(WXMI) — Goalball is a game for visually impaired athletes. You'll see it played during the Paralympics. The goal is quite simple: to throw the ball in the other team's goal. The ball is just under three pounds and roughly the size of a basketball. It has bells inside so players can hear and react to where it is. All players wear blackout eye shades to make it a level playing field.
Camilo Glas was born prematurely and his retinas never developed. He has never been able to see because of retinopathy of prematurity. Camilo was born in Colombia and did not experience team sports until he was adopted in the United States at 8 years old.
Camilo has been playing goalball on and off for the past 12 years. Starting in 2022 it’s been in a more competitive space. Camily has been practicing and traveling to tournaments with the Mary Free Bed sponsored team.
“Being part of that environment where you have a lot of like-minded and driven individuals who don't let the blindness and the disability define them has been such a rewarding and incredibly uplifting environment,” Glas said. “It was life-changing to be able to participate in sports with other like-minded athletes who are still incredible athletes, but also have blindness as something they deal with on a daily basis.”
Camilo went to Cornerstone University where he met his wife, Kelly.
"He's really capable of doing just about anything and he will never let somebody limit him when it comes to that," Kelly Glas said.
Kelly began helping out at goalball practices. She is now the coach of the team.
“It's been awesome. Just getting to see how the team interacts with each other and how they've been able to lift each other up," Kelly said.
"It's fun to see her excitement and to not only be our eyes, if you will, in game situations or even while she's coaching us, but also just to have somebody like that,” Camilo said.
Camilo said playing goalball has given him so much joy and it's something he'll never take for granted.
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