[Sportsandrec] FW: [USA-GOALBALL] The best of a decade.

Wed Jan 6 01:48:31 UTC 2010

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From: usa-goalball at googlegroups.com [mailto:usa-goalball at googlegroups.com]
On Behalf Of Joseph Hamilton
Sent: Tuesday, January 05, 2010 2:57 PM
To: usa-goalball at googlegroups.com
Subject: [USA-GOALBALL] The best of a decade.

Hey Goalball fans and participants.

I have been watching the countdown of the end of the first decade in sports
on ESPN.  Amongst my trips to the dessert table.  Man I need help.:_)

Anyway, sports has an amazing ability to capture our hearts and minds.  All
of the sports seen on TV are rich in film history.  Goalball doesn't have
that ability.  But that didn't stop me from creating the top ten best
memories of the decade past.  Now, these are in an order because I put them
there and they are my top ten memories.  I hope that if any of you have a
problem, you will get your dead asses out of retirement and create some
great memories in the next decade.

I love this game.

Here we go.

Top ten greatest goalball memories of the first decade of the 21st century.

10,  2008 Midwest  Regional, Kalamazoo Michigan.

  Just 9 months after morning the loss of a great friend,  (Daryl Green).

The Venom of Pennsylvania are able to use the spirit of Daryl and some darn
good team work.  Defeating Ontario 6-5 in overtime to capture a regional
championship.

9 National championships Colorado Springs 2005.

The young upstart Michigan Wrecking Crue, used a stunning defensive
performance to defeat one of the greatest defensive teams in US Goalball
history.

Beating New Jersey Thunder 3-0 capturing the 2005 national championship.
First for the Crue in 8 seasons.

8, Midwest regional  2005 Kalamazoo Michigan

After 4 dark years of mediocrity, The Michigan Spitfire are able to combine
coaching and hard work to defeat Florida and New jersey to win the bracket
and after outlasting Pennsylvania in the semi finals, their return to the
contender conversation began a new.  Their surprising run was ended with a
silver metal finish losing to New Jersey 5-4.

7 National Championships 2008 Salt Lake City Utah.

Somehow, someway, the trio from Florida battered their way through Michigan
after going down 4-0 in the semi finals and then put on an offensive display
defeating the home standing Explosion 7-5 to win the grand prize ending a
drought of 13 seasons without a championship for Florida Coach Tom Parrigin.

6 Northeast Regional 2001 Duboise Pennsylvania.

A very dominant Pennsylvania Tornado, made there case for  continental
supremacy.  By absolutely destroying Ontario 8-1 winning the regional
Championship and sending the Canadians to the worst loss on American soil in
the entire decade.

5 2008 National Championships Salt Lake City Utah.

It wouldn't be proper if we didn't reserve a slot for the actual come back.

After building a 4-0 lead in the semi finals, the crue from Michigan were
playing perfect.  However, one man with one mission brought the house down.

5 second half goals by Donte Mickens including the game winner with less
then 7 seconds remaining.  Allowed Florida to snap the long dry spell of no
national titles.

4, 2000 Midwest regional championships Kalamazoo Michigan

In only their second year of existence, the Michigan Hurricanes were young
but up to an amazing task.

After finishing with a forth over all cede.  That task was to defeat the
recking Crue on their home floor.  To do that gave this young franchise an
opportunity to play in a regional final for the first and only time.

Using good team work and some great leadership by Center John Kusku, the
Canes defeated WMU 4-2 and played the Spitfire for the regional
championship.  What made that such a special tournament was not only how
young the Canes were, but they played their fellow practice partners the
Spitfire.  At no time in the decade did one state or organization have both
of it's representatives compete for a regional championship.

The luck that had guided the Hurricanes throughout the tournament wasn't
there in the finals and they suffered a 5-2 defeat.  But for that team and
that Michigan program it was an amazing finish.

3 National Championships 2006 Colorado Springs Colorado.

After Two Months of building continuity.  The Utah explosion embarked on an
impressive run to the 2006 National Championship.  Most of the teams who won
this decade had several years invested in playing together.  But after
moving his Family from Florida to Utah in April of 06.  Nick Gasaway proved
to be the missing piece of the puzzle.  Utah played solid defense in a 3-2
semi final win over Pennsylvania.  And Nick's opening goal against Florida
helped power Utah to a 4-3 victory.  Winning the first title in program
history.  This team had very good concentration, as a penalty fopa gave
Florida one last chance to tie the game with less then 6 seconds left in the
game.

2, National Championships 2001 Colorado Springs Colorado.

It wouldn't be my countdown without my only Chip.  Couple that with the fact
that Pennsylvania Tornado were playing in their third consecutive
championship, and we somehow found our way in the final four, this two game
run is one of the best of the decade.  After holding on for dear life over
Utah 2-1 in the semi finals, we were faced with playing the best player in
the country on the floor where he had directed his team to two
championships.  I will admit that we had some good karma in our favor.  No
team in my memory has ever won three consecutive championships.  We also
built an early lead and managed to stave off their comeback.  It was a magic
time for Michigan as the Chaos had just defeated Colorado stopping them from
the threepete.  The Spitfire were able to duplicate that with a 6-4 victory.
To this day, I'm not sure how we won that game.  Also, even though PA has
won 5 titles in this decade.  It wasn't until the win in 09 that they
stopped bringing up that performance in the Summer of 2001.

1, National Championships 2004 Spartanburg South Carolina.

In what to this day stands up as the most impressive single tournament
performance, The New Jersey Thunder, defying all of the odds and winning
their first title in 11 years.

This run included 9 victories and spanned 3 days.  They played every team in
the tournament.  They walked the gauntlet.  After being dominated by
Pennsylvania 8-2 in the round robin tournament, New Jersey fought back.
Winning an intense battle over the Recking Crue 3-2 in the semi Finals.  And
with the storms outside clapping Thunder around the gym, the team from the
Northeast brought some thunder of their own.  Capitalizing on 6 penalties
and playing a solid controlled game and took home the most impressive title
of the decade 8-4 over PABA Venom.

This team did what no other team of the decade has done.  They beat every
team in the country. In the span of one weekend.  I was impressed with their
ability to play defense.  You have heard me claim this as one of the best
defensive teams I can Remember.  They took care of the nation's best players
and teams going 9 and 1 and bringing the grand daddy prize back to the
Garden State.

In my mind the most impressive single tournament performance of the decade
and the most memorable moment in the first decade of the 21st Century.

This is our history, our sports great moments.  I want to know your
thoughts, did I miss any.  We have to capture these somewhere so our game
stays strong and develops a competitive history and tradition that we can
all be proud of.

I love this sport and all of you who play it.

What memories wait for us in 2010.

Sincerest regards, Joe Hamilton.

Joseph Hamilton

Program Manager,

California Access News 

Society for the blind

2750 24th st. Sacramento CA, 95818

916-732-4010

jhamilton at societyfortheblind.org

www.societyfortheblind.org

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