Road to 2024 Paralympics runs through Fort Wayne for Team USA goalball

As the 2024 Paralympic Games begin, one U.S. national team with a deep connection to Fort Wayne is once again going for Gold.
In preparation for adaptive sports’ biggest stage, the Team USA men’s goalball team has spent years practicing, training, and competing at Turnstone Center, an official U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Site since 2018.
“It’s a dream come true,” team member Christian King of Virginia Beach, Virginia, tells PSM. “Having this opportunity is my own way to support and represent Team USA.”
King is one of six men from across the country chosen to represent the United States in goalball, which started as a therapy for wounded servicemen after World War II and has grown into the global adaptive sport it is day.
The other five members of Team USA are:
• Tre’Shaun Fields - Jacksonville, Florida
• Callahan Young - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Tyler Merrin - Allegin, Michigan (now calls Fort Wayne home)
• Matt Simpson - Atlanta, Georgia
• Zion Walker - Winchester, Virginia
Goalball can be described as combination of baseball, soccer and handball. Three players are on the court for each team at one time, while wearing blindfolds or opaque goggles to account for varying degrees of player eyesight. Each player listens for the ringing of bells inside a ball to determine location, speed and strategy and scoring.
“At first, I didn’t like (goalball),” team member Tre’Shaun Faison of Jacksonville, Florida, jokes. “But once I started playing more and more, I really got to appreciate the fact that in this sport, I’m not different. And in this sport, I’m not hindered by having a loss of vision.”
After winning the Silver Medal at the Rio 2016 Games and placing fourth at the Tokyo 2020 Games, the United States is hoping to get back on the Paralympic podium this summer.
Qualifying for these Games became even more challenging when the International Paralympic Committee reduced the number of qualifying teams from ten to eight in all sports, starting with Paris 2024. Team USA clinched their spot by placing second last December at the Parapan American Games in Santiago, Chile.
“This year, especially, it’s been our foot on the gas,” King adds. “We want to show the world that we are a powerhouse in the sport.”
That dedication to becoming a powerhouse can be found at Turnstone, where the U.S. men’s and women’s (which did not qualify for Paris 2024) national teams train year-round.
In 2015, Turnstone was granted a men’s goalball residency program to develop future Paralympic participants. The Goalball Center For Excellence, as it was named, added a women’s residency in program in 2017. Turnstone was designated an U.S. Paralympic Training Site (now U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Site) in May of 2018. Fort Wayne hosted International Blind Sports Federation’s U.S. Paralympic Qualifier for goalball & judo in the summer of 2019.
“Having the teams here has been a great opportunity to educate the community,” Turnstone CEO Mike Mushett says. “Not only seeing the athletic skills of these young athletes, but also the fact that they’re all great individuals and have a great outlook on life.”
Through a partnership with Turnstone, PSM is proud to provide sports medicine services-including athletic training, physical therapy, nutrition and access to sports physicians with our orthopedic partner, Ortho Northeast--for the U.S. goalball residency program. We wish Team USA best of luck in their quest for Gold!
“Fort Wayne is one of the best cities to do this in,” Faison beams. “While it’s not the biggest city, you guys make it feel like a home away from home with the amount of love and support you show us.”
The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games kicks off with the Opening Ceremony on August 28. Pool play for goalball begins August 29. The medal rounds start September 2 with the Bronze Medal and Gold Medal matches held September 5.