The Official USA Goalball Page. A page created by USA goalball players.

Newest Blogs for Team USA
While in Beijing
Blogs, are for the athletes to express their experiences in Beijing
Not to post scores, etc, TEAM USA has guidelines to follow and
USGoalball.com will honor that in posting blogs.
This is the only feature the Athletes have access to post. Everything else on the website such as the Schedule will be done remotely by USGoalball.com from the USA.

Jessica Lorenz 9/16/08 2:42:14 P Great Wall of China Details>>>
Jessica Lorenz 9/15/08 7:31:25 A Golden Haze Details>>>
Jessica Lorenz 9/14/08 1:14:37 P Gold in hand. Details>>>
Jessica Lorenz 9/14/08 1:11:56 P Going to face China. Details>>>
Tyler Merren 9/14/08 1:38:21 A Almost There Details>>>
Jessica Lorenz 9/13/08 4:20:30 P People's Daily Online -- Happy cow! Here's the Paralympic mascot Details>>>

	ATHLETE'S NAME: Asya Miller
	JERSEY NUMBER: 4
	HOMETOWN: Lapeer, MI
	MOTTO: Second place is the first loser.
	OCCUPATION: Do not have one
	FAVORITE FOOD: Almost all food
	FAVORITE MUSIC: All Sorts
BEST MOMENT WITH TEAM USA Getting tackled by my teamates after winning free throws against China in Sweden!	WORSE MOMENT WITH TEAM USA: Drama, drama, drama.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Those years winning in Sweden. All tourney at the LFIGC this year.	YEARS PLAYED NATIONALLY 10	YEARS PLAYING INTERNATIONALLY 8

	ATHLETE'S NAME: Tyler Merren
	JERSEY NUMBER: 2
	HOMETOWN: Kalamazoo, MI
	MOTTO: what's a motto with you?
	OCCUPATION: Student (and father/husband)
	FAVORITE FOOD: Cereal...probably Corn Flakes
	FAVORITE MUSIC: Varies greatly, but mostly easy rock and christian
BEST MOMENT WITH TEAM USA Winning the Bronze medal with the 2004 Paralympic Team, but their are many other great moments.	WORSE MOMENT WITH TEAM USA: Rooming with John Mulhern...Just Kidding...Probably taking 11th place in the World Championships, 2002 in Brazil, that was no fun.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Bronze in Paralympics 2004 and World Championships 2006. National Championships 2005 and 2007, and MVP for 2007 for just a few examples	YEARS PLAYED NATIONALLY 9	YEARS PLAYING INTERNATIONALLY 7

	ATHLETE'S NAME: Chris Dodds
	JERSEY NUMBER: 8
	HOMETOWN: Riverton Utah
	MOTTO: Show me a good loser, and I will show you....A LOSER!!!Go all out...or don't go out at all!
	OCCUPATION: Student Utah State University
	FAVORITE FOOD: Big Mac's
	FAVORITE MUSIC: Country
BEST MOMENT WITH TEAM USA Hearing the sound of the buzzer go off in the 2004 Athens Paralympics bronze medal game. Knowing we had just took USA goalball to a much higher level. and having that bronze medol put around my neck. I use to be so mad that I had to give up sighted sports because of my eyes going bad, but at that moment I realized I didnt need my vision to be competative in sports and be a truce athlete.	WORSE MOMENT WITH TEAM USA: Everytime an injury kept me from competing.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: 2008- National MVP 2007- Best Defenceive player Liethuania 2007- OTC athlete of the mounth 2006- National chmapions 2006- World bronze medol 2004- Paralympic Bronze medal Athens Greece 2001- Youth national Champions MVP 2001- Pan american silver medol 2000- Youth national Champions MVP	YEARS PLAYED NATIONALLY 9	YEARS PLAYING INTERNATIONALLY 8

	ATHLETE'S NAME: Lisa Banta
	JERSEY NUMBER: 3
	HOMETOWN: Boonton, New Jersey
	MOTTO: Success is a journey, not a destination.
	OCCUPATION: Director of health and wellness
	FAVORITE FOOD: chocolate
	FAVORITE MUSIC: rock
BEST MOMENT WITH TEAM USA Making the team and playing with team at each international competition.	WORSE MOMENT WITH TEAM USA: Not making the medal podium in Sydney
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: 1996 alternate Paralympic Goalball Team 1998 World Goalball Championships, bronze medal Goalball 2000 Sydney Paralympics, silver medal in Discus 2002 World Championships, Gold medal in Goalball and won "Top Scorer" award 2004 Athens Paralympics, silver medalist 2006 World Championships, bronze medal 2008 Paralympic Goalball Team	YEARS PLAYED NATIONALLY 12	YEARS PLAYING INTERNATIONALLY 10

	ATHLETE'S NAME: Jessie Lorenz
	JERSEY NUMBER: 2
	HOMETOWN: Berkeley, CA
	MOTTO: Get off the sidelines and get into the game.
	OCCUPATION: Director, Public Policy- San Francisco LightHouse
	FAVORITE FOOD: pizza
	FAVORITE MUSIC: Blink 182
BEST MOMENT WITH TEAM USA 2002 Worlds	WORSE MOMENT WITH TEAM USA: I'm Not interested in dwelling on worst moments...
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: 2008: Gold medal - USABA National Goalball Championships 2004: Silver medal - Paralympic Games, Athens, Greece 2004: First place - Malmo Ladies InterCup 2003: Bronze medal - USABA National Goalball Championships 2003: First place - Malmo Ladies InterCup 2002: Gold medal - IBSA World Goalball Championships 2002: Third place - Malmo Ladies InterCup 1996: Gold medal - USABA National Goalball Championships 1994: Gold medal - USABA National Goalball Championships 1993: Gold medal - USABA National Goalball Championships	YEARS PLAYED NATIONALLY 14	YEARS PLAYING INTERNATIONALLY 6

	ATHLETE'S NAME: Jennifer Armbruster
	JERSEY NUMBER: 1
	HOMETOWN: Colorado Springs, CO
	MOTTO:
	OCCUPATION:
	FAVORITE FOOD: Chesse Burger
	FAVORITE MUSIC: Melissa Etheridge
BEST MOMENT WITH TEAM USA	WORSE MOMENT WITH TEAM USA:
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: 5 time Paralympian 8 time National Champion Bronze and Silver Medalist In Paralympics 2 Bronze and One Gold Medal in World Championships	YEARS PLAYED NATIONALLY 20	YEARS PLAYING INTERNATIONALLY 20

	ATHLETE'S NAME: Robin Theryoung
	JERSEY NUMBER: 5
	HOMETOWN: Colorado Springs, CO
	MOTTO: "It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness."-Eleanore Roosevelt
	OCCUPATION: Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist
	FAVORITE FOOD: The veggie lasagna at the Olympic Training Center
	FAVORITE MUSIC: Rock--especially Christian rock.
BEST MOMENT WITH TEAM USA Back in May, five of us on the National team (tight budget so not all six couldn’t go) headed to our favorite tournament in Malmo Sweden. It was a tough tournament and we went into overtime against Denmark in the semi-final game and won to play China for the gold. And that championship game also went into overtime�"times 3! We ended going into a shootout. I was 5th on the shootout list and when it was my turn the score was tied. I did my job and blocked their shot and threw my ball right where coach told me to but the Chinese girl had cheated over to that side so she blocked it. But we were still tied so we started through the shootout line-up again. Lisa went… still tied. Then Jen… still tied. Asya… she blocked theirs and then scored!!! They called the game and we all tore off our eyeshades. I saw Asya still standing on the court with her eyeshades on so I ran at her and hugged her around the waist�"and my momentum almost tipped us both over. I watched the look on her face go from Woohoo! To Uh, oh. And just when I’d pulled us back and kept us from tipping over, Jen ran into me from behind and sent all three of us to the ground. Our teammates joined the pile�"and then our coach. It was a big pile of sweaty, jubilant, victory. It was such an awesome moment!!! And the fact that we kept it together and didn't panic when we were down says a lot about the experience and tenacity of our team.	WORSE MOMENT WITH TEAM USA: Losing the gold medal game in Athens.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: 2008: Malmo Lady InterCup, Malmo, Sweden - gold medal 2007: Lakeshore International Goalball Classic, Birmingham, AL - silver medal DEFI Sportif, Montreal, Canada - bronze medal 2006: World Goalball Championships, Spartanburg, South Carolina - bronze medal Malmo Lady InterCup, Malmo, Sweden - bronze medal DEFI Sportif, Montreal, Canada, -- gold medal 2005: Pan American Games, Sao Paulo, Brazil - gold medal Malmo Lady InterCup, Malmo, Sweden - gold medal 2004: Athens 2004 Paralympic Games - gold medal Malmo Lady InterCup, Malmo, Sweden - gold medal DEFI Sportif, Montreal, Canada - gold medal 2003: Malmo Ladies InterCup - gold medal USABA Goalball National Championships - gold medal 2002: World Goalball Championships, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil - gold medal 2001: Malmo Lady InterCup, Malmo, Sweden - bronze medal Pan American Games for the Blind - gold medal 2000: National Capital Eyes Invitational Goalball Tournament - bronze medal 1999: USABA National Goalball Championships - bronze medal 1998: IBSA World Goalball Championships - bronze medal USABA National Goalball Championships - gold medal 1997: USABA National Goalball Championships - silver medal 1996: USABA National Youth Goalball Championships - gold medal Women's Tournament MVP USABA National Goalball Championships - bronze medal	YEARS PLAYED NATIONALLY 13	YEARS PLAYING INTERNATIONALLY 10