RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL (WKZO-AM) — A Western Michigan University graduate is competing in the Rio Paralympics, which got underway with opening ceremonies on Wednesday.
John Kusku is a whiz at goalball, a sport that was developed after World War II for visually-impaired players like John, but can also be played blindfolded. It uses a ball with a bell inside and is much like soccer or hockey, except that the player has to depend on the ears rather than their eyes to control the ball and get it into the goal.
Kusku has been playing since he was a young child and has already won medals with teams in a number of international competitions before making the U.S. goalball team picked for the Paralympics.
When he isn’t playing in international competitions, he teaches high school math and physics in Commerce Township, where he lives with his wife and kids.
In no particular order, Mackenzie Woodring of Lowell is a pilot in tandem bike racing and Michael Paye of Macomb and Matt Scott of Southfield are both on the U.S. wheelchair basketball team.
Hand-cyclist Brian Sheridan is from Bay City but lives in Howell. Partriathalete Melissa Stockwell is a Michigan native and Chris Hammer will compete in Paratriathalon for men. Hammer was an All-American track athlete at Grand Valley State University.
Scot Severn of Caro is a double-threat, throwing the shotput and the Javelin. Zach Burns, 19, is the youngest member of the mixed cox rowing fours. He is also a member of the University of Michigan rowing team and a native of Ann Arbor.
Aysa Miller is on the women’s goalball team. Joe Hamilton will be playing alongside Kusku on the men’s Goalball team.
Kelly Allen of Kingsford will represent the U.S. in the 200-meter kayak sprint.
