Blind Soccer Programs Popping Up Across U.S.

By: Muhammad Waheed, USABA Member and Contributor Blind Soccer, or five-a-side football, is a popular sport around the world. Similar to futsal, each team has four players who are blindfolded with goalies who can be sighted. Teams have three guides while playing. There are side boards along the perimeter of the field that keep the ball in play and maintain flow for the game. Learn the rules of blind soccer United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) noticed a lack of teams and blind soccer players in the U.S. and is motivated to change that. Earlier this year, USABA hosted…  Read More

Countries Announced for Goalball Competition at 2019 IBSA Qualifier in Fort Wayne

Colorado Springs, Colo. (May 13, 2019) – The 27 goalball teams vying to secure a place in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games at this summer’s International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) International Qualifier in Fort Wayne, Indiana, have been finalized. The announcement comes with 50 days remaining before the July 2-9 competition at Turnstone Center and Indiana Tech. The 27 teams include 14 men’s and 13 women’s squads. The top two teams in each gender at the conclusion of the tournament will earn berths at next year’s Paralympic Games, provided they have not already qualified. “The level of competition in this…  Read More

Cycling Camp Covers All Areas of Tandem Cycling

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (May 9, 2019) - From May 2-8, USABA hosted its annual Tandem Cycling Development Camp in the Colorado Springs area. This year's camp had 25 participants, including three veterans. During the week-long camp, athletes experienced riding and racing on the track at the U.S Olympic Training Center Velodrome, and learned time trial and hill climbing skills on the roads of Colorado Springs. The cycling camp focused on bike handling skills, safe riding techniques and road racing strategies from elite-level coaches including three-time Paralympic medalist Pam Fernandes. Nightly classroom seminars provided information to the athletes on how to…  Read More

Nine Paralympic Medalists Headline U.S. Goalball Teams Selected for Tokyo 2020 Qualifier in Fort Wayne

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (April 25, 2019) – The U.S. men’s and women’s goalball teams will put experienced squads on the floor this July as they attempt to qualify for next year’s Paralympic Games during the IBSA International Qualifier in Fort Wayne, Ind. A total of nine Paralympic medalists – four on the men’s team and five on the women’s squad – will do battle with an international field during the July 2-9 event held at the Turnstone Center and the Indiana Institute of Technology. Three-time Paralympic goalball medalists Asya Miller (Portland, Ore.) and Lisa Czechowski (Boonton, N.J) lead the women’s…  Read More

Skiers with Visual Impairments attend the 12th Annual Winter Ski Camp at Breckenridge

By: Sierra Romero (March 11, 2019) - As snow began to fall the first weekend in March, thousands of people were taking to the slopes. Skiing and snowboarding is a sport that is enjoyed by around 9.2 million people in the United States this past year alone. Within this large number, there is a subgroup of skiers and snowboarders who take on additional challenges to enjoy the slopes as well. According to the National Federation of the Blind, there are approximately 7.6 million people in the United States who are either blind or have a visual impairment. While it is more difficult…  Read More

Bill Kellick Named as USABA Marketing and Public Relations Manager

  (January 17, 2019) The United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) is pleased to announce the hiring of veteran Olympic communications professional Bill Kellick as its Marketing and Public Relations Manager. In this role, Kellick will manage all aspects of the organization’s marketing and communications plans. Kellick comes to USABA having spent the past 22 years in various communications roles with Olympic National Governing Bodies. As Director of Communications with USA Cycling, Kellick oversaw a five-person communications department that grew the brand of USA Cycling as well as the awareness of the sport of cycling in America. He has…  Read More