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Day in the Life: Ali Lawson – Goalball

Ali Lawson is a resident athlete at the Goalball Center of Excellence at Turnstone in Fort Wayne. Lawson first learned about the sport of goalball when she was a sophomore in high school – at a summer camp with the Center for the Visually Impaired in Atlanta, Georgia. Since discovering and falling in love with the sport, she’s won 12 gold medals and three national titles (2014, 2017, 2018) at goalball tournaments across the country. We asked her to share what a typical day at the Goalball Center of Excellence is like for resident athletes. Check it out! We have… Read More

2018 USABA Scholarships Awarded

Thanks to the generosity of the I C You Foundation and Arthur & Helen Copeland, each year, USABA offers scholarships to members who exhibit exceptional drive in athletic achievement and educational endeavors. We are proud to present the I C You Foundation Valor Achievement Award and Arthur E. & Helen Copeland scholarships to four USABA athletes who demonstrate a passion for bettering themselves through sport and education. Congratulations to the following students for being awarded USABA scholarships for the 2018-2019 school year! I C You Foundation Valor Achievement Award Winners: Marybai Huking (Salt Lake City, Utah) and Eliana Mason… Read More

Heart of a Champion

After retiring from sports, many Olympic and Paralympic athletes struggle to join the workforce. "If they're throwing their entire life into being the best in the world, how can any athlete also fully concentrate on their education, their career?" asks Mark Lucas, executive director of the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes (USABA), in explaining the challenge. For people who are blind, the transition can be even tougher: Nearly 70 percent of working-age Americans who are blind are not employed. A partnership between USABA and National Industries for the Blind (NIB) is working to change that, helping athletes who are blind… Read More

Out of the Dark: How USABA returned light to veteran Cas Werda’s life

By: Stephanie Ross, USABA Contributor After a devastating improvised explosive device (IED) detonation left U.S. Army Specialist Casimir “Cas” Werda blind in both eyes in 2007, the transition to being “completely in the dark” was a tough one. “I basically had to learn how to become this new person,” Werda said. “My entire life, I’ve always been really active and competitive. When I first lost my sight, I thought I wouldn’t be able to do the things I love and enjoy, which was very hard for me. It took a while to come out of it.” At the beginning of… Read More

Crown and Phantoms Earn National Goalball Titles

Twenty-one teams from across the country traveled to Fort Wayne, Indiana, for the 2018 USABA Goalball National Championships. Turnstone, home to the U.S. Goalball Center of Excellence hosted the tournament for the third consecutive year. Round robin play began on Thursday evening and ran through Friday evening. Quarterfinals were played early Saturday morning to determine which teams would earn the opportunity to compete for the 2018 national titles. Men’s division At the end of round robin games, Cyclones led Pool A with a 2-0-1 record, Crown led Pool B with three wins, MWABA Eagles led Pool C with four wins,… Read More