The U.S. Association of Blind Athletes issued the following press release about a goalball tournament taking place in Smyrna this weekend:

The U.S. Association of Blind Athletes is holding its Southeast Regional Goalball Tournament, June 2-4, at the City of Smyrna Community Center. Twelve men’s teams and eight women’s teams are slated to compete.

Nine goalball Paralympians dot the rosters for this weekend’s event, including three-time Paralympian and two-time medalist Amanda Dennis of Peachtree City, Ga. Dennis will play alongside her teammate and six-time Paralympian Lisa Czechowski (Boonton, N.J.) on the New Jersey Honeybees squad. Also in action will be six-time Paralympian Asya Miller (Portland, Ore.), two-time Paralympians Karen Zabel (Yorktown, Ind.) and Eliana Mason (Beaverton, Ore.), and 2020 Paralympian Mindy Cook (Columbus, Ohio). 

On the men’s side, three-time Paralympian Daryl Walker (Jacksonville, Fla.), two-time Paralympian John Kusku (Commerce Township, Mich.) and 2016 Paralympian Andy Jenks (Philadelphia, Pa.) headline the competitors.

The Southeast Regional Goalball Tournament is directed by Hal Simpson of Smyrna and serves as a tuneup event for the USABA Goalball National Championships in Fort Wayne, Ind., September 21-24.

EVENT SCHEDULE:

Friday, June 2: 12:00pm-9:00pm
Saturday, June 3: 8:00am-8:30pm (quarterfinals begin at 3:20pm)
Sunday, June 4: 8:00am-12:30pm (semifinals and medal matches)

What is Goalball?

Goalball is a sport popular among visually-impaired athletes. The U.S. Association of Blind Athletes describes the object of the sport as follows:

In goalball, two teams of three players each face each other across a court that is nine meters wide and 18 meters long. The object of the game is to roll a basketball size ball with bells inside over the opponent’s goal line. Your opponents listen for the oncoming ball and attempt to block it with their bodies. Once they are able to stop the ball and take control of it, they become the offensive team.

To read more about goalball and its rules, visit the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes’ goalball page by following this link.