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Eyes Free Sports explores sports and recreation activities for blind and visually impaired individuals.
Episodes
Saturday Mar 30, 2024
Saturday Mar 30, 2024
In Episode 111 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we visit with Mike Royal, an accomplished adaptive athlete in running, water skiing, and other sports who resides in the Houston, TX area. Royal talked about:
- Where he was born and grew up in the heartland of America
- His visual impairment
- His education, career, and family
- How he was introduced to sports for the blind
- His achievements as a runner and several major marathons he has run in
- His career in adaptive water skiing and records he has attained
- Other sports he has tried
- His guide dog journey and how this inspired him to launch the Blind Canine Sports project, along with its mission
- Contact info
Check out Mike’s website on Blind Canine Sports at http://blindcaninesports.com/.
Saturday Mar 16, 2024
Saturday Mar 16, 2024
In Episode 110 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we visit with Francesco Magisano, an accomplished endurance athlete and para-triathlete who also serves as the Director of the New York City Metro Region for Achilles International. During the interview, Magisano discussed:
- Where he was born and grew up
- His eye condition and vision loss journey
- How he got connected to Achilles International through a random conversation
- An overview of the Achilles International organization and its chapters around the world, along with his current role
- His career as a runner and para-triathlete
- Competing in the extremely challenging Ultraman Florida event
- His take on guides and tethers for blind endurance athletes
- His athletic goals
- His advice to blind and visually impaired individuals on the benefits of participating in sports and recreation
- Contact info for Achilles International
Learn more about Achilles International and find a local chapter near you at http://achillesinternational.org.
Saturday Mar 02, 2024
Saturday Mar 02, 2024
In Episode 109 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, Calahan Young joins the conversation. The native of Irwin, PA in the Pittsburgh area is the captain of the U.S. men’s national goalball team and a highly successful goalball player. Young spoke about:
- His childhood and sports he played with sighted peers as a youngster
- His visual impairment and how his vision has changed over time
- How he was introduced to sports for the blind
- How he felt playing goalball for the first time and who encouraged him to keep at it
- His journey up the goalball ranks to eventually join Team USA and the U.S. men’s national team
- His experience competing in the Paralympic Games in Tokyo in 2021
- Other goalball tournaments he has competed in and looking ahead to the 2024 Paralympics in Paris this summer
- Other blind sports he has tried and one in particular he would like to pursue
- The pros and cons of being 6-foot-7
- His involvement in multiple roles with the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes (USABA)
Follow Calahan Young on Instagram at http://instagram.com/calahanyoung. .
Learn more about goalball and USABA at http://usaba.org.
Saturday Feb 17, 2024
Saturday Feb 17, 2024
In Episode 108 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we meet Roger Oberholzer, a blind runner and adaptive athlete originally from Switzerland who now resides in Folsom, CA. During the conversation, Oberholzer spoke about:
- His early years and childhood
- His visual impairment
- His education and professional career
- How he got involved in adaptive sports for the blind
- His experience running in several of the major marathons in the United States
- The keys to an effective relationship with a running guide
- His preference when it comes to a running tether
- His experience with surfing and tandem cycling
- His advice to blind and visually impaired individuals on why they should consider participating in sports and recreation
Learn more about Achilles International at http://achillesinternational.org.
Check out United in Stride at http://unitedinstride.com/.
Learn more about the Blind Stokers Club based in the San Diego, CA area at http://blindstokersclub.org.
Visit Achieve Tahoe's site to learn more about its adaptive sports programs at https://www.achievetahoe.org/.
Watch a news story on Oberholzer and the California International Marathon at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-X7Bf2Y-no.
Saturday Feb 03, 2024
Saturday Feb 03, 2024
In Episode 107 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we catch up with Pearl Outlaw, a blind adaptive rower and skier, for an open and honest discussion on mental health and athletics. She originally appeared as a guest on Episode 93 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast. During this particular conversation, Outlaw spoke about:
- When she started to recognize her mental health struggles
- Why she decided to take time away from her athletic career to focus on her mental health and wellness
- The professional help she sought and how it has benefited her in so many ways
- Coping mechanisms she continues to use to recognize and handle stress more effectively
- Her advice to athletes and people in general about why they should ask for help if they feel like they need it
- Her participation in a recent skiing event and looking ahead in her athletic career
Follow Pearl Outlaw on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/pearl_outlaw/.
Saturday Jan 20, 2024
Saturday Jan 20, 2024
In Episode 106 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we visit with six members of the Sirens beep baseball team, the first-ever beep ball club made up entirely of female players. The team is based in the St. Louis, MO area but has players from around the U.S. We are joined by players Kim Blumenthal, Corey Turner, Amy Sweigard, and Whitney Marin, along with coaches Kassondra McDaniel and Neal “Dawg” McDonald.
During the conversation, they discussed how the team was started, the many benefits of an all-female team, how they performed at the 2023 National Beep Baseball Association (NBBA) World Series, and their goals for the future.
Check out the Sirens on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090360016604.
The team is part of Out of Sight Athletics, a nonprofit whose goal is to provide females with multiple adaptive sports opportunities. Learn more at https://osathletics.org/.
Read Neal’s article on the Sirens at https://www.nbba.org/sirens-song/.
Check out the NBC News piece on the Sirens at the 2023 NBBA World Series at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_cO5qoUGjU.
Saturday Jan 06, 2024
Saturday Jan 06, 2024
In Episode 105 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, Scott Hudson of Fort Worth, TX joins the conversation. The longtime beep baseball player and runner spoke about:
- His early years and childhood
- His visual impairment
- His education and career in vocational rehabilitation
- How he got into beep baseball and his successful career
- What it meant to him to be inducted into the NBBA Hall of Fame
- His career as a runner and notable achievements in races
- His preference when it comes to a running tether
- Other sports for the blind he has tried
Learn more about the National Beep Baseball Association (NBBA) at http://nbba.org/. .
Check out United in Stride, an organization that connects blind runners with sighted guides, https://www.unitedinstride.com/.
Saturday Dec 23, 2023
Saturday Dec 23, 2023
In Episode 104 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we chat with Ed Plumacher, a longtime blind athlete and adaptive technology professional who was instrumental in bringing the sport of blind baseball to the United States and helping start the U.S. Blind Baseball Association (USBBA). During the conversation, Plumacher discussed:
- His early years and visual impairment
- His college years and various professional roles, including some unique work in sports media
- How he got into playing sports for the blind, including beep baseball and skiing
- How he was introduced to blind baseball and how the game works
- How blind baseball differs from beep baseball
- The history of blind baseball and the current landscape of the sport in the U.S., along with his goals to help grow the game around the country
- His work in adaptive technology
- What it was like visiting several MLB ballparks to explore how accessible they are for blind and visually impaired fans
- How people can learn more about blind baseball
Check out the U.S. Blind Baseball Association website (currently linked to its Facebook page) at http://usbba.us.
Contact Ed Plumacher by email at edplumacher@usbba.us.
Saturday Dec 09, 2023
Saturday Dec 09, 2023
In Episode 103 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we meet Wendy Fagan, the founder and executive director of the nonprofit Envision Blind Sports based in the Pittsburgh, PA area. During the interview, Fagan talked about:
- Her personal background
- How she got connected with the disability community, specifically blind and visually impaired individuals
- What inspired her to start VIP Sports, now known as Envision Blind Sports
- The numerous blind sports programs her nonprofit offers for both children and adults
- How blind sports have positively impacted many of the kids she has gotten to know over the years
- Her work as a coach for the U.S. women’s national goalball team in the 1990s
- Her career as a college professor teaching adaptive sports and fitness classes
- Advice for anyone interested in starting a nonprofit for blind sports
- How to learn more about and contact Envision Blind Sports
Learn more about Envision Blind Sports at http://envisionblindsports.org. Email Wendy and her team at envisionblindsports@gmail.com.
Saturday Nov 25, 2023
Saturday Nov 25, 2023
In Episode 102 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, our guest is Brett Devloo, a.k.a. The Blind Kid (TBK) from Canada. During the conversation, Devloo discussed:
- Where he was born and grew up
- Sports he played as a kid and why he fell in love with skateboarding
- How he suddenly lost a good amount of his eyesight
- The meaning behind his nickname, The Blind Kid
- How he got back into skateboarding after going blind and some simple adaptations he uses as a visually impaired skateboarder
- His music career as a hip-hop artist and singer of other genres
- How he got to work with one of Stevie Wonder’s producers
- An international award he received for his work providing free technology to blind kids
- How you can reach him and follow him on social media
Learn more about Brett Devloo, a.k.a. The Blind Kid, at https://www.theblindkidtbk.com/ . Find him on social media by searching for “The Blind Kid.”