Robin Theryoung
Clarkston, MI
Goalball

While learning to play goalball in a living room is not recommended to young athletes trying to pursue the game, this is the way Theryoung was introduced to goalball. Theryoung later learned the technicalities of goalball at the Michigan Blind Athletic Association Sports Camp for visually impaired youths. With goalball being the first team sport for the blind Theryoung had encountered, she was automatically hooked. Within three years, she managed to move up the ranks in goalball. 1998 marked the first year Theryoung competed in a world championship competition and 2004 will be her first trip to the Paralympics.
In 1996 she was voted Most Valuable Player in the USABA Junior National Goalball Championships. After successful stints at these national championship tournaments, Theryoung got her first opportunity to compete in a world championship in 1998. She competed in the Goalball World Championships for the blind in Madrid, Spain. There her team won the bronze medal for their 3rd place finish.

In 2000 she was an alternate for the Paralympic team in Sydney, Australia. Her number of competitions continues to increase. In 2002 she and her team won the gold medal at the Goalball World Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Of course her most recent accomplishment was being named to the US Women’s Paralympic Goalball Team and being accepted into the US Olympic Training Center Resident Athlete Program. Theryoung, like many inspirational athletes, volunteers in her community. She serves on the Board of Directors at the Michigan Blind Athletic Association as well as volunteering each year as well. Additionally, from 1999-2003, she coached the Michigan Girl's Goalball Team.