Goalball Teams
Dear Panther Fans:
The 2016 goalball season was exciting. The OSSB goalball panthers participated in three goalball meets. We traveled to Kentucky and Tennessee and held our NCASB conference in St. Louis, at Missouri School for the Blind. The boys team finished fifth and the girls finished sixth.
We got to see students grow and mature on and off of the court. They worked hard and were dedicated to becoming stronger individuals and increase the overall power of the team. All of our athletes met or surpassed their personal goals. We look forward to having another outstanding season in 2017.
Aiden Carter is a hard worker, always showing up to practice ready to go. He contributed very much to the team with his enthusiastic attitude, and scoring a goal at the Kentucky day meet. Cameron Conant has grown incredibly and worked hard during this goalball season and has placed specific focus on his running abilities. Awat Rage also did very well in practice and the Kentucky day meet. He learned about making good choices to create great outcomes. Jason Tolle was one of the new faces on the varsity team. He grew a lot this year and continues to focus on his strengths in anticipation of next season! Caiden Hooks is very methodical in his approach to playing goalball. He has set a goal to increase the power of his throw. Caiden made some tremendous blocks this season. Alex Crawford is always prepared when it is game time. He did whatever was asked of him and always gave it his best. Thomas Alfred worked hard all season. He wanted to continue to specialize his skills and worked to master his skip throw this season. This hard work paid off and led to many goals for the Panthers. Ryan Chandler led the team this year as center. He distributed the ball well and played a vital role in helping younger team members learn the rules of the game. His leadership was appreciated. Our most valuable player Brandon Mason did whatever needed to be done. His goals were to make the A squad or play center on the B squad. Brandon was able to do both this year.
For the Women’s Goal Ball Team, we welcomed three new players! These new members joined the veterans Yaqi, Maggie and Autum. Asia provided power at left wing, while Sarah excelled at right wing. Maggie was a key player in this group leading the Panthers to top quality play during games! Lalita provided scoring ability with those quiet balls she is so good at throwing. Our MVP and captain, Yaqi provided leadership, encouragement, knowledge and skill to a young developing team. Thanks girls for a great season!
To celebrate the many successes of the season, the goalball teams had a pizza party at OSSB.
Sincerely,
Dan Kelley and Kim Picard
Track and Field 2016
Girl's Team Coach's Letter
The end of the Track season has arrived! I hope the season included fun memories of friends, learning new events, faster times, longer jumps, further throws and many smiles and happy stories to share. This group has been a pleasure to work with! We started off our season with a meet in Nashville against the Tennessee School for the Blind, Kentucky School for the Blind, Arkansas School for the Blind and Missouri School for the Blind. At this meet a new school record in the Girls Shot Put was recorded. Asia Quinones-Evans threw 20’1”. Congratulations Asia! The following week we hosted a dual meet between Indiana and saw improvement with our athletes all around. Last weekend we travelled to Indianapolis where both teams performed well. Both coaches were very proud of the track team accomplishments. After winning the NCSB Sportsmanship award last year it was our turn to choose a replacement. We passed along the Team Spirit Award to Arkansas. The girls team was small, but mighty this year! The team was led by Senior captain Asia Quinones-Evans. Varsity Letters were earned by many girls this season. I was impressed with the team earning 101 points in our first meet and consistently giving 100% effort, even when they were sick or injured. This was an excellent group of girls who have talent and are strong. I can’t wait for next year! This spring we are planning on participating in the 5K Girls on the Run Race for fun! More information to come! Thank you for supporting our student-athletes as they embarked on a fabulous track season. We are so proud of all that the Panthers accomplished this season! We look forward to seeing everyone next fall! Sincerely, Laura Shearer
Boy's Team Coach's Letter
The Ohio State School for the Blind Boys Track team enjoyed another successful season marked by some record setting performances. Some season highlights and noteworthy proclamations include:
- Andrew Freeman’s inspirational participation in the 1600M run which necessitated the use of a guide-runner. Special thanks goes out to our Athletic Director for volunteering her assistance for this endeavor. It should also be noted that Andrew’s time of 7’56” (which resulted in a 1st place finish at the Conference Meet) was 1’29” faster than any of his previous practice trials showcasing his competitive fire!
- The display of Awat Rage’s powerful and exciting “kick” in the 1600M event giving all a glimpse of his vast potential.
- The resumption of good health for one of our teammates, Kris Pennington, who, despite his absence, maintained a stabilizing impact on the squad.
- Jason Tolle’s refreshing source of uninhibited input along w/ the establishment of sound and promising personal standards in both the running long jump and shot-put events.
- Byron Weaver’s steady improvement in both the 800 and 400 meter events resulting in a first place finish (!) in his one of his preliminary heats at the Tennessee meet.
- Alex Crawford’s ongoing improvement across all preferred events including the triple-jump, running long-jump, 400M, and 60M consistent w/ his presentation as a well-rounded athlete.
- Andre Cummings successful transition from Team Manager to participating athlete while serving as a catalyst for camaraderie and confidence.
- Cam Cameron’s remarkable improvement in the shot-put w/ an increase of more than 4 feet during his last competition.
- All-Star OSSB performances by senior co-captains, Ryan Chandler and Thomas Alfred. At the Ohio day meet, Thomas threw a personal best of 36 feet and ¼ inch to put him 4th all-time on the OSSB All-Star listing of track performances while Ryan’s height of 4 feet 10 inches on the high jump at the Tennessee and Conference meets placed him in a tie for fourth all-time in that event. Ryan also achieved personal bests this season in the 60M at 8.15” and triple long-jump at 29 feet 10 inches.
APE Workshop Registration Open
Educators interested in learning more about adapted physical education will want to attend a free hands-on workshop on Monday, October 24 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Columbus. During the session, each attendee will teach to other participants a lesson plan he or she developed, followed by group discussion. Active engagement is a must for the workshop. Each participant will be expected to submit a lesson plan in advance for inclusion in a workbook that will be available to all attendees who submit plans.
To participate, register by Friday, October 14 in STARS using your SAFE account. Be sure to include a current email address in the registration so that you will receive a lesson plan form. Registration is limited to 50 participants. The event sponsor, the Ohio State School for the Blind, will host the event at the school at 5220 N. High St., Columbus 43214.
For questions about SAFE accounts, see the SAFE sign-up help document here; or contact the SAFE help desk at ODE SAFE Admin or (877) 644-6338, option 3. Direct other inquires to Lisa Lyle Henry.
OSSB in CEC DVI Quarterly
Check out OSSB in CEC DVI Quarterly on pg. 38:Summer in Columbus at The Ohio State School for the Blind