Playing Without Sight, but Never Without Heart

Hailey Westenskow

Contributing Writer

Kelsey Kartchner and her GoalBall team standing with their trophy they won at the GoalBall National Championship.

Blindfolded on an utterly silent court, Kelsey Kartchner waits for the shrill sound of bells to announce the ball's trajectory. When the ball comes her way, she seizes the opportunity to throw it across the court to where she knows the goal lies, and the silent gym erupts with cheers.

Goalball is the unique Paralympic team sport designed for athletes with visual impairments. On a court roughly the sine of a volleyball court, two teams of three individuals face each other blindfolded as a ball filled with bells is thrown back and forth across the floor toward the opposing goal. Players use their bodies to block the ball, using the sound of the bells to track its position, requiring a completely silent audience during gameplay.

Kelsey is a sophomore at Sky View High School and two-time national goalball champion. She was featured on the first cover of Cache Valley Family Magazine in 2014, when she was just 5 years old navigating life with Retinoplastoma (a rare type of eye cancer that develops in the retina). Since then, life has been anything but easy with her condition. Utah lacks the necessary care capabilities, meaning Kelsey and her mother, Krissy, must travel to Philadelphia at least once a year for treatment, sometimes more.

Recently, Kelsey's eyes have begun to decline. In her left eye, Kelsey has always only been able to see light. A couple of years ago, however, Kelsey noticed she couldn't see anything at all. At that point, they flew to see their specialists in Philadelphia and discovered her eye was dying. She decided that she wanted to wait to have it removed until after her birthday. "She was so positive with it and knew she wanted to do it on her own terms," Krissy said. "That's what everyone notices about Kelsey- that she knows she can do hard things."

She has battled chemotherapy, repeated surgeries, cataracts, a fake eye, and more, all while enduring the hardships that come with being a teenager. However, nothing can stop the sunshine that is Kelsey Kartchner. Whether it was lovingly naming her "bestie" (her new fake eye), Barry Allen, bedazzling her cane to "Kels-ify" it, or dressing up as Mrs. Crawly from Clue, Kelsey finds ways every day to delight in her circumstances and make life fun along the way.

"She hypes up her doctors," Krissy said. "Listening to her, you'd think it's a joy to get treatment."

Even on the goalball court, this fierce competitor can be caught singing and dancing as she's waiting between plays. This year, Kelsey and her team traveled to Florida to compete at the national level again. She knew they would face the hardest team they had played yet in the final round. They had faced off twice before, winning once and losing the other. "If we can beat them, we can do anything!" was her team's sentiment. The match was neck and neck, the scores trading back and forth until the winner had to be determined by an instant shootout.

"We were freaking out, we were so excited when we won!" Kelsey said.

Looking at Kelsey's journey with goalball, her mother shared her admiration for the sport and for Kelsey's team. "It's cool to see their camaraderie, because they do support each other. They understand each other's challenges.”

In the future, Kelsey's dream is to work in a hospital as a child life specialist so she can help comfort kids in hospitals who are facing battles similar to what she's endured.

Kelsey's contagious positivity and joy is of an inspiration to all who have the pleasure coming in contact with her, and it is no surprise her life's endeavors will only continue to spread that light to those who need it most and will appreciate it best.