Japanese Men’s National Goalball Team Training at Turnstone February 17th – 22nd

Japanese Men’s National Goalball Team Training at Turnstone February 17^{th<\/sup> – 22nd<\/sup> <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n}

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FORT WAYNE, IN <\/strong>(February 18^{th<\/sup>, 2019)<\/em> –<\/strong> Three athletes and two coaches from the Japanese Men's National Goalball team arrived at Turnstone on February 17th<\/sup> to train with the U.S. Men’s Goalball team. The Japanese men’s team will be staying in the goalball houses across the street during training and will leave February 22nd<\/sup> when the U.S. Men’s team will travel to Michigan for a tournament.<\/p>\n\n}

\nThe Japanese men's team has already qualified for the Paralympics in Tokyo 2020 as the host country and therefore will not be attending the upcoming 2019 IBSA Goalball and Judo International Qualifier event held here in Fort Wayne this upcoming summer. However, this is a great opportunity for the U.S. Men’s team to scrimmage and train with an opposing country in preparation for the International Qualifier.<\/p>\n\n

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The Executive Director of USABA, Mark Lucas, said, “It is imperative for our athletes to gain international experience while preparing for the International Qualifier being hosted in Fort Wayne, IN this summer. Japan is a tough team and will give us great practice and an extra edge for future competitions. We [USABA & Turnstone] are excited to host this opportunity for our athletes.”<\/p>\n\n

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MEDIA NOTE: <\/strong>Training schedule is flexible but will happen before 8am, between 11am-3pm, and after 6pm. Please contact Matt Boyle at 260-249-5193 for more specific training times.<\/p>\n\n

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About Turnstone:<\/strong> Now in its 75th year of service, Turnstone’s mission is to empower people with disabilities to achieve their highest potential by providing one of the most comprehensive offerings of services and programs to people with disabilities and their families under one roof in the United States. Thanks to generous support and compassionate staff, Turnstone’s legacy of advocacy and innovation continues to contribute to a world that accepts and values people based on their abilities. This legacy now includes the privilege of functioning as the home training facility for the U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Goalball Teams and the goalball resident program through a partnership with the United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA). www.turnstone.org<\/a>","Twitter: @TurnstoneCenter<\/a>","Facebook: Turnstone Center of Children and Adults with Disabilities<\/a>","Instagram: @TurnstoneCenter<\/a><\/p>\n\n

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ABOUT UNITED STATES ASSOCIATION OF BLIND ATHLETES (USABA)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Since its founding in 1976, USABA, a community-based organization of the United States Olympic Committee, has reached more than 100,000 blind individuals. The organization has emerged as more than just a world-class trainer of blind athletes, it has become a champion of the abilities of Americans who are legally blind. In addition to providing grassroot and development opportunities in multiple sports, USABA serves as the high performance management organization for the Paralympic sport of goalball in the U.S. Through a partnership with Turnstone Center, USABA established the first-ever long-term goalball resident program in the country where members of U.S. Men’s and Women’s Goalball National Teams train full-time. USABA’s mission: to empower Americans who are blind and visually impaired to experience life-changing opportunities in sports, recreation and physical activity, thereby educating and inspiring the nation.