Local father-son duo wins national title in visually impaired sport

Led by a father-son Smyrna duo, the Atlanta Force recently captured its first-ever goalball national title in the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes National Championships on the campus of the State University of New York (SUNY) at Brockport.

Developed by Austrian doctors and soldiers in the 1940s as a means of rehabilitation for blind veterans, goalball is a team sport for the visually impaired during which participants try to throw a ball embedded with bells into the opponents' goal.

The players must use the sound of the bell to judge the position and movement of the ball. Games consist of two 12-minute halves and partially sighted players compete with blindfolds to level the playing field.

The Atlanta 'Fab Five' featured players Eddie Monroe, Joma Leonard, Wilkens Eugene, Daryl Walker and Smyrna resident Matt Simpson. The team was coached by Simpson's father, Hal.

“They worked tirelessly,’’ said Hal Simpson. “They set their sights on winning a national title. It’s not the Super Bowl or the World Series, but in their world, it is. In the world of blind athletics, this is the biggest thing. We’re going to work hard and try to defend our title next year.”

In the championship game against the two-time defending champions, the Pennsylvania Venom, the Force built an early lead and led by as many as six. However, the Venom scored a goal to tie the game at 11-11 with 25 seconds left on the clock. With the title up for grabs in the waning seconds, Philadelphia was charged with a penalty and Atlanta capitalized on the mistake. Matt Simpson rose to the occasion and scored the game-winning goal on a penalty shot with three seconds left in regulation to clinch the championship.

The fiercely competitive tournament brought the nation’s best teams and players together from all over the country to fight for the gold medal. The Utah Explosion, who Atlanta defeated earlier by a score of 7-3, beat out the New York Knights for third place.

Since its inception following World War II, goalball has grown as a sport and is played in several countries across the globe. It also is a part of the Paralympic Games, which take place every four years. The next installment of the Paralympic Games is set for Aug. 9-Sept. 12, 2012 in London.

For more information about the sport and blind athletics, visit www.usaba.org or www.ibsa.es.