Goalball

As the name implies the object of the game is to get the "ball" in the "goal". This game was designed for the blind or visually impaired and to level the playing field all competitors must wear blindfolds. The ball used has bells inside of it so the players know where it is to be able to defend or make a pass. There are three players per side and to score a goal the ball is rolled towards the opposite end. The defenders use the sound of the ball to determine where to go to block the ball. This is a Paralympic sport that was first demonstrated in the 1976 Summer Paralympics in Toronto.

We played on a make shift court, with ropes as our boundaries. It seemed that we all figured out quickly that if you just laid out your body that was the easiest way to block the ball. This effort did come with some negative effects. There were a couple of heads hit by the ball and a few gut checks here and there. One side seemed to dominate most of the evening. It was definitely interesting how you had to use the rope lines to get your bearings in an attempt to throw the ball in the right direction. Even so, many attempts did end up nowhere near where the player was intending. Obviously those not playing got a good kick out of it. Everyone had equally awkward moments and we all agreed our eye wear was not very user friendly. Our blindfolds consisted of small cloth blindfolds with blacked out swim goggles over them.

After watching some YouTube videos of goalball I realized how unskilled we were. I am sure a lot of practice is required as is typical of any competitive sport. As always it was great to learn about a new sport and experience it somewhat. Just as much fun as playing goalball was reading more about the rules and format, then watching some real players demonstrate their skills online. This sport is around 53 years old and just proves once again that there should be no obstacles when it comes to sport. Below you will find one of the YouTube videos I found and is a match between the USA and Japan. Make sure to check it out and there should be some other related videos for further viewing.