Mobility Friends Together

There are many great sports that are part of the 2008 Paralympics. Among them is a sport that dates back over 50 years called Goalball. Goalball is a sport that originated in Europe and is played by athletes with limited or no vision.

Hanz Lorenzen, an Austrian, and Sepp Reindle, a German, developed the game in 1946 as way to help the rehabilitation of war veterans. An exhibition match was played at the 1976 Paralympics and it became a official Paralympic sport at the next games, which were held in Arnhem.

Two teams of three players each compete and try to throw a ball through their opponents goal. The court is eighteen meters long and nine meters wide. Goals span the entire 9 meters and are located at either end of the court. The teams lay down in the goal box and attempt to block the throws of the other team. The ball contains a bell or other noise maker and has eight holes in it.

Eyeshades are worn by all players and they wear eye patches under the shades. If the ball is thrown out of bounds or bounces off of a defending player, the goalposts, or crosses back over the other side, possession of the ball is lost. A 10 second shot clock is used and a player can not throw the ball more than two times without receiving a penalty. Players are also not allowed to touch their eyeshades, make excessive noise, coach from the sidelines, or defend the ball while out of the team area.

For more information, including detailed rules, visit http://www.goalballnetwork.com/

There are many great athletes that are mobility challenged and are probably in better shape than the author of this blog. Wheelchair basketball has probably received the most attention, but there are a great number of other sports that people in wheelchairs and those that are mobility challenged participate in. Water sports are very popular and it is not only those who are not able to walk that enjoy them. Blind Waterskiing is very popular and there are many strong and brave athletes around the world that participate in it.

One man, Gerald Price, is well known in the blind waterskiing circle and in 2004 set a world speed record for blind waterskiing. This achievement alone is very impressive, but Price was 70 years old when he set this record and is still very active today. Last month, in protest to a recent ban on motor boats at England’s largest lake, Price skied around the lake at speeds of up to 28 miles per hour.

Price stated that he did not do it to break the law, but to raise awareness to what he feels are draconian laws. He said that he felt robbed of his enjoyment by the ban that does not allow boats to travel more than 10 miles per hour while on the lake.

At 74 years old, Gerald Price is still very active in the blind skiing community and is a very strong and brave athlete. He is joined by many others who have overcome their disability and use sports as a way of freeing their mind and their body.