Some of my fondest memories growing up going to the Indiana School For The Blind centered around our sports programs. We were really good at wrestling and track while holding our own in swimming. When a sporting event was happening at the gym, you could find many of us packing the bleachers, cheering on the Rockets.
We knew our top athletes and us younger kids aspired to be like them, knowing that not all of us would get to that level. I myself wasn’t very involved from actually throwing my body around a wrestling mat except for some Peewee events as an elementary kid and a bit in junior high. But, I was the typical fan, picking our coaches brains, talking stats, strategy, and other stuff with my friends who were athletes. That’s when I began finding out about other blind sports like beep baseball, goalball, and other ParaOlympic opportunities.
iOnly when I started reading about nationwide competitions, camps, and other events did I learn that many people who competed were not from the schools for the blind but were mainstreamed. How did these kids get involved, find their passion, and develop their talents? The answer came through finding out about the coordinators and recruitment done through th eUnited States Assocation of Blind Athletes (USABA) Already back in the 1970s and 1980s our athletes were pursuing national and international endeavors. But how’d they do it?
In this milieu of being exposed to blind sports or participating in them, experts in this area have found the athletes and avenues to develop training programs.
And that’s what we witness in this link below. How do our athletes get discovered, encouraged, and trained for both the sports they enjoy and for life beyond the playing venue? This Youtube video will introduce you who aren’t blind to this whole process. I hope it also encourages you who are blind or low-vision to get involved in the blind sports movement. The more we build interest, engagement, and involvement, the more we will embolden people who are blind for all areas of navigating life’s contours.
Boldly Blind 