Ten Athletes Named to First-Ever USA Blind Soccer Men’s National Team
The U.S. Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) today announced the 10 athletes chosen for the first-ever USA Blind Soccer Men's National Team that will begin international competition in 2023, the first step on the journey to competing at the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games. The team was selected after a four-day selection camp held Oct. 27-30 in Chula Vista, Calif. The roster features eight athletes with visual impairments along with two sighted goalkeepers.
The sport of blind soccer has been part of the Paralympic Games since 2004, but the U.S. has never fielded a team. That will all change in 2028 when Los Angeles plays host to the Olympic and Paralympic Games and the U.S. will receive an automatic entry into the blind soccer competition as the host country.
"In the next six years, the world's two biggest sporting events will happen on American soil," said USABA CEO Molly Quinn. "In 2026, the FIFA World Cup will be played throughout the U.S. for the first time in three decades. In 2028, the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games will take place in Los Angeles. It will mark the first time that L.A. has played host to the Paralympic Games."
The eight athletes with visual impairments named to the team are Noah Beckman (Columbus, Ohio), Cody Kirchner (Columbia, S.C.), Ahmed Shareef (Staten Island, N.Y.), Ricardo Castaneda (Fort Worth, Texas), Kevin Brown (Falls Church, Va.), Antoine Craig (Richmond, Va.), David Brown (Chula Vista, Calif.) and Alvaro Mora Arellano (Phoenix, Ariz.). The two sighted goalkeepers selected are Brandt Herron (Palm Coast, Fla.) and Kyle Knott (Brevard, N.C.).
"We are so excited to name the first ever USA Blind Soccer Men's National Team," said Head Coach Katie Smith. "It was incredible to see the growth of the athletes at this first national selection camp. It is truly incredible being a part of this revolutionary team and to have another Paralympic sport for blind athletes all over the country to aspire toward. I look forward to seeing how this National Team progresses toward our goal of the 2028 Paralympics."
Alternates for the USA Blind Soccer Men's National Team are John Marquez (Fort Worth, Texas) and Charles Catherine (Brooklyn, N.Y.). The team will begin competing in international friendlies in 2023.
USA Blind Soccer Men's National Team Roster
Players
Noah Beckman (Columbus, Ohio)
David Brown (Chula Vista, Calif.)
Kevin Brown (Falls Church, Va.)
Ricardo Castaneda (Fort Worth, Texas)
Antoine Craig (Richmond, Va.)
Cody Kirchner (Columbia, S.C.)
Alvaro Mora Arellano (Phoenix, Ariz.)
Ahmed Shareef (Staten Island, N.Y.)
Alternates
Charles Catherine (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
John Marquez (Fort Worth, Texas)
Sighted Goalkeepers
Brandt Herron (Palm Coast, Fla.)
Kyle Knott (Brevard, N.C.)
Coaching Staff
Katie Smith (Columbus, Ohio), Head Coach
Ryan Lazaroe (Slidell, La.), Assistant Coach
Fil Wilkinson (Mooresville, N.C.), Assistant Coach
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Contact Information:
Bill Kellick
Communications Manager, USABA
[email protected]
7198663222
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Original Source: Ten Athletes Named to First-Ever USA Blind Soccer Men's National Team
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Bright Feeds, Connecticut’s New Food Waste Recycler, Opens Plant in Berlin
Bright Feeds Launch
Katie Dykes, Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), cuts the ribbon at Bright Feeds' new plant in Berlin, CT
Bright Feeds, a New England-based green startup, opened its first food waste processing plant in Berlin, Connecticut, last week. Licensed to process 450 tons of food waste per day for the next 10 years, the plant is positioned to fill a waste processing gap left by the July 2022 closure of the MIRA plant in nearby Hartford.
"With Bright Feeds here, we have a bright future in Connecticut," says Katie Dykes, Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP). "I'm excited about what this could mean, not just for Berlin, but for helping Connecticut solve this waste disposal crisis in a really exciting way."
Bright Feeds' 25,000-square-foot plant uses cutting-edge artificial intelligence and drying technology to convert unwanted food into an all-natural, nutritious soy and corn substitute for animal feed. Bright Feeds developed its proprietary drying technology with engineers at Boston College and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. It uses best-in-class technology sourced from around the globe, and manufactured and assembled in the U.S.
At capacity, the environmental impact of the Berlin plant is equivalent to removing 22,000 cars from the road every year. The carbon-negative process uses less energy and is more scalable than other food waste recycling solutions.
"Not only are we solving the food waste problem, but we're doing it in a way that's more efficient than anything else commercially available," says Bright Feeds President and COO Tim Rassias.
Food waste is a key contributor to climate change:
- Globally, if food waste were a country, it would be the third greatest greenhouse gas emitter after China and the U.S. (World Resources Institute).
- In the U.S., about 40% of food is never eaten—and nearly 70% of that waste typically ends up in landfills or greenhouse gas-emitting incinerators (USDA; EPA).
- New England produced over 2 million tons of food waste in 2019, with 520,000 tons produced in Connecticut, where food makes up about 22% of disposed waste (Connecticut waste study).
"41% of what we burn and bury every year is actually valuable material: It's food scraps, it's yard waste, it's all kinds of organics that are incredibly valuable and can be repurposed," says Dykes. "The Bright Feeds model is, for the first time, at scale, turning food waste into a food source for animals, which is one of the best uses for organic material under Connecticut's waste hierarchy."
According to the EPA, feeding animals is the top solution for reducing food waste after feeding hungry people.
"Yes, we can turn it into compost. Yes, we can turn it into energy. Those are all good—but the best thing is to take this stuff and preserve it as food and use it," says Bright Feeds Board Chairman and investor Scott Kalb. "That's what we're doing."
Thanks to its pioneering technology, Bright Feeds can accept a wider variety of food waste than its competitors: not just dry, grain-based waste, but also vegetables, fruit, and other wet waste.
"We're a one-stop shop for food waste," says CEO Jonathan Fife. "We built our whole process around taking a variety of inputs and producing a consistent, high-quality feed."
Using a variety of food waste enables Bright Feeds to consistently produce a highly nutritious product. Bright Feeds then sells the meal to animal feed manufacturers who use it as an ingredient in their feed.
Bright Feeds keeps food out of the waste stream—and saves money for food producers, waste management companies, and municipalities.
New England's ongoing waste crisis calls for creative solutions. With shrinking landfill space, higher gas prices, and multiplying tipping fees, businesses and municipalities face increasing challenges on what to do with their trash.
Bright Feeds enables the responsible disposal of unwanted food for a fraction of typical tipping fees.
The Berlin plant is located between I-91 and I-84, near USA Waste's new recycling center and with easy access to New York City and Massachusetts. Bright Feeds also has a collection point in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, and others in the works. The company plans to scale up with additional plants first in New England and then throughout the country.
Contact Information:
Laxmi Wordham
[email protected]
917-319-9329
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Original Source: Bright Feeds, Connecticut's New Food Waste Recycler, Opens Plant in Berlin
