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Volunteers needed for goalball tournamentFeb. 19, 2008 KALAMAZOO--The 2008 U.S. goalball season gets under way with the John Bakos Memorial Goalball Tournament Saturday and Sunday, March 1-2, at Western Michigan University, attracting the nation's top teams in the action-packed sport for visually impaired or blindfolded athletes. The tournament begins with round-robin play from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday in the Student Recreation Center. Medal round games will be played from approximately 9 a.m. to noon on Sunday, also in the recreation center. Admission is free. Spectators will have an opportunity to watch some of the nation's top goalballers begin the long trek to the 2008 national championships in Salt Lake City later this year. The majority of players will represent the United States at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing this summer. Michigan and the Kalamazoo area will be well represented at the tournament. Coming off stellar seasons last year will be the women's team Kalamazoo Chaos and men's team WMU Wrecking Crew, who both won national championships. The WMU Wrecking Crew got off to a good start this year by winning the gold medal at a tournament last month in Montreal, and expectations are high for both teams. The tournament also offers an opportunity for people to volunteer. Volunteers are needed to keep score, keep time, serve as line judges and fill a long list of other jobs. The volunteer work is ideal for those needing community service credit. Those interested in volunteering should contact Sherry Gordon, volunteer coordinator, at sdgordon78@sbcglobal.net or (269) 337-3276, or Dr. Paul Ponchillia, tournament director and WMU professor emeritus of blindness and low vision studies, at paul.ponchillia@wmich.edu or (269) 278-7307. Media contact: Mark Schwerin, (269) 387-8400, mark.schwerin@wmich.edu WMU News |
