Lakeshore goalball team repeats as national champion

When the Lakeshore Foundation youth goalball team captured its first national championship, coach Cliff Cook hoped the team’s three returning members would still be hungry enough to shoot for a repeat.

They were.

Lakeshore won its second straight high school national championship by defeating the Georgia Academy of the Blind in St. Augustine, Fla., in the sport that is for visually impaired athletes.

“We set out this season with that as our goal. We did feel that we were the favorites coming in,” said Cook. “For one thing, we had three of our four athletes returning, so we had a veteran team and my fourth year as coach, so we built on that.

“Every guy on the team wanted it. They worked hard for it.”

Goalball is a sport that is played 3-on-3. A team can have as many as six players on the squad, but Lakeshore’s team had just the three: Parker Stewart, a 15-year-old who attends Mountain Brook Junior High; Josh Welborn, a 16-year-old who lives in Pelham and is home-schooled; and Nick Rollins, a 16-year-old who lives in Irondale and is a junior at Shades Valley High. Stewart and Welborn were named to the High School All-American Goalball team and Welborn was named the most valuable player. 

Goalball is not a sport that was adapted from a sport already played by able-bodied players; it was invented in Austria after World War II to help in the rehabilitation of visually impaired veterans. 

Players throw a ball, which has bells inside it, past the other team’s players into a net. Defenders listen for the bells and try to judge when and where to dive for it. Players also pass the ball to each other to set up plays. 

The sport is played on a volleyball-sized court with a goal on each end that covers the length of the court and is 1.3 meters (about 4 feet, 3 inches) high. A contest has two 12-minute halves. 

Since the players can have varying degrees of vision, all players wear shades to block out all sight. The floor has tactile markings on it for the players to feel their positions. Crowds must root silently during play, since vocal communication between the players and being able to hear the ball are vital.

Goalball was introduced to the world at the 1976 Paralympics in Toronto and has been played at every Paralympics since. World Championships are played every four years. Goalball is now played competitively in more than 100 countries.

Welborn said that he’s been playing the sport since he was 7 and has been on the youth team since he was 9. 

“It’s all about communication,” Welborn said. “And if you get along with your teammates, that’s a serious help. I’m good friends with both of these guys and it really helps in the overall strength of the team.” 

When it comes to hearing and reacting, you do think about it a lot at first … but it’s become more about instinct. My body just does the rest of the work. It’s become a natural thing. I’ve been playing almost 10 years.”

Stewart hasn’t been playing quite as long.

“I got started playing goalball about three years ago when I first came here to Lakeshore … they offered some sports for people with disabilities … I got involved in a lot of sports and Josh’s mom came up to me and said they’d love to have a new player on the team.

“It takes a lot of commitment. We practice twice a week for an hour and a half, but the three of us are so invested in the sport … I know I’m always thinking about things about the sport, constantly thinking of how I can improve, how can I get faster.” 

Welborn is the team’s best offensive player.

“I think it’s because I have the most time on the court and in the sport, as well as just speed and strength, I probably have the fastest and most accurate shot.”

Stewart is the defensive star.

“My coach says I’m the best defensive player in the nation,” Stewart said. “I don’t necessarily agree with that, but I do think defense is my strongest point. It’s the timing at which you dive. You have a split-second to decide where you think it’s going to go. You have to judge the distance by just hearing how far it is away from you and where it’s going. The ball can be thrown really fast. You have to make some very quick decisions.”

Rollins is the oldest team member, but he’s the newest to the sport. He has been on the squad for two years, but this was his first time to be part of the starting three. He essentially took the spot of Alex Richmond, who played on last year’s team as an Oak Mountain High senior. 

“He had a very solid tournament,” Cook said. “He was a great addition to the team.”

Rollins said his strength is his offense. “I throw it pretty hard.”

Rollins said winning the championship meant all the hard work paid off. He said besides the twice a week practices, he works on his own twice a week.

And he echoes what they all say about their coach.

“He’s great. He makes it fun. When we’re practicing he’s hard on us but he kids around with us too.” 

Said Welborn, “Coach Cook has taught me a lot about perseverance and sticking with things even when they’re not what you usually do or enjoy. Sometimes you have to do things for the greater outcome.”

So what about a threepeat?

“All three (players) return next year,” Cook said. “We’re excited about that. I asked them when we got back if they wanted to go for the threepeat. And they do.”

Stewart concurred. “I’m so proud of my team. I definitely think we can threepeat.”