Each Thursday we want to put the spotlight on a person involved with goalball – from players, officials to coaches, or anyone!
Each Thursday we want to put the spotlight on a person involved with goalball – from players, officials to coaches, or anyone!We want to use our online platforms so the Goalball Family can get to know each other a bit better ahead of getting back on the court and playing our sport again!
This week we caught up with Graham Bowe!
What club do you play for or coach?
I currently play for South Wales Goalball Club. I have actually only played one tournament for them, before the pandemic, so I’m looking forward to playing more once they are able to happen again!
How did you discover goalball?
I discovered goalball when I was at Nottingham Trent University. My friends there told me about it as they played on the Nottinghamshire Sheriffs team, so I first started playing with them.
Is there a particular song, artist or genre that you listen to before a tournament to get in the mood? Or anything you’re loving at the moment?
I don’t tend to listen to anything in particular to get me ready for a tournament, but I do tend to listen to soundtracks a lot generally. I especially like the music from the Kingdom Hearts games.
Do you have any pre-game superstitions or rituals?
I don’t have any pre-match superstitions or rituals.
Do you have a favourite post-match meal?
When I was playing in Nottingham a group of us would sometimes eat at a local Indian restaurant after a tournament.
Which goalball player do you admire the most and why?
I admire my friends Shamaila Kauser and Bilal Hussain who I played with on the Nottinghamshire Sheriffs team as goalball players. The way they play and the fact they’ve got injured in the past yet have continued playing is very admirable! They both have a very positive attitude towards goalball as well.
Outside of goalball, what other hobbies/sports do you do?
Outside of goalball my favourite hobbies are singing, acting, reading and watching television. I enjoy running and I started to play visually impaired rugby for Cardiff Blues before the start of the pandemic.
Finally, what place, anywhere in the world, is on your bucket list to visit and why?
I’d really like to visit lots of places around the world! I haven’t actually left Europe before. I was meant to be travelling to Tokyo last summer, but I wasn’t able to due to the pandemic, so that is one of the places I’d like to go to in the future.
