U.S. Women Take Paralympic Champion Turkey to Overtime at Goalball Worlds

U.S. Women's Coach Jake Czechowski In a rematch of last summer’s gold medal final at the Tokyo Paralympic Games, the USA Women’s Goalball Team squared off with Turkey on Dec. 15 in the quarterfinals of the 2022 IBSA Goalball World Championships held in Matosinhos, Portugal. Unlike the Paralympic final in Tokyo, when Turkey took advantage of a short-handed American team playing with injuries and went on to a 9-2 victory, the U.S. squad was at full strength in this game. The starting lineup of Amanda Dennis (Peachtree City, Ga.), Asya Miller (Portland, Ore.) and Eliana Mason (Beaverton, Ore.) packed a…  Read More

Jake Czechowski Named 2022 Ronald W. Plassman Gold Standard Award Honoree

Jake Czechowski (l) poses with Mark and Anne Plassman, children of Ronald W. Plassman. FORT WAYNE, IN (September 9, 2022) — Turnstone Center and the U.S. Association for Blind Athletes (USABA) are pleased to announce Jake Czechowski has been named the 2022 Ronald W. Plassman Gold Standard Award honoree. The award was presented at the Turnstone Gala held September 8 in Fort Wayne, Ind. An employee of USABA, Czechowski currently serves as U.S. Women’s Goalball head coach and runs the USA Goalball Resident Program at the Goalball Center of Excellence in Fort Wayne. Nominations in support of Czechowski highlighted his…  Read More

Ronald W. Plassman Gold Standard Award

Established in 2021, the Ronald W. Plassman Gold Standard Award is presented annually each fall to deserving athletes, coaches, and program supporters who demonstrate gold standard values lived out by the actions and support of Ron Plassman (1940-2022). These include excellence on the field of play, sportsmanship, leadership, and championing the sport of goalball. Ron Plassman was a passionate champion of goalball, adaptive sports, and the Paralympic movement. Ron’s passionate support, specifically for goalball athletes, led to the creation of the Goalball Center of Excellence in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the first training site of its kind in the United States…  Read More

JOB OPENING: Sport Program Coordinator

Title: Sport Program Coordinator   Position Type: Exempt Full-Time Employee Location: Colorado Springs, CO, or Remote Reports to: Kevin Brousard, Programs and Finance Director Application deadline: March 22 – April 4, 2022, to kbrousard@usaba.org Sport Organization The United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) is a Colorado-based 501(c) (3) organization that provides life-enriching sports opportunities for individuals with visual impairments. USABA is a member organization of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and serves as the National Governing Body (NGB) for the Paralympic sport of goalball, a sport developed specifically for the blind and visually impaired. Recently, USABA received approval and NGB certification…  Read More