Although Kids, Cops & Computers participant Arvin C.  has been playing Goalball for only two years, his passion and talent for the sport have already brought him to the International Blind Sports Federation World Youth Championship in Colorado Springs.

Goalball, a sport for the vision impaired and blind, has two teams compete against each other with the aim of scoring a goal by getting a ball with bells embedded inside, into the opponents net. The only catch: players must wear eyeshades at all times during the game and sometimes patches are required to cover the eyes beneath the shades. Therefore, players are only able to track the ball by listening to its bells and have to work together to block the net.  

Arvin notes this is a wonderful component of the game as it involves co-ordination and teamwork.

"It's just such a great experience to be out on the court and with the other players," says Arvin, whose team placed 6th in the World Youth Championship.

In April, Arvin participated in the Junior National Goalball Competition, where he helped his team secure a silver medal victory.  

For Arvin however, playing the game is not enough. He feels like there is a need to inform people about the sport  and he hopes to do so through the computer provided to him by the Kids, Cops & Computers program.

"The computer helps me research workouts and prepare for tournaments. It keeps me motivated and I hope to use it to get the word out," he explains.

His advice for other Kids, Cops & Computers' students: "whatever you are doing, keep working on it and you'll eventually get it."

On August 19, Arvin will be taking part in the 2011 Ontario ParaSport Summer Games in Sarnia, Ontario.