Weekend Goalball Tournament Set for Ability360

Goalball, an Olympic level highly competitive, fast-paced sport originally created to help rehabilitate soldiers with visual impairments returning from World War II, will be highlighted this weekend at the 360 Invitational Goalball Tournament at the Ability360 Sports & Fitness Center.

12 teams from Arizona, California, Utah, Washington D.C. and British Columbia will compete in round-robin and single elimination championship play beginning Friday, Jan. 13.

Goalball's 3-person teams wear blackout eye shades on a volleyball-sized court listening for bells inside a basketball-sized ball that moves up to 40 miles an hour. Once they get a bead on the ball, they use their bodies to block the balls from getting into 9-meter wide goals at each end of the court.

The players play very close to the ground on a tactile court with string stretched out under tape.

During game action, fans can't cheer so the players can hear the bell. But the place erupts at goals, at halftime, during time outs and after each game.

The tournament, presented by the Fennemore Craig Foundation, is free.

PARTICIPANTS:

Men: British Columbia, Oakland, FBC (Foundation for Blind Children) Warriors, Cyclones (California), Arizona Sting Black, Arizona Sting Red, Crown (Sacramento)

Women: Utah Dynamite, Sunshine Girls, Ability360 FNL (Friday Night Legs), Arizona Sting Women, DC Corruption

FBC is a team of adults. Arizona Sting teams have players from Phoenix and Tucson. Arizona teams are coached by Jake Czechowski, who coaches the USA National Women's Team, which won a bronze medal at last summer's Paralympic Games in Rio. The Men's Team won silver. Jake's wife, Lisa, is a member of Team USA, and will be competing this weekend.

Action begins at 3 p.m. Friday, 8:15 a.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. Sunday at Ability360 Sports & Fitness Center, 5031 E. Washington Street in Phoenix. For more information, visit www.ability360/sport.org.

Ability360, formerly Arizona Bridge to Independent Living (ABIL), continues a 35-year tradition of empowering programs for people with all disabilities. Ability360 offers and promotes programs to empower people with disabilities to take personal responsibility so that they may achieve or continue independent lifestyles within the community. The independent living philosophy states that people with disabilities should have the same civil rights, options, and control over choices in their own lives as do people without disabilities. Ability360 is located at 5025 E. Washington St. Ste. 200, Phoenix, AZ 85034, www.ability360.org, 602-256-2245.

The Ability360 Sports and Fitness Center is a 45,000-square foot, state-of-the-art facility located in Phoenix, Arizona. Owned and operated by Ability360, the Sports & Fitness Center offers a wide variety of amenities to help you achieve your health and fitness goals including a fitness center with wheelchair accessible weight machines, an aquatic area equipped with lifts and elevators, accessible locker rooms, and more.

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