At Green Worldwide Shipping, we believe our employees are our greatest assets and adamantly support team members that go above and beyond to deliver exceptional shipping experiences.
That’s why Green Worldwide Shipping is proud to sponsor Export Specialist, Beth Barbiers, on her journey to playing for Team USA in the 2021 Deaflympics. In the next few months, Beth will experience endless training in her expedition to becoming an elite athlete.
ATHLETIC JOURNEY
“I reached out to the U.S. Deaf Women’s National Soccer Team to support them and instead, the captain invited me to try out with the team…”
Beth Barbiers began her soccer career in high school when she joined her first intermural soccer team and with no experience in the sport, having spent years long-distance running as a track star, Barbiers found her stride easily and slid into the role of goalkeeper.
“There was just a bunch of us standing around seeing who would play what, and when asked if someone would play goalkeeper, I volunteered.”
Coming from track and field, Beth naturally gravitated to running and was self-motivated in beating her personal record at all costs. Barbiers leveraged her athletic talents into higher education when she was accepted to Southwestern College of Kansas on a soccer and track scholarship. After an unfortunate concussion, Beth changed positions to center mid-fielder and stepped into the limelight.
In 1997, when applying for the U.S. Marine Corp., Barbiers was informed through the medical evaluation process that her hearing loss below 55 decibels – a diagnosis that forced her to change course.
But despite adversity, Barbiers never lost her love of sports, shortly after moving to Atlanta, Georgia Beth started playing for club teams and excelling.
JOURNEY TO THE DEAF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Barbiers wasn’t deterred by her hearing limitations and quickly found an international outlet for her athletic energies.
In 2016, Barbiers tried out for the U.S. Women’s track team and was accepted into the 2017 Summer Deaflympics held in Turkey. Setting records, Beth took home the glory of 6th Place and the record for American Deaflympic Women’s Marathon.
In 2018, Beth was introduced to the U.S. Deaf Women’s National Soccer Team (USDWNT) when she reached out to the team in show of support, but instead received an invitation from the Captain to play in Fort Worth, Texas and participate in their national trial camp.
This February 2019, Green Worldwide Shipping proudly sponsored Beth’s participation in the USDWNT trials for a spot on the U.S. Deaf Women’s National Team. If chosen for the final roster, she will compete to represent Team USA at the Deaf World Cup soccer championship.
Only one more training camp stand between this Green freight expert and a spot on Team USA.
BETH BARBIERS – ATHLETIC ACHIEVEMENTS
- American Deaflympic Record, Women’s Marathon
- 2009 USMGP National Champion (2.5 Unlimited Class)
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NAIA All-American Track and Field
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NAIA All-American Cross Country
USA DEAF SOCCER
USA Deaf Soccer is a non-profit organization that provides deaf men and women soccer players the opportunity to represent the USA and deaf community. Players have an average loss of 55 Decibels or more in their better ear and use various methods to communicate: spoken word, sign language, lip reading, etc. Players remove all hearing devices before playing in an international competition and the referees use flags instead of whistles.
Formed in 1999, The US Deaf Women’s National Team is composed of women from all across the United States and world. The team includes professional athletes from D1 college teams, elite clubs, and Olympic Development teams.
U.S. WOMEN’S DEAF NATIONAL TEAM INTERNATIONAL HISTORY
1999 U.S. Deaf Women’s National Soccer team is founded
2005, 2009, 2013 Deaflympic Gold Medal Champions
2012, 2016 Deaf World Champions
OVERALL RECORD
27 wins
0 ties
0 losses
147 goals for
10 goals against
For information about USA Deaf Soccer Association, visit https://www.usdeafsoccer.com/home.php
DEAFLYMPICS
Founded in 1924, the Deaflympics is the longest running multi-sports event (excluding the Olympics) and the first ever international sporting event for athletes with a disability. In order to compete, athletes must have a hearing loss of at least 55 decibels in their better ear. Hearing aids, cochlear implants and the like are not allowed to be used in competition, to place all athletes on the same level.
To date, the Deaflympic Games have been hosted by 36 cities in 21 countries. The last summer games were held in Samsun, Turkey in 2017, and the next scheduled winter games will be in Milan, Italy in 2019.
For information about Deaflympics, visit https://www.deaflympics.com/
DEAF WORLD CUP
The Deaf World Championships, also known as the “Deaf World Cup”, takes place every four years for Deaflympics sports and every two years for non-Deaflympic sports. Participation in the Deaf World Championship is restricted to persons who are:
- Deaf, defined as a hearing loss of at least 55 dB in their better ear and
- Members of an affiliated group under the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD)
Preliminary registration for the qualifying rounds must be made two years prior to the Championships. The World Deaf Football Championships will take place July 4, 2020 in TBA location.
For information about The Deaf World Championships, visit https://www.ciss.org/
Keep up with Beth’s journey to the 2021 Summer Deaflympics, follow us on social media.
