On Saturday, February 18th, Nice will host the French Women’s Division 1 Torball Championship for the first time. It will also mark the competitive debut of the Nice women’s team from ANICES.
For the first time, Nice is hosting the French Women’s Torball Championship. On Saturday, February 18th, Carole, Elia, Christelle, Emma, Laurence, and their captain Sandrine will compete against the best French women’s Torball teams. But what exactly is Torball?
The Tor-what?
Torball is a team sport developed in Germany after the Second World War. It is designed for visually impaired people (those who are partially sighted or blind) as well as able-bodied individuals. Torball is not recognized as a Paralympic sport because Goalball, another team ball sport played by visually impaired athletes, is already recognized.
The objective of the game is to score as many goals as possible. To do this, players have two halves of 5 minutes each. Shots are taken only by hand, by throwing a sound ball under sound strings also, positioned 40 cm above the ground in the middle of the field. Defenders use their whole bodies to deflect, stop, or catch the ball.
This sport is entirely based on hearing. Therefore, it must be played in silence. “Torball really develops the senses. We have to navigate space, locate a moving object, and communicate with teammates, but without revealing our strategy to opponents… it truly is a complete sport,” explains Sandrine Filippini, captain of the Nice team.
First official competition
On Saturday, the girls from ANICES will face 7 other teams: AVH Paris, Clermont Ferrand, Limoges, Lyon, Marseille, Poitiers, and Yzeure. Carole, Elia, Christelle, Emma, Laurence, and Sandrine will put into practice everything they have learned in training to win. “The team is young but has a very strong potential, thanks to the complementarity of the athletes who compose it, and thanks to the charisma of Captain Sandrine, who has several years of experience,” announces Mickael Maunier, the team coach.
For their first match, the Azureans will meet Marseille. “They participated in the European Championship last year! But that’s good, it plunges us right into the heart of the matter!” Sandrine enthuses. “Regardless of the result, our team is already a fine example of sporting success, as none of the girls knew each other before joining the club, and all come from very different backgrounds. Today they form a united and enthusiastic group!” affirms Mickael Maunier, the team coach. It should be noted that among the 6 players from Nice, there are 2 able-bodied players.
