All posts by Jennie

Nicholas Gentleman wins Impact Award for Goalball achievements

Join us in excitedly congratulating Nicholas Gentleman for earning a Cleve’s Source for Sports Impact Award for the month of November!

“Male Athlete: Nicholas Gentleman, Goalball Nova Scotia
Achievements: Nick has played goalball for many years and has been integral to Nova Scotia’s success at the junior and senior levels. This month, at the CNIB Nova Scotia Open Goalball tournament, he played center for Team Nova Scotia. While the center position tends to be more defensive, Nick still had an important offensive impact, scoring 13 goals to help his team win the gold medal.”
Visit the following link for a full list of award winners: Cleve’s Source for Sports Impact Awards November

Thank you to the Armview Restaurant & Lounge

On this Thankful Thursday, we’re spotlighting The Armview Restaurant & Lounge!

We were honoured to be selected for their tremendous Charity Coffee Mondays initiative back in September.

The Armview’s generous donation helps us grow access to sport, recreation, community, and awareness in for blind Nova Scotians of all ages.

If you’re looking for a delicious meal in a classic diner setting, visit our friends at the Armview Restaurant & Lounge!

Armview website

Armview on FacebookA bouquet of bright yellow flowers sticks out of a brown paper envelope with the words Thank You written across it.

That’s a wrap on the 2024 CNIB Nova Scotia Open Goalball Tournament

That’s a wrap on the CNIB Nova Scotia Open Goalball Tournament!

Please join us in congratulating and thanking all those who made the 8th edition of this event a massive success.
12 people lined up in a gymnasium, wearing jerseys and medals
Pictured from left to right: team Ontario B (bronze), team Nova Scotia (gold), and team Nova Scotia Juniors (silver).
First up, here are the final standings and semi-final results in the competitive Men’s Division:
1st Nova Scotia
2nd Nova Scotia Juniors
3rd Ontario B
4th Ontario A
Semifinal 1 vs. 4 – Nova Scotia vs. Ontario A
8 – 3
Semifinal 2 vs. 3 – NS Juniors vs. Ontario B
11 – 4
Bronze Medal – Ontario A vs. Ontario B
5 – 9
Gold Medal – Nova Scotia vs. Nova Scotia Juniors
13 – 3
Congratulations to every person who showed in the biggest way to compete and coach, in both the Men’s and Rec divisions! Your sportsmanship and dedication were on full display.
Thank you to all the incredible volunteers, from organizing, to the food, to goal judges and time keepers, and who offered their time leading up to and on this weekend.
Thank you, referees! We have the utmost respect and admiration for your commitment to this sport, and we can tell you love goalball just as much as we do.
Our generous sponsors have made this incredible competitive community event possible! We appreciate you so very much, CNIB, AMI, Ocean Contractors Limited, Unisys, ACCEL Health and Sport Performance Centre, Burnside Law Group, PNL Communications & Electrical Ltd, The Canadian Council of the Blind, and Atlantica Hotel HFX.

THIS WEEKEND! 8th CNIB Nova Scotia Open Goalball Tournament in Halifax

Blind Sports Nova Scotia is proud to host the CNIB Nova Scotia Open Goalball Tournament!

Athletes, including Canadian National team members, compete in the only event of its kind in Atlantic Canada.

Thank you to this year’s title sponsor, CNIB, for making the event possible.Heading: CNIB Foundation logo - Nova Scotia Open Goalball Tournament, in black text. On a yellow background and navy blue background, text appears in white and bright yellow. October 26 & 27, Saturday & Sunday Mid poster, three photo cutouts on a blue wavy background - three goalball players, two throwing and one blocking a goalball.  LeMarchant - St. Thomas School, Halifax Admission for spectators is FREE! Witness the intense Paralympic sport for yourself. Details & Schedule: www.BlindSportsNovaScotia.ca & Facebook Logos in a row: Ocean - Built on Quality; Unisys; Blind Sports Nova Scotia; Accel Health and Sport Performance Centre; AMI.

Saturday & Sunday, October 26 & 27,  2024 LeMarchant – St. Thomas Elementary School 6141 Watt St. in Halifax

Admission for spectators is free! 

Live coverage & play-by-play for bronze & gold medal games:

Tune in to AMI Audio on Sunday, from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm Atlantic, for live coverage and play-by-play for the bronze and gold medal games.

Tune in on these platforms:

AMI Plus

AMI.ca/ListenLive

Tournament Schedule:

PDF Schedule NSOGT 2024

docx Schedule NSOGT 2024

Team Rosters:

PDF Rosters NSOGT 2024

docx Rosters NSOGT 2024

Stay up to date on results and updates by RSVP-ing to the tournament Facebook event.

CNIB Foundation is our first ever Title sponsor!

CNIB Foundation logo

Thank you to our GOLD sponsorsAMI logo

 

Ocean built on quality logo

Unisys logoAccel Health logo

Thank you to our SILVER sponsors

Burnside Law Group logo

PNL Communications Group logo

 

Thank you to our BRONZE sponsors

Canadian Council of the Blind logo a lack of sight is not a lack of vision

Atlantica Hotel Halifax logo

 

Support us this October with Insight Optometry

Fall is a perfect time take care of your (and your family’s) eye health with Insight Optometry!

Until the end of October, visit Insight on Brunswick St. in Halifax, to support impactful Blind Sports Nova Scotia programs.

Thank you so much to the Insight team for offering these fun ways to raise funds for Blind Sports NS:
Family raffle basket – This years raffle includes a family day pass to the Discovery Centre, 3 x $50 gift cards to the RCR group of restaurants, an annual family pass to the Museum of Natural History, $15 Tim Hortons gift card, $50 gift certificate for The Wine Spa, a large cozy plush blanket from Maui Jim, & a one month unlimited yoga pass for Shanti Yoga.
50/50 Squares – Buy a square for $5. Winner takes half the money, the other half goes to charity. The winner will take home $250 if all squares are sold. We may even do a round two if the first lot of square sell out.
Designer lens cloth & Spray – There is a tray at the front desk with small bottles of spray and designer FYi lens clothes. One bottle and cloth can be purchased for $5 donation.

Two people stand next to a tandem bicycle in an outdoor cityscape, while smiling.

CNIB Nova Scotia Open Goalball Tournament Oct 26 & 27, 2024

Blind Sports Nova Scotia is excited to host the 8th edition of the CNIB Nova Scotia Open Goalball tournament, the only competition of its kind in Atlantic Canada.

Thank you to this year’s title sponsor, CNIB, for making the event possible.

Heading: CNIB Foundation logo - Nova Scotia Open Goalball Tournament, in black text. On a yellow background and navy blue background, text appears in white and bright yellow. October 26 & 27, Saturday & Sunday Mid poster, three photo cutouts on a blue wavy background - three goalball players, two throwing and one blocking a goalball.  LeMarchant - St. Thomas School, Halifax Admission for spectators is FREE! Witness the intense Paralympic sport for yourself. Details & Schedule: www.BlindSportsNovaScotia.ca & Facebook Logos in a row: Ocean - Built on Quality; Unisys; Blind Sports Nova Scotia; Accel Health and Sport Performance Centre; AMI.

Saturday & Sunday, October 26 & 27,  2024

LeMarchant – St. Thomas Elementary School

6141 Watt St. in Halifax 

Admission for spectators is free!

Experience the intensity of the growing Paralympic sport of goalball.

Schedule and live audio broadcast details coming soon! Stay up to date on the tournament webpage  and by RSVP-ing to the Facebook event.

 

 

Tandem Bike Group Ride & Updates

The Blind Sports NS Tandem Bike Club connects blind and visually impaired Nova Scotians to the joys of cycling.

Whether it’s been years since you’re ridden bike or your first time, we are here to put #ButtsOnBikes!

Group of 10 smiling people of various ages, standing on a trail with bicycles and trees behind them.

Upcoming Group Ride:
Thanksgiving Group Ride to the 5K Cafe

POSTPONED:

The bike ride has been postponed to THE rain date, due to the wet and windy weather forecasted.

New date:
Sunday, Oct 13, 10 AM
All other event details are unchanged.
We have notified those who’ve RSVP’d and we hope you can join us!
Original Event Date:

Saturday, October 12, 2024
10 a.m. to about 12 p.m.

We’ll start in front of Shoppers Drug Mart, Joseph Howe Dr. Halifax, bike along the paved Chain of Lakes trail to the 5K Cafe, enjoy tasty refreshments and good company at the cafe. Then, we ride back to the starting point.

You can request a tandem bike from our fleet and/or one of our trained volunteer pilots. Bring your own tandem or other bike and pilot. Everyone is welcome!

Please RSVP to join us for the ride, request a bike and/or pilot:
Email: BlindSportsNS@gmail.com
Call or text Jennie: 902 449 0320
RSVP on the Facebook event

Rain date & time: Sunday, October 13, 2024, 10 AM to about 12 PM
The ride is not for absolute beginners.

September, 2024 Tandem Bike Program Updates
Easier Access to Bikes
Thanks to Sport Nova Scotia EDIA funding, a brand new storage shed dedicated to our tandem biking program is in place, still just a kilometre from the Chain of Lakes Trail head.

The unit is equipped with an accessible padlock, which means bikes can be borrowed and returned with more ease than ever. We give you the temporary code and you’re on your way.

A camera and lighting help keep everything safe.

Orientation Sessions
We’re accepting requests for one-on-one orientation sessions for both riders who are blind and visually impaired (stokers) and pilots.

No experience necessary for stokers, we’ll get you acquainted with how to ride safely and confidently.

Pilots (the person who rides in front, steers, and brakes) are confident cyclists with experience. Pilots can be a trusted friend or family member.

Volunteer pilots may be available upon request. Our volunteers are confident, experienced, cyclists, who’ve completed orientation with Blind Sports NS.

Major Tune-Ups
Our fleet of tandem bikes needed some extra love and a few repairs this season. All bikes are now tuned up and available for short and long-term loans.

Get in Touch
To borrow a bike, receive orientation, and/or request a pilot, email BlindSportsNS@gmail.com, call or text Jennie at 902-449-0320.

 

Find even more info about tandem biking on our tandem biking page.

2024 Paralympics – don’t miss the action!

The 2024 Paralympic Games begin tomorrow, Wednesday, August 28. Don’t miss out on the action, check out how you can cheer on 126 Canadian athletes with us!

We’re rooting loudly for the Canadian Women’s Goalball team, who compete against:
France on Thursday at 9:35 am Atlantic
Japan on Friday at 9:35 am
South Korea on Sunday at 5:20 am
Quarterfinals take place Tuesday, Sep 3

Previewing Goalball at the Paralympic Games

The Paralympic Games start just one week from today!

Get even more pumped for the action with us by listening to this preview of Goalball at the Games, as presented by Peter Parsons, Blind sports NS Chair, NS and national goalball team athlete.

Listen HERE – Previewing Goalball at the Paralympic Games with Peter Parsons on AMI’s Now With Dave Brown. 

Peter covers what to expect from the Canadian Women’s Goalball team and other competitors, and their respective journeys to the Games.