[msb-alumni] Goalball star's goal is Paralympics in Rio
- From: Steve <pipeguy920@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <msb-alumni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 3 Aug 2015 15:39:17 -0400
BlankGoalball star's goal is Paralympics in Rio Jeff Seidel, Detroit Free Press
Columnist
John Kusku is one of the best athletes in the country in a sport that most
people have never heard of. "People don't even know it exists," said his wife,
Jessica Kusku. "They say, 'What is it? Gold-ball? What is that? " No, it's
goalball .
"Then, they YouTube it," she continued, "and they say, 'This is the coolest
thing I've ever seen! "
Goalball is a team sport for the visually impaired. It is like handball because
you score by throwing the ball in a net. It is like volleyball because it
features nonstop, back-and-forth action. It is like basketball only with a
heavier, thicker ball. It is like soccer because it is a pure team sport, where
communication among teammates is vital. And it is like hockey because the
defenders go down trying to block a shot. Combine it all together, and you get
goalball.
Only there is one rule that makes goalball unique from those other sports. The
players must be legally blind. And to make sure nobody has any advantage, each
player must wear eye patches and a blindfold. There is a bell inside the ball,
so they know where it is.
"It's a game of hearing," said John Kusku, who is preparing to compete for Team
USA in the Parapan American Games in Toronto, which starts Saturday. "The crowd
and coaches have to be totally silent during play. It's a game of silence. But
once the other team has the ball, we are talking constantly. Obviously, we want
to be quiet because we don't want the other team to hear what we are saying.
Kusku, 30, of Commerce Township, was born with a hereditary degenerative
retinal disease. He is legally blind, although he has a thin slice of vision
remaining in both eyes. Kusku, right, ran the Boston Marathon in 2008 with the
aid of a guide. He also finished the Detroit Free Press Marathon twice. (Photo:
Courtesy Kusku family)
Always an athlete
Most people have approximately 150 degrees of vision in one eye from side to
side. Kusku has less than 1 degree of vision in each eye. "I have severe tunnel
vision," he said. "It's kind of like looking through a coffee stirrer.
In elementary school, he played soccer. And then he got hooked on roller
hockey. But by the eighth grade, his eyesight had worsened and he couldn't see
the puck anymore. Still wanting to compete, he got into marathon running for a
while. He finished the Detroit Free Press Marathon twice, as well as the Boston
Marathon, using a guide.
"Coming off of that marathon training is when I got more serious about
goalball," he said.
Since 2009, Kusku has competed in at least two international goalball events a
year, all around the world. He is known for his defense. He has an uncanny
knack to anticipate where the ball is going to be thrown.
"The thing that makes John a special player is that he just knows the game,"
said Jessica Kusku, who coaches his team in Michigan. "He is so smart about the
game. He talks the game 24/7 to me and his teammates around the country, I
mean, every day. He is so dedicated it's ridiculous.
Kusku in a team huddle with teammates of Michigan Omega (Photo: Courtesy
usaba.org)
"John is a really smart guy. He is constantly thinking goalball. In his head,
while he's working out, or while he's doing dishes, or when he's on the phone
talking to his teammates, he runs through possible scenarios. He plays goalball
in his head. He plays goalball in his sleep. I'll wake him up and go, 'You are
playing goalball again, all the time.'
John Kusku is a high school math and physics teacher at Oakland Schools
Technical Campus-Southwest in Wixom. He receives a small stipend from the U.S.
Olympic Committee to help pay for training. "It's not very much money," he
said. "It wouldn't be enough to live on, it's just there to help support you.
It probably comes close to off-setting the amount I have to spend to travel. If
we medal in Toronto, we get a cash prize, which is nice, but it's not much.
Team USA has qualified for the 2016 Paralympics in Rio, and Kusku's goal is to
be selected to that team. "I have 11 months of training very hard to maintain
and to make sure I can go," he said. "It would be pretty amazing.
Jessica Kusku coaches her husband John's goalball team in Michigan. (Photo:
Courtesy Kusku family)
Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.
About the Games
What: The Parapan American Games are held every four years and precede the
Paralympic Games by one year. The Parapan American Games serve as a
Paralympic-qualifying event for many of the participating sports.
When: Saturday- Aug. 15.
Where: Toronto.
Goalball schedule
Commerce Township's John Kusku is on the U.S. men's goalball team.
The schedule: Round-robin ? Saturday: Canada, 2 p.m. ? Aug. 9: Venezuela, 12:45
p.m. ? Aug. 10: Brazil, 9 a.m. ? Aug. 11: Argentina, 10:15 a.m. ? Aug. 12:
Puerto Rico, 11:30 a.m. Semifinals 1 and 2:30 p.m., Aug. 14 Bronze- and
gold-medal games 10 and 11:30 a.m., Aug. 15
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