GAINING CONFIDENCE THROUGH GOALBALL
If you met Eliana Mason today, you'd be hard pressed to believe she once struggled with confidence. The Portland State University alumna is a successful counselor, premier athlete and two-time Paralympian champion of the U.S. Women's goalball team.
But before Mason developed her athletic talents, she faced plenty of self-doubt.
"I struggled with identity and self-esteem growing up," says Mason, who was born legally blind. "When goalball came into my life, it helped me embrace my blindness rather than be embarrassed by it."
Played in a silent gym on a court with large nets stretching across each end, goalball originated in Europe in 1946 to help in the rehabilitation of blind war veterans. During games, players wear blacked out eyeshades and use a bowling motion to throw a ball into the opposing players net while opponents try to block the ball with their body.
When goalball came into my life, it helped me embrace my blindness rather than be embarrassed by it.
Mason discovered the sport as a teenager after meeting goalball Paralympians Jen Armbruster and Asya Miller at a practice session on the PSU campus. At first, she shied away from the intense contact sport, preferring to perform cartwheels and handstands in gymnastics. But encouragement from her father and Armbruster — who served as PSU’s inclusive rec coordinator at the time — kept Mason engaged and interested in learning the sport.
And because every player wears eyeshades to completely block all sight and level the playing field, Mason quickly discovered that she was well suited to excel in goalball. “I realized my vision wouldn’t be a barrier,” Mason recalls. “My ability would reflect how hard I worked and trained, not something out of my control.”
BUILDING CONNECTIONS
When it came time to attend college, Mason naturally gravitated toward PSU because of the connection she had with Armbruster, and because PSU was the only college that offered her the opportunity to play goalball on campus. While at PSU, Mason discovered that she enjoyed helping others, so she focused her studies on earning a bachelor's in psychology and a minor in public health.
As a sophomore, Mason and Armbruster continued to foster their mutual love for goalball as co-collaborators on a special passion project. They worked with other adaptive sport programs to create a collegiate goalball tournament for fun.
“At the collegiate level, anyone can play if they wear the eyeshades, so I got my fully sighted friends to join,” says Mason. “It was great to play with friends against other college teams.”
PLANNING FOR VICTORY
Determined to excel in goalball and academically, Mason painstakingly completed homework and research papers on airplanes en route to Paralympic tournaments.
“I stacked my classes early in the week because tournaments were Friday through Sunday,” she recalls. “At the start of the term, I’d proactively talk to professors and work out plans to stay on top of coursework.”
Thanks to her dedication and training, Mason started to stand out in the goalball community, and was one of six female athletes chosen to compete for the U.S. in the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Her team won the bronze medal — and though she wasn’t yet considered a premier player, her experience at the games inspired her to take the next steps to elevate her play.
Shortly after earning bronze, Mason graduated from PSU with a bachelor's in psychology and a minor in public health. She then moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, for vigorous goalball training in preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games.
“After months of intensive daily training to prepare, COVID delayed the games for a year. Then, to play the finals against Turkey and earn our silver medal, we went into triple overtime against Brazil in our semifinal match. Overall, it was a long and difficult process but the payoff was amazing,” says Mason, who ranks her victory in Tokyo among her greatest achievements.
PAYING IT FORWARD
Though Mason focused intensely on goalball during her college years, she continued to prioritize her education and professional goals as well. While training for the games, she earned a master’s degree in mental health counseling from Antioch University.
Her counseling career began as an internship that turned into a full-time job at Turnstone, a not-for-profit that provides support services for people with disabilities. Having a disability can feel isolating, and Mason uses her skills and personal experience to help adults and youth find community.
“Society tells you to fit in, but that means not accepting a part of yourself,” Mason explains. “For those with disabilities, it’s important to recognize it’s a part of you, but only one part. I want people to discover their full identities and become their best selves.”
In the future, Mason would like to return to campus and use her diverse skill set in a new capacity. “I’d love to work with students through PSU’s Disability Resource Center,” she says. “College can be an especially difficult time for those with disabilities, and it can be hard to find others who understand. With my lived experience, I feel uniquely qualified to help.”