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Kalamazoo Chaos Repeats as Women's National Champions
Utah wins men's title
// USABA/U.S. Paralympics
// June 12, 2006
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Asya Miller now has her sights set on helping the U.S. at the World Goalball Championships after helping lead Kalamazoo to a second consecutive national title.
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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Kalamazoo (Mich.) Chaos turned in a stellar performance to win its second consecutive national championship this weekend at the 2006 Goalball National Championships in Colorado Springs.
The Chaos, led by Paralympian Asya Miller (Battle Creek, Mich.), outscored its opponents 36-1 over six games on its way to the title, including a 3-0 win in the championship game over a previously unbeaten Colorado team that featured Paralympians Jennifer Armbruster (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Robin Theryoung (Colorado Springs, Colo.).
Miller said the win was a total team victory. “Our team has always had a complimentary relationship,” Miller said. “[Center] Nikki [Buck – Paw Paw, Mich.] carries the defense and the wings carry the offense. It’s kind of like yin and yang.”
In the men’s final, Utah, led by Chris Dodds (Logan, Utah), defeated Florida and its star trio of Eddie Munro (St. Augustine, Fla.), Daryl Walker (Jacksonville, Fla.) and Donte Mickens (Tallahassee, Fla.), 4-3, in a game featuring some late-game dramatics.
Leading with four seconds to go, Utah set up for a penalty throw after one Florida player went too high up the court before releasing the ball. When a team is penalized in goalball, one player must cover their whole goal on a penalty throw. The clock also does not run until after the penalty is completed.
Thinking their toss would run out the clock, all three Utah players wrapped their hands around the ball and rolled it down the court. What they didn’t realize, however, is that they gave Florida a final chance to tie the score by not putting in a goal or declining the infraction.
“I thought our coach declined the penalty,” Dodds said. “He said ‘just throw.’ It was a little nerve wrecking, but it turned out fine.”
The bronze medal-winning teams were Pennsylvania on the men’s side and Illinois on the women’s. Pennsylvania beat South Carolina 15-8, while Illinois beat New Jersey 3-2 to earn their respective third-place finishes.
Athletes from the U.S. Paralympics Men’s and Women’s Goalball National Teams used this tournament as a final tune-up for the IBSA 2006 World Goalball Championships, June 26-July 2 in Spartanburg, S.C. The IBSA World Goalball Championships are a qualifying tournament for the 2008 Beijing Paralympics Games.
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