‘A true and active, hard sport’: Washington State School for the Blind goalball players head for high school championships in Texas

Washington State School for the Blind goalball players lined up Tuesday against nets on opposite sides to throw the jingly balls. It was their last practice before traveling to Texas for the high school national championship, which begins Thursday.

Goalball is a team sport specifically designed for blind or low-vision people. Three players on each team are on the court at a time on opposite sides. The court is tactile, so players can feel where they’re positioned, and the balls have bells in them. Each player wears blackout eye shades to level the playing field, so to speak. That way, players of varying visual acuity can play fairly against each other, said Angela Henrich, the school’s goalball coach.

“They can compete with the best of them, and they are athletes,” Henrich said. “They