
This article is brought to you by Geauga Family YMCA
