Update March 14th: MSDB Goalball team is no longer going to Colorado for Goalball. The tournament has been cancelled due to weather.
Montana School for the Deaf and the Blind (MSDB) will be participating in a coed Goalball tournament in Colorado this month with a team of four athletes. Goalball, recognized by the International Blind Sport Federation (IBSA), has been a popular sport since the mid-1970s. Each team consists of three players on the court at a time, wearing opaque eye shades for fair play. The objective is to score by throwing the ball into the opposing team’s net while players defend on their hands and knees. The game is played indoors on a court measuring 18 meters long and nine meters wide, with goals spanning the width at each end.
This upcoming tournament marks a significant milestone for MSDB as it will be their first team competition. MSDB will be sending four students from around the state. This team is a mix of elementary to high school athletes. Excitement is high as they prepare to face off against teams from New Mexico, Utah, and of course, the host team – Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind (CSDB). The spirit of competition and camaraderie will be on full display throughout the weekend. To ensure that everyone can share in the excitement, the host team will be live streaming the tournament on CSDB’s YouTube channel, allowing supporters near and far to cheer on these talented athletes.
MSDB is a prek-12 school serving 1,200 students in their own hometowns across Montana. Some students are deaf/hard of hearing while others are blind/low vision. About 40 of them attend school on MSDB’s 10-acre campus located in Great Falls. The school serves 101 students in Cascade County alone. To learn more about MSDB, visit www.msdbmustangs.org.
By Brynn Klinefelter, Montana School for the Deaf and Blind: March 11, 2024 – Great Falls, Mt