"Obstacles are what you see when you take your mind off your goal." -Letticia Martinez, U.S. Paralympics Swimming #MondayMotivation

As part of our year-long 45th-anniversary celebration, USABA presents the “45-for-45” series highlighting members of the USABA Hall of Fame, among others. This weekly series pays tribute to the pioneers and outstanding athletes, coaches, and teams that have helped build and shape USABA into the thriving organization it is today.

Episode #39...Tom Parrigin

Tom Parrigin first started working for the Tennessee School for the Blind, which is where he got his start coaching athletes who are blind and visually impaired. He later became the director of student life at the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind where he formed a swim team. In 1977, Parrigin took six athletes to the 2nd USABA National Championships where they won bronze medals in swimming and track & field. The following year, Parrigin took eight athletes to the USABA National Championships and won six medals, one of them gold. In 1983, Parrigin officially organized the Florida Association of Blind Athletes, which remains a strong partner with USABA today. Then in 1990, he was selected to go to the IBSA World Youth Championships in France, bringing along four track & field athletes, who all took home a medal. A few years later, in 1992, Parrigin became the U.S. Men’s Goalball head coach and took the team to the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games where the men earned bronze. He served as head coach until 2010. Parrigin also served on the USABA Board of Directors for 20 years (1992-2012).

Video description: A collage of still photos showing Tom Parrigin on his knees guiding a goalball athlete's hands along the tactile line on the court in front of the goal, posing with three athletes outside, holding a microphone while speaking in a gymnasium, and giving more instruction on the goalball court. ... See more

Calahan Young of USA Men's Goalball will be at the Adaptive Sports Expo in Greensboro on Saturday.

“It’s brutal. It is a whole-body exercise that takes every ounce of you to do. You have to have that same explosion every single play. You can’t take a break. You can’t just stop.” -Calahan Young on goalball ... See more

We are so grateful for the service and dedication of our military #veterans and honored to provide opportunities for blinded military veterans to participate in sports and fitness across the country through #MissionVision programs.
Learn more: https://usaba.org/military-sports/ ... See more