The Eyes Free Sports Podcast

The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 159 –Taking a Run with Running Guides from Guiding Eyes for the Blind

In Episode 159 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we visit with three members of the Running Guides team at Guiding Eyes for the Blind – Jolene Hollister, Jenna Rovelli, and Sky Foshay. This team oversees the training of guide dogs that are trained to run with their blind or visually impaired handlers. During the conversation, they discussed:

• The history of Guiding Eyes for the Blind and the programs the organization offers
• Their roles with the Running Guides team
• Why Guiding Eyes decided to launch the Running Guides program over 10 years ago
• What they look for in a dog when identifying one that enjoys running
• How the guide dogs are trained to run with their visually impaired handlers
• The leash and harness handlers use with their running guides
• Who makes a good handler for one of these dogs
• Examples of handlers who have graduated from the program
• The importance of physical activity for the blind and visually impaired and how these dogs can help increase these opportunities
• How people can learn more about Running Guides

Check out Guiding Eyes for the Blind at http://guidingeyes.org. For general inquiries about guide dogs, email admissions@guidingeyes.org. For specific questions about Running Guides, email Jolene Hollister at jhollister@guidingeyes.org.

The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 158 – Meeting Dr. Wellington De Luna Vazquez, a Professor at the University of Tampa and Head Coach of the Puerto Rican National Men’s Goalball Team

In Episode 158 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we meet Dr. Wellington De Luna Vazquez, a professor at the University of Tampa and has served as head coach of the Puerto Rican national men’s goalball team for several years. During the interview, Dr. De Luna Vazquez spoke about:

• His personal background
• His education and research on blind sports
• His current role as a professor at the University of Tampa and classes he teaches
• How he was introduced to blind sports, specifically goalball
• What the blind community is like in Puerto Rico and how much access there is to sports
• The keys to being a successful goalball coach and player
• His vision to build a goalball program in the Tampa Bay area and increase opportunities for blind sports in Florida

Contact Dr. Wellington De Luna Vazquez at wdelunavazquez@ut.edu or by phone at 787-929-3623.

The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 157 – Recapping the Recent T20 Women’s Blind Cricket World Cup with the U.S. National Team

In Episode 157 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we feature a roundtable discussion with four members of the U.S. national women’s blind cricket team to highlight the recent T20 Women’s Blind Cricket World Cup. We welcome back Abey and Drew Finklea and meet Asanda Pavlacka and Meghan Whalen. During the conversation, they talked about:

• The format of the 2025 T20 Women’s Blind Cricket World Cup in India and Sri Lanka
• What it was like for the team competing in this tournament
• What the players learned from their experience
• What the players got to do outside of the tournament
• Looking ahead at the future of women’s blind cricket in the U.S.
• An update on the development of a men’s blind cricket team in the U.S.

Check out Cricket Association for the Blind USA on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/p/Cricket-Association-for-the-Blind-USA-61573721957449/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/cab_usa_blindcricket/.

The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 156 – Meeting Alvaro Mora Arellano and Ethan Kunes of the U.S. National Blind Soccer Team

In Episode 156 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we visit with two members of the U.S. national blind soccer team, Alvaro Mora Arellano and Ethan Kunes. During the interview, they talked about:

• Their personal backgrounds and visual impairments
• How they learned about blind soccer
• Getting the opportunity to play for the U.S. national blind soccer team
• Their recent experiences competing in some international blind soccer tournaments in Mexico and Costa Rica
• What it takes to be a talented blind soccer player
• How people can learn more about blind soccer and get involved

 

Follow Alvaro on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/alvaromoraarellano/ and Ethan at https://www.instagram.com/ethankunes_/.

Learn more about blind soccer on the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) site at https://www.usaba.org/clubs-sports/blind-soccer/. Check out Blind Soccer Nation at https://blindsoccernation.org/.

The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 155 – Taking a Spin with Dr. Claudia Folska

In Episode 155 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we meet Dr. Claudia Folska from the Denver, CO area. The highly accomplished tandem cyclist, business owner, and woman of many other talents talked about:

• Her early years
• Her visual impairment
• Her educational journey
• What inspired her to launch the Eyecycle nonprofit to help connect sighted and blind cyclists
• Her rides across the United States and from Pakistan to China
• The keys to an effective captain-stoker relationship in tandem cycling
• Being the first blind woman elected to public office in Colorado
• Her work with All Access Transit Solutions

Check out Dr. Folska’s website at https://claudiafolska.com/.
Visit All Access Transit Solutions at https://aats.today/.

The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 154 - Catching Up with Murray Elbourn on Blind Tennis and Developing an Accessible American Football for the Blind

In Episode 154 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we welcome back Murray Elbourn, a longtime adaptive athlete who has worked for major adaptive sports organizations in Australia and the United States. He originally appeared on Episode 116 of Eyes Free Sports. During the conversation, Elbourn spoke about:

• Being elected as president of the U.S. Blind Tennis Association (USBTA)
• Updates on blind tennis around the U.S. and where some new opportunities to play have launched
• His work on a project with the University of Washington College of Engineering to develop a fully accessible American football for the blind and visually impaired
• How a blind American football game might be played in terms of rules and positions
• The importance of blindness organizations working together and connecting with mainstream sports organizations
• The possibility of getting blind tennis into the Paralympic Games

Learn more about blind tennis at http://usblindtennis.org. You can also email vicepresident@usblindtennis.org or call/text 509-601-8447.

The Eyes Free Sports Podcast - Ep. 153 - Mark Ivy Returns to Talk about the 2025 Beep Baseball Season and Comedy

In Episode 153 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, our guest is Mark Ivy, a beep baseball player with the Oklahoma Lookouts and standup comedian. Mark originally appeared on Episode 133 of the podcast. During this conversation, he talked about:

• An overview of the Oklahoma Lookouts’ 2025 season in the National Beep Baseball Association (NBBA) and their run at the World Series
• His experience competing in the beep baseball all-star showcase held at George Mason University in October
• A recent addition to the Lookouts’ roster
• His take on being a blind standup comedian and whether it’s an advantage or disadvantage to not be able to see the audience
• Some of his and Greg’s other favorite comedians
  
  Learn more about beep baseball at http://nbba.org.

The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 152 – Taking a Hike Up Mount Kilimanjaro

In Episode 152 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we discuss a recent climb of nearly 50 individuals with disabilities up Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. We are joined by two members of the group – Drs. Conchita Hernandez and Sachin Pavithran – who were two of three visually impaired climbers in the group. During the conversation, they discussed:

• Their visual impairments
• Their personal and professional backgrounds
• Their backgrounds in adaptive sports and recreational activities
• How they got connected to the #AccessibleTogether Climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro this summer
• A day-by-day recap of the climb
• Their guides and other adaptations they used as visually impaired climbers
• Other participants they got to know
• What completing the climb meant to them and how they felt afterward
• Their contact info
  
  

Follow Dr. Hernandez on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/conchitahernandez. Also, follow Dr. Pavithran on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sachin-pavithran.

The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 151 – Meeting Tanveer Ahmed, a Multisport Adaptive Athlete

In Episode 151 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, our guest is Tanveer Ahmed, a multisport adaptive athlete who is originally from Pakistan and now resides in New York. During the conversation, Ahmed discussed:

• How he lost his eyesight playing mainstream sports
• His experience competing in blind archery and blind cricket in Pakistan
• Moving to the United States where he’s pursuing even more adaptive sports
• His experience at the 2025 Chicago Para-Archery Championship this summer
• His experience at the 2025 National Beep Baseball Association (NBBA) World Series in St. Louis this summer
• Other sports for the blind he’s trying
• His advice for anyone who is interested in sports and recreation

The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 150 - Discussing Blind Cricket and the Cricket Association for the Blind USA

In Episode 150 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we learn all about blind cricket. Our guests are two siblings, Abey and Drew Finklea, both of whom have been instrumental in bringing blind cricket to the United States. During the interview, they talked about:

• Their childhood
• Abey’s visual impairment
• How they were introduced to blind cricket
• How blind cricket works
• What inspired them to launch Cricket Association for the Blind USA
• Their work in helping to develop a national women’s blind cricket team and the upcoming World Cup event in India
• Their goal to start a national men’s team in blind cricket
• Their plans to help launch and grow local blind cricket programs around the U.S.
• How to learn more about blind cricket and get involved
  
  Check out Cricket Association for the Blind USA on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/p/Cricket-Association-for-the-Blind-USA-61573721957449/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/cab_usa_blindcricket/.