Season begins for visually impaired sport at Dist. 203

Naperville Unit District 203 athletes are perfecting their throws, blocks and passes as their new season of goalball begins.

But there's just one catch.

They can't see.

The school district's newest sport is for visually impaired students, giving them a chance to play a competitive sport without their sight being a factor.

"The obvious advantage is they are getting exercise and it's recreation and socialization," said Liz Schatz, a certified orientation and mobility specialist in the district. "But also it's just kind of a chance for them to be competitive in an athletic way and they also get to bond with other kids that are visually impaired because a lot of them are the only ones in their school buildings."

Schatz started Naperville's team on a trial basis last spring. This year the team is made up of 10 students, both male and female, ranging from elementary through high school.

To have an official goalball game, the players must all be visually impaired. However, because there are varying levels of impairment, all players wear an eye shade so that none of them can see at all.

"It's kind of fun because it doesn't involve sight," said Joey Adamo, a sixth-grader at Lincoln Junior High. "Sight usually disorients me for regular sports."

Goalball is played on a court the size of a volleyball court where three members from each team compete. On the floor, string covered with tape creates a raised boundary to let players know where they are. Each person generally stays in their position on the court while a play is in progress.

The goalball itself is about the size of a basketball but has bells inside so players can use audio clues to determine where it is. Players throw the ball toward the opposite end of the court attempting to get it past the goal line while the opposing team tries to block it.

Decked out in Hannah Montana knee and elbow pads, Jefferson Junior High sixth-grader Swatha Nandhakumar said the best part of playing goalball is meeting other kids who are visually impaired. She hopes to be a paralympic athlete one day.

Naperville North sophomore Adrian Rodriguez competes on the school's track and gymnastics teams without modifications, but he said goalball has been a rewarding experience, especially as one of the older members of the team.

"I feel kind of obligated a bit to be a role model in a way so I always think about how what I do will affect the team so that's been a positive responsibility," he said.

The team was scheduled to compete in its first tournament of the year Thursday in Jacksonville against four other teams. Adamo, Nandhakumar and Rodriguez were making the trip to central Illinois with Madison eighth-grader Colin Feely, Lincoln eighth-grader Jon Durfor and Naperville Central senior Zain Sohail.

Recruiting players and finding other teams to play against isn't easy because of the relatively low number of visually impaired students in each district. District 203's team plans to add games to its schedule throughout the year as opportunities arise and hopes to eventually host its own tournament.