Potts Named as USABA Goalball Coordinator and High Performance Manager

The United States Association of Blind Athletes is pleased to announce that John Potts (Shiloh, Illinois) has been named High Performance Manager and National Coordinator for the sport of Goalball. Goalball is a Paralympic sport played by athletes who are blind and visually impaired. The sport was developed after WWII as a way to keep blinded veterans physically active. Today, goalball is played by more than 75 nations and is contested during the Paralympic Games, the second largest games in the world, second only to the Olympic Games.

Potts with nearly 20 years of experience working with athletes who are blind and visually impaired has served in a number of delegation and leadership roles for USABA Goalball National and International competitions including the Paralympic Games.

“John Potts is an experienced team-builder who played an instrumental role in the selection and development of the 2004 Bronze medal-winning men’s Athens Paralympic Goalball team” said Bill Ramsey, USABA Sports Technical Officer. Ramsay continued, “USABA is extremely fortunate to have on its team a proven leader who can continue to develop the sport of goalball nationwide and work with our staff and our elite goalball coaches in order to reach their highest level of performance during the upcoming season and through the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games.”

The United States Association of Blind Athletes, a member organization of the U.S. Olympic Committee, is a non-profit organization that provides training for blind and visually impaired athletes for competition in nine sports. USABA members range from blind children developing sports skills to elite athletes who train for competitions such as the Paralympic Games, which continually draws more than 4,000 disabled athletes.