[NFBV-Potomac-Announce] FW: Goalball League Interest

Sun Aug 19 15:21:00 UTC 2018

FYI.

Goal Ball.

John

From: Naim Abu-ElHawa [mailto:nmabuelhawa at gmail.com]
Sent: Friday, August 17, 2018 5:54 PM
To: Quiera Alvarez <qcalvarez at gmail.com>; Cat Anthony <cat at sportable.org>; Naim Abu-El Hawa <nma20342 at email.vccs.edu>; Naim Abu-El Hawa <nmabuelhawa at gmail.com>; Kimberly R Avila <kavila at gmu.edu>; John Bailey <john_bailey17 at hotmail.com>; amcarr1 at verizon.net; blindlion at verizon.net; Joy <jrelton at verizon.net>; robertac058 at gmail.com; sharonmjose101 at gmail.com; jsorozco at gmail.com; David Bartling <dbartling714 at gmail.com>; Wenzi Bobowiec <wenzitb at gmail.com>; Marc Canamaso <marc.canamaso at gmail.com>; Alexander Castillo <alexandera.castillo at gmail.com>; Dusten Cather <cather.dustin at gmail.com>; Greg Chittum <greg.chittum at dbvi.virginia.gov>; Omar James Crockett <omarjames27 at gmail.com>; Ms. Krystal Edmead <krystal.edmead at dbvi.virginia.gov>; Mr. Michael Fish <michael.fish at dbvi.virginia.gov>; Jonell Floyd <jonellfloyd1998 at icloud.com>; Mrs. Kristine Foley <kristine.foley at dbvi.virginia.gov>; Jeremy Grandstaff <Jwg at sgendeavors.com>; John Halverson <jwh100 at outlook.com>; John Halverson <johnh50 at verizon.net>; Ms. Buffa Hanse <buffa.hanse at dbvi.virginia.gov>; Joshua Helmich <joshuahelmich at yahoo.com>; Becky Keller <beckykeller16 at gmail.com>; Jihad Khatib <jou-jou4 at hotmail.com>; Ms. Domonique Lawless <domonique.lawless at dbvi.virginia.gov>; Brad J. Miles <brad.miles at dbvi.virginia.gov>; Dr. Brian R. Miller <brianrmiller88 at gmail.com>; Oscar Montiel <oscarjmontiel37 at gmail.com>; Michael Munn <michaelrbms at gmail.com>; Mrs. Tracey O'Malley <teomalley at fcps.edu>; Robert Parsons <rob.parso3389 at gmail.com>; Andrea Perry <afperry01 at aol.com>; Ms. Amy Phelps <amy.phelps at dbvi.virginia.gov>; Marielle Rando <marielle at sportable.org>; reila1981matsut at gmail.com; Mark W. Roane <markwroane at gmail.com>; Melody Roane <melody.roane at dbvi.virginia.gov>; Brook Rogers <brooke.rogers at dbvi.virginia.gov>; Fredric Schroeder <fschroeder at sks.com>; Olga Skorackyj <olga.skorackyj at dbvi.virginia.gov>; Tracy Soforenko <Tracy.soforenko at gmail.com>; Michael E. Triplett <Michael.triplett at dbvi.virginia.gov>; Michael Villafane <Michael.Villafane at DBVI.Virginia.gov>; President Kathryn Webster <nfbprojectrise at gmail.com>; Joanne Wiggins <joanne.wiggins at dbvi.virginia.gov>; Mrs. Nancy Yeager <nancyyeager542 at comcast.net>
Subject: Fwd: Goalball League Interest

Dear All:
Good Day!! Please distribute as you see fit. Inform as many interested parties as possible, please.
Many Thanks And Much Respect.
Sincerely,
Naim Muawia Abu-El Hawa
Student: Northern Virginia Community College
Vice President: Virginia Association of Blind Students
National Association of Blind Students
National Federation of the Blind
Email: nmabuelhawa at gmail.com<mailto:nmabuelhawa at gmail.com>
Cell: (202) 848-8932
"It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow."
Robert H. Goddard
Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:
From: James Patterson <james.patterson.703 at gmail.com<mailto:james.patterson.703 at gmail.com>>
Date: August 16, 2018 at 10:19:33 PM EDT
To: Adam Forbes <aforbes1 at fcps.edu<mailto:aforbes1 at fcps.edu>>, "Davis, Rebecca" <rbdavis at fcps.edu<mailto:rbdavis at fcps.edu>>, Kathryn Cornell Webster <nabs.president at gmail.com<mailto:nabs.president at gmail.com>>, Naim Muawia Abu-El Hawa <nmabuelhawa at gmail.com<mailto:nmabuelhawa at gmail.com>>, Marc Canamaso <marc.canamaso at gmail.com<mailto:marc.canamaso at gmail.com>>, Teia Westbrook-Johnson <tswestbrookj at fcps.edu<mailto:tswestbrookj at fcps.edu>>, "Slone, Christy" <clslone at fcps.edu<mailto:clslone at fcps.edu>>, Sara Rolander <ssrolander at fcps.edu<mailto:ssrolander at fcps.edu>>, "Wiersholm, Eileen L" <eileen.minihan at gmail.com<mailto:eileen.minihan at gmail.com>>, Melanie Erler <merler1917 at gmail.com<mailto:merler1917 at gmail.com>>, Audrey Goldberg <asgoldberg at fcps.edu<mailto:asgoldberg at fcps.edu>>
Cc: Jen Blum <jjblum at gmail.com<mailto:jjblum at gmail.com>>
Subject: Goalball League Interest

Hi all,

I’m reaching out to you in the hope that you can help get this out to the families you know.  Feel free to take the information in this email and send it to folks in any way that you feel comfortable, short of posting it publicly.  I appreciate any help you can provide in getting the word out to the blind and visually impaired community in Northern Virginia.

Regards,

     James

______________________________________________________________

Hello everyone,

My name is James Patterson and I am volunteering with Virginia’s Department of the Blind and Visually Impaired to help establish a statewide Goalball League.  (Not familiar with Goalball? A brief explanation of the game and a link to a video can be found at the end of this e-mail.)

Initially, we hope to get at least one team established in each of DBVI’s six regions, although regions can have more than one team if there is enough interest.  Ours is the Northern Region, covering Northern Virginia west through Winchester.

Having a team in the Northern Region will require at least six athletes and three coaches/helpers.  I’m hoping we have more interest than that so that we can have a few teams within the Northern Region that could play each other during the season.

Here are some of the “nuts and bolts” details that I can provide at this time:

  *   Season commitment: The first “season” will be fairly basic and will largely focus on teaching players the fundamentals of Goalball.  Our unofficial plan is to have a weekly practice that will run between 60 and 90 minutes.  The season will conclude with a tournament between regional teams.  The details are all a little fuzzy since this is the first year we are trying to get this off the ground.  We’d like practices to begin in late September or early-October, but aren’t sure when the tournament would be held.  We also don’t have any firm details on how many teams there will be overall.  In addition to the weekly practices and the end-of-season tournament, we may try to play a few games against other nearby regional teams, but anything like that will be determined with input from our team’s players and families.

  *   Athlete age: The desired age-range for the first season is not firmly defined.  We have many potential players from a variety of age groups.  If we have a lot of interest, I will help set up teams for different age groups, like most other sports in our area do.  Before any of those details can be worked out, we need to identify interested athletes in our Northern Region.

  *   Geographic location: The formal definition of DBVI’s Northern Region includes Arlington, Clarke, Culpepper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Frederick, Loudon, Page, Prince William, Rappahannock, Shenandoah, Stafford, and Warren Counties.  Please don’t let the large geographical area prevent you from indicating your interest.  Since the teams can be fairly small (six or so athletes) and we have such a large geographic area, there is a good chance that we can establish a team near you.  For example, I live in Reston, am organizing a team, and am planning for our practices to be somewhere within a reasonable drive from here.  If we get enough folks in Winchester or Springfield that can form another Northern Region team, they can hold their practices closer to them.

  *   Registration Fees:  The fees will be approximately $60 per athlete.  The cost of the initial equipment will be a combination of registration fees, DBVI support, and grants.

Action is needed by August 31st!  If you know a blind or visually-impaired athlete who would enjoy trying Goalball, I’d appreciate your help!  Please indicate the interest of your athlete and any available adult helpers by filling out the form at this link https://goo.gl/forms/bnCCN0wgOmxaeoRu1 . This is not a registration, only a way to gauge the level of interest across the community so that we can determine what teams we can put together -- and where -- as we get this league started.  There will be a separate form to actually register for a team once we iron out a few more details.

The folks at DBVI and I are excited to get this league started in order to help our blind and visually-impaired athletes access a sport that was created just for them!  Please feel free to email me directly at james.patterson.703 at gmail.com<mailto:james.patterson.703 at gmail.com> if you have any questions or comments.

Regards,

    James Patterson, Parent Volunteer / Coordinator for the Northern DBVI Region

What’s Goalball?  Goalball is a Paralympic sport that was developed specifically for blind and visually-impaired athletes.  The game is played on a volleyball-sized court with goals that stretch across each end line. The three players on each team roll a bell-laden ball from their side, trying to get it past the opposing team and into their goal.  The players wear blinders and orient themselves with a rope grid that is taped to the floor. The team with the most goals at the end wins. A video from the Paralympics describes the sport nicely: https://youtu.be/0bZ51jzmbAQ
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