BRANTFORD – For two Haudenosaunee teens, blindness may make life harder, but it doesn’t stop them from achieving their goals both academically and through sport, in this case Goalball.
Yehati Antone, age 14, is a Grade 9 student at Ross Macdonald School, and is from the Wolf Clan of Oneida. She was selected as this year’s Regional Female Athlete of the Year and will receive her honours on Nov. 23, in Ottawa at the Tom Longboat Awards Ceremony. She is also musically inclined and has recently started learning the harp, but also love rock-climbing. She has been invited to attend the Aboriginal Sports Circle’s inaugural gala this year.
Her teammate, Lily-Anna King, aged 15, has also been blind from birth and is a grade 10 Haudenosaunee student at the Ross MacDonald School for the Blind in Brantford. She is from Awkwesasne and has always been very athletic, but she is also a gifted singer and musician.
It has not been an easy road for either student. Yehati was born premature at 25 weeks and has been blind from birth, but it has not prevented her from enjoying a full life. Among her other hobbies is rock climbing.
They are participating in this year‘s US High School National Goalball Championships, in December, at Florida’s School for the Blind.
The girls with their team took silver at the 2024 Junior National Championships held in Calgary and held this past May. They also won Gold in the Recreation Division at Parasport in Markham, Ontario, March 2023.
Goalball is a sport exclusive to athletes with visual impairments, played by both men and women. Played in a gym court, the objective of the game is to throw the ball using a bowling motion into the opponent’s net while the opposing players try to block the ball with their bodies. The 1.25 kilogram ball has noise bells which help orientate the players. It is an intensely unique spectator sport given the venue atmosphere and extreme concentration and silence required by the athletes.
The team sport is featured game at the Paralympic Games attracting teams from around the world.
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Lily King, aged 15, and 14-year-old Yehati Antone, two blind Haudenosaunee Goalball warriors will be competing at this year’s US High School National Goalball Championships, in December, at Florida’s School for the Blind. Both girls attend the Ross Macdonald School for the Blind, in Brantford. Photo Submitted
