StemCell Therapy

Elizabeth Chantry winds up the ball to throw as her two teammates flank her on either side, poised in their ready positions. As the three-pound goalball, which is much like a heavy basketball, shoots from Chantrys hands the bells embedded inside the ball ring out into the silence of the gym. The three players on the opposite end of the court dive with their arms and legs extended in an attempt to stop the rolling ball from passing their goal line. One opposing player, after stopping the ball, then stands and rolls it back at Elizabeth and her teammates in an attempt to score.

This goes on until time runs out and the team with the most goals wins. However theres one catch, none of the players can see a thing.

Goalball is a Paralympic sport for blind athletes. Though, its not the lack of eyesight that keeps the players from seeing, but rather the blacked-out eyeshades (essentially taped-over ski-goggles) that allows partially-sighted players and totally-blind players to play equally. Players navigate the court on their hands and knees by feeling strands of taped-over twine that outline the boundaries and positions for each of the players. Six hash marks in the lines allow players to orient themselves to make sure theyre in position and facing the correct way.

Despite playing without any vision, the game moves along in a quick and orderly fashion. Its a rhythm Elizabeth Chantry has become accustomed to through several years of playing.

Now a sophomore at Timpanogos High School, Elizabeth began playing goalball in fifth grade. She was hooked on the sport from the start.

As she put it simply with a laugh, Its really fun to throw a ball at people. I know that sounds really bad, but its satisfying to throw stuff at people and have it be OK.

Elizabeth was diagnosed with dominant optic nerve atrophy at four years old. The condition results in a breakdown in communication between the optic nerve and the brain, resulting in blindness. Elizabeth is legally blind, but still has some sight.

Like many things, eyesight is a spectrum. 20/20 vision is considered perfect eyesight, and anything below 20/200 vision is considered legally blind a person with perfect vision can see at 200 feet what a person with 20/200 vision can only make out at 20 feet. Elizabeth has approximately 20/400 vision.

I didnt really comprehend that I actually had a visual impairment, Elizabeth said. I knew it was there, I knew that I needed to do stuff, but I didnt really comprehend it until third grade.

Throughout Elizabeths schooling, she has had vision teachers. These teachers have helped her to learn effectively with her visual impairment. Elizabeth can read, but the letters need to be extremely close or especially large for her to make out each word.

Sometimes the print will be really small, or really annoying, or really cursive, and for that I have some magnifiers that I carry around with me that can make it bigger, she explained.

Despite these added challenges, Elizabeth doesnt feel disadvantaged or frustrated.

She just dives into it and is happy to try something new, so that makes it easy, said her mother, Jennifer Chantry.

Jennifer also has dominant optic nerve atrophy.

The condition is hereditary and affects each family member on Jennifers side of the family differently. Growing up with about 20/200 vision herself, Jennifer knew the sort of challenges her daughter would face. I think that since we had a good understand of what was going on that it made things easier, explained Jennifer.

My mom tells stories about when we were little and shed point out animals in the fields as we drove by, but she didnt realize we couldnt really see the animals, recounted Jennifer.

For a fifth grader working hard to overcome her visual impairment, goalball was a fun outlet.

As I got more and more into goalball, it was kind of a confidence boost, said Elizabeth. It was something I could do.

That winter in fifth grade began building Elizabeths devotion to the sport. I started to see it as a bigger thing. She said. I could get really good at it and I could like, do stuff that is cool.

Each year after that, she became more and more invested throughout the January through March season. At the end of the season when Elizabeth was in eighth grade, she was invited to join the state high school goalball team: the Utah Rage.

This accomplishment resulted in even more focused practices in the fall of her freshman year of high school to prepare for the winter season. It was pretty intense, simply stated her mother.

The Utah Rage took Elizabeth to her first national tournament that fall in Florida. The Utah Rage did so again this year, but this time earned a bronze medal, and Elizabeth was named one of six All-Americans in the girls division.

Aside from practicing the sport herself, Elizabeth also helps teach younger and less-experienced players how to play goalball.

Last year, I asked Elizabeth to come help me at goalball practices with the younger kids in Orem, said Jalayne Engberg, a teacher for the blind and visually impaired with Alpine School District.

With 23 years of goalball experience, Engberg explained, I have been doing coaching for a long time and the best thing I can do is find older goalball players to carry on the goalball sport in Utah.

Engberg and her colleague Tony Jepson have been instrumental in developing goalball in Utah. I am proud of Elizabeth for helping teach the sport to younger kids. She doesnt just teach it to visually impaired students, she shares it with her church youth group, too.

Elizabeths time spent on the court also yielded many new friends with similar visual impairments. Although, she has had no shortage of friends whether it be on a goalball court or at school (where she even plays flute in the schools band). Theres not a big difference between my friends at school and my friends at goalball, she explained.

Despite their visual shortcomings, goalball practice allows for everyone to make light of their lack of sight through their mutual experiences with visual impairments.

We make a ton of blind jokes, laughed Elizabeth. None of us can see, and so its kind of nice. Its like whats over there? I dont know, can anyone else tell? she recounted with more laughter.

The fun environment allows for players with visual impairments and their families to come together under a common bond. Its like a family in a lot of ways, Jennifer explained. You get to know other peoples kids, and other moms and dad, and its really kind of unique.

See more here:
Finding her way Student excels in goalball, life despite visual impairment - Daily Herald

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