Students gathered at a local high school in Sudbury to play a unique sport. It's called goalball and organizers say it is an activity that is all about inclusion.
Goalball is a game played by two teams of three people, using a ball with bells inside. The object of the game is to throw the ball into the opposing team’s net, while defenders attempt to block it with their bodies.
At the first goal ball tournament at St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School, students were joined by grade 7 and 8's from St. James in Lively.
Participant Ashley Zinetarski is a grade 8 student at St. James.
"Some people make it look really easy, but it's actually really hard." said Zinetarski.
Jordan Primeau is a grade 11 student at St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School and is partially sighted. He has been playing the sport since grade 3 and says it's something he really enjoys.
"When I play football, I'm more in a limited role, but when I come here, everybody's on the same playing field. So it’s fun to play." said Primeau.
Adriano Simonato, a teacher at St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School, explains how the game utilizes senses other than sight.
"The thing that makes it so inclusive is that whether you are blind, partially sighted or sighted, you can play. And the reason for that is because all of the participants have to wear eye shades, so the game takes away the sense of sight, so everyone has to rely on their sense of hearing and their sense of touch." said Simonato.
Even students who were experiencing the game for the first time say it is something they would play again.
First time participant Grace Crowder is a grade 7 St. Ben’s student.
"We never played before, so it was fun to try." said Crowder.
Staff members at the school say they have an intra-mural goalball team and the hope is that someday, students will be able to participate in a high school league in city.
