PARIS — Amy Burk doesn't know if her fifth Paralympic Games will be her last, but she does know Paris will feel monumental to her. Her sons Lucas, 10, and five-year-old Ryan have albinism and visual impairment as she does.
PARIS — Amy Burk doesn't know if her fifth Paralympic Games will be her last, but she does know Paris will feel monumental to her.Burk hopes having her sons with her at South Paris Arena will help them fully understand why their mom works so hard at goalball and why it takes her away from them for long stretches of time.
Goalball, which was invented in 1946 to help rehabilitate veterans who lost their sight in the Second World War, is played by blind or visually impaired athletes. The captain of the Canadian women's goalball team has great expectations for the six-player squad, which opens Thursday against host France.The women's goalball team captured back-to-back gold medals in 2000 and 2004, but has been held off the podium since then.She earned her medical lab technician certification from Algonquin College last year. Burk started a new job in January with Newborn Screening Ontario.
Back spasms limited Burk's court time in Tokyo, but even from the bench, she knew the team lacked chemistry. Silence during game action is desirable so players can listen and react to the sound of the bells in the ball, but Burk nevertheless expects a noisy arena Thursday when Canada, ranked sixth in the world, meets No. 18 France.
Burk is an ambassador for Unlock The Everyday, which is the umbrella of international health, development and disability organizations striving to improve people's lives through assistive technology such as prosthetics, wheelchairs, eye glasses and hearing aids.
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