The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Recent Episodes
eyesfreesports
Eyes Free Sports explores sports and recreation activities for blind and visually impaired individuals.
In Episode 173 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we learn about blind fencing for the first time. We are joined by Stephanie Valdez who has competed in multiple blind fencing tournaments. During the discussion, Valdez spoke about:
- Where she was born and grew up
- Her visual impairment
- Her education and career achievements and goals
- What it’s like being a visually impaired mom
- How she got into blind fencing
- How blind fencing works and why there are simple adaptations to mainstream fencing
- Her accomplishments competing in a few blind fencing tournaments
- Her current efforts to help grow the sport around the U.S. and where a few blind fencing clubs are located
- Her involvement in the National Federation of the Blind (NFB)
- How people can learn more about blind fencing
Learn more about blind fencing on the USA Blind Fencing website at http://usablindfencing.org. Check out USA Blind Fencing on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61585963794247.
Contact communications@usablindfencing.org with questions.
In Episode 172 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we feature a conversation with two guests – Christine Tinberg, founder and executive director of Bicycling Blind, and Chuck Miller, a board member for the organization who is an Army veteran and longtime adaptive athlete. During the interview, they discussed:
- Where they are from and their personal backgrounds
- Their individual achievements in cycling and other athletic endeavors
- The inspiration behind starting Bicycling Blind, a nonprofit organization connecting sighted captains and blind stokers to ride together on tandem bikes
- The mission of the organization
- How people can get involved and connect to either a captain or stoker in their local area
- The benefits of sports and recreation for the blind and low vision community
Check out Bicycling Blind at http://bicyclingblind.org and create a profile to get started. For questions, contact ride@bicyclingblind.org.
In Episode 171 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we chat with Accomplished blind golfer and high school head golf coach Brian Oglesbee. During the conversation, Oglesbee spoke about:
- His early years and eye condition
- Sports he played as a kid
- His education, including two degrees he earned from the University of Georgia
- How he got into golf and discovering blind golf
- The adaptations of golf for the blind and visually impaired
- His achievements competing in tournaments with American Blind Golf and the U.S. Blind Golf Association
- His role serving on the board of directors for the USBGA
- Working as a high school head golf coach and teacher at Upson-Lee High School
Learn more about American Blind Golf (ABG) at http://americanblindgolf.com. Learn more about the U.S. Blind Golf Association (USBGA) at http://usblindgolf.com.
In Episode 170 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we learn all about blind curling. our guest is Murray Rudolph from Canada. The longtime blind curler spoke about
- Where he was born and grew up
- His visual impairment
- His education and career
- How he got into blind curling
- How curling is adapted for blind and visually impaired players
- His achievements in curling
- How popular blind curling is in Canada today
- How people can learn more about blind curling in Canada
Contact the Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB) at http://ccbnational.net.
In Episode 169 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we visit with Caitlin Lee, an accomplished marathoner and endurance athlete who works as the Development Officer at the American Council of the Blind (ACB). During the discussion, Lee talked about:
- Where she was born and grew up
- Her visual impairment
- Her education and current role with ACB
- How she got into running
- The adaptations she uses as a visually impaired runner
- Her experience teaming up with a guide for running
- The numerous races she’s run and which have stood out in her mind
- Her recent first-place finish in the para-athlete T13 female division at the 2026 Boston Marathon
- Some of the sports and recreation efforts of ACB
Since this interview, Lee went on to finish second at the Boston Athletic Association 10K in the Para T11-T13 (blind and visually impaired) division!
Contact her via email at clee@acb.org. Follow her on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/brooklynskipping and on TikTok at https://www.tiktok.com/@brooklynskipping.
Learn more about the American Council of the Blind at http://acb.org.
In Episode 168 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we chat with Mark Slavin, an adaptive athlete who has competed in beep baseball and blind soccer and also helped launch the North Texas Blind Soccer Association. In the interview, Mark talked about:
- Where he was born and his childhood
- His visual impairment
- His education and wide-ranging professional career
- How he got into adaptive sports
- His introduction to beep baseball
- Competing at the National Beep Baseball Association (NBBA) World Series
- How he got into blind soccer and helping to start the North Texas Blind Soccer Association
- His experience coaching blind soccer
- His musical talents and role as a content creator
Follow Mark Slavin on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@Mr.BlueSkiesMusic and on TikTok at https://www.tiktok.com/@mark_hearthesunrise.
In Episode 167 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, two guests join the conversation – Shawn Cheshire, a highly accomplished blind athlete and adventure seeker, and Jesse Crandall, a professor and her guide for many adventures. During the conversation, they discussed:
- Their backgrounds and how they met
- How Shawn lost her sight
- How they’ve done many rides together using single bikes and the adaptations of this process
- Biking across the U.S. and from Canada to Mexico
- Their cross-country skiing adventures
- Shawn’s hiking adventures
- Shawn’s nonprofit, Choosing to See
Check out Shawn’s website at https://shawncheshire.org and learn more about her nonprofit, Choosing to See, at http://choosingtosee.org. Follow her Cheshire on Instagram at http://instagram.com/shawn_cheshire.
In Episode 166 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we visit with two individuals who are deeply involved in the beep baseball community, David Sanchez (a member of the National Beep Baseball Association board of directors and Boston Renegades) and Jason Frazier (president and CEO of MindsEye Radio). During the conversation, they talked about:
- Their personal backgrounds and connection to the blind and low vision community
- How they got involved in adaptive sports, specifically beep baseball
- The work they’ve done to grow the sport in the U.S.
- How the idea for the recent Puerto Rico beep baseball tournament came to be and highlights from the tournament
- The current status of beep baseball in Puerto Rico
- Looking ahead to the rest of the National Beep Baseball Association (NBBA) season and World Series
- The idea of a World Beep Baseball Classic
- Their contact info
Contact David Sanchez at dsanchez@nbba.org and Jason Frazier at jfrazier@mindseyeradio.org.
Learn more about MindsEye Radio and their adaptive sports and audio description programs at http://mindseyeradio.org.
Learn more about beep baseball at http://nbba.org.
In Episode 165 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we meet Christina Campbell, an accomplished competitor and certified instructor in martial arts. During the discussion, Campbell spoke about:
- Her early years and visual impairment
- How she got into martial arts as a child
- Her achievements in several types of martial arts
- How she got into teaching martial arts and self-defense
- Her work teaching martial arts to visually impaired kids
- Why knowing self-defense is so important for the blind and visually impaired community
- The Sonic Synergy radio show she co-hosts with her partner
Learn more about the Sonic Synergy radio show and podcast at https://www.hkcradio.com/sonicsynergy.
In Episode 164 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we sit down with Antoine Craig, a para-track and field athlete and member of the U.S. national blind soccer team. During the interview, Craig talked about:
- Where he was born and grew up
- His visual impairment
- His educational journey and current Ph.D. program
- His professional career working in the mental health field
- How he got into track and field and his achievements
- How he got into blind soccer
- His experience as a member of the U.S. national blind soccer team
- The keys to success in blind soccer
- His work with Blind Soccer Nation
- His contact info and social media pages
Follow Antoine Craig on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/antoinecraig4real/.
Learn more about Blind Soccer Nation at http://blindsoccernation.org.
In Episode 163 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we catch up with three staff members of the American Council of the Blind (ACB) – Scott Thornhill, Executive Director; Dan Spoone, Director of Operations; and Kolby Garrison, Accessibility Consulting & Compliance Services Coordinator. Along with ACB Advisory Board Member Mike Deaver, they all got to attend Super Bowl LX. During the conversation, they discussed:
- Their personal backgrounds and connections to sports
- How ACB’s partnership with the NFL came to fruition in 2025
- Their experience attending Super Bowl LX in February of 2026
- What it was like using the OneCourt device at the game
- Other opportunities to make live sporting events more accessible, such as live audio description
- Other observations about the game and other events they got to attend leading up to the game
- ACB’s potential future partnerships with other sports leagues and teams
Learn more about the American Council of the Blind (ACB) at http://acb.org.
Learn more about OneCourt and the device it has developed for blind sports fans at http://onecourt.io.
In Episode 162 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, our guest is Erich Manser, a highly accomplished adaptive endurance athlete and digital accessibility professional. During the interview, Manser spoke about:
- His early years growing up in Massachusetts
- His education and professional career working in accessibility
- How he discovered adaptive sports, specifically running
- His experience running marathons, including the 2013 Boston Marathon where the bombing occurred
- What it was like getting to run with a virtual AIRA agent
- His experience with triathlons and a few Ironman races
- Returning to the slopes for an adaptive skiing experience through Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports
- How people can connect with him
Contact Erich by email at manserlikedancer@gmail.com.
Check out a recent Q&A he did at https://evengrounds.com/erich-manser-on-the-resilience-and-logistics-of-blind-running/.
Learn more about Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sport at https://www.vermontadaptive.org/.
In Episode 161 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we spotlight Opportunities Unlimited for the Blind (OUB), a nonprofit in Michigan. Our guest is Gwen Botting, executive director of the organization. During the discussion, Botting talked about:
- Being the mother of a blind son, Greg, and his journey
- How she got involved in organizations for the blind and visually impaired
- Her role as executive director of Opportunities Unlimited for the Blind
- The programs OUB offers
- Who is eligible to participate in OUB’s programs
- The sports and recreation opportunities OUB offers
- The importance of children learning independent living skills
- Upcoming camps and events in 2026
- How to learn more about and contact OUB
Learn more about Opportunities Unlimited for the Blind at http://oubmichigan.org/.
In Episode 160 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we meet Jacob Kaplan, a member of the U.S. men’s cerebral palsy national soccer team and audio describer for blind and visually impaired sports fans. During the conversation, Kaplan talked about:
- His early years
- His disability and how it has impacted his life
- How he got into playing soccer
- His journey to making the U.S. men’s cerebral palsy national soccer team and his experience competing on this national team
- His exposure to blind soccer
- How he was introduced to audio description and the blind and visually impaired community
- His work to develop an audio description program for U.S. Soccer and what it’s been like describing soccer matches
- How he approaches audio description for sports and the keys to being an effective describer
- His contact info
Check out the video spotlighting Jacob Kaplan at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGsvjQjl3b4&t=24s. Feel free to email him at jacobkaplan837@gmail.com.
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.
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.
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/.
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/.
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/.
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.
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.
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.
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
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/.
In Episode 149 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we look back on some of our conversations with blind and visually impaired athletes with a focus on how they specifically discovered adaptive sports and recreational activities for the blind. We feature segments with:
- Eliana Mason of the U.S. women’s goalball team
- Chuck Gotus, a blind tennis player and bowler
- Melchion Ellis of the New York Bombers beep baseball club
- Ed Plumacher, a beep baseball and blind baseball player
- Roger Oberholzer, a blind stoker and marathon runner
- Calahan Young of the U.S. men’s goal ball team
In Episode 148 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we meet Joe Chite from South Florida. During the conversation, Chite discussed:
- His early years
- His education and career
- How he lost his eyesight as an adult
- His introduction to goal ball and how the 2024 Paralympic Games impacted him
- His recent experience playing goal ball
- His efforts to bring together a goal ball community in South Florida
- Other blind sports he’d like to try
Check out South Florida Adaptive Sports on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/p/South-Florida-Adaptive-Sports-100063517304120/ and on TikTok by searching for “South Florida Adaptive Sports.”
Contact Joe Chite by email at cjchite@gmail.com.
In Episode 147 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we meet Terri Rupp from Las Vegas, NV. The accomplished endurance athlete spoke about:
- Her unique childhood and education
- How she got into adaptive sports
- Her achievements in running, including Ultra marathon races
- Her take on guides and tethers
- Her running guide dog from Guiding Eyes for the Blind
- Her involvement in the National Federation of the Blind, including her time serving on the national board
- Sharing her journey as a blind mom through her Blind Mother Runner profiles on social media
Follow Terri Rupp on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/blindmotherrunner/?hl=en and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064779968422&locale=ta_IN.
Check out Achilles International at http://achillesinternational.org.
Join the United in Stride community to find running and cycling guides at http://unitedinstride.com.
In Episode 146 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we recap the 2025 National Beep Baseball Association season and the recent NBBA World Series held in the St. Louis, MO area. Dave Benney, a Hall of Fame player as well as the former public relations director for the NBBA, joined the conversation. Benney discussed:
- Offseason moves leading up to the 2025 season
- The regional beep baseball tournaments held in the spring and summer
- His thoughts on the top teams going into the World Series
- The early games at the World Series and some surprising outcomes
- How the rest of the games unfolded throughout the week
- The championship game featuring the Indy Thunder and Indy Edge
- How the Thunder’s title ranks historically in beep baseball
- Other observations about the World Series, including some unusual occurrences and decisions that were made
- A few teams that returned to the World Series after a long hiatus
Learn more about the National Beep Baseball Association and beep baseball in general at http://nbba.org.
In Episode 145 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we are joined by Joseph Fleeks, a.k.a. Security. The longtime beep baseball player talked about:
- His childhood
- Suddenly losing his eyesight as a teenager
- Transitioning from a mainstream high school to the Texas School for the Blind
- His current role with Blind Professionals Network
- How he got into adaptive sports
- His introduction to beep baseball and highlights from his career on the field
- Helping to launch and co-host the Blind Table Talk podcast
Learn more about beep baseball at http://nbba.org.
Check out the Blind Professionals Network at https://blindpronet.org/.
Learn about the Blind Table Talk podcast at http://blindtabletalk.com and search for “Blind Table Talk” on all major podcast platforms.
In Episode 144 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we chat with Chad Dillon, a beep baseball player and host of a beep baseball podcast. During the conversation, Dillon spoke about:
- His early years
- Discovering his visual impairment in an unexpected way
- His education and career
- Getting into beep baseball
- His experience playing with the Gateway Archers and Oklahoma Lookouts
- Hosting the “Beep Baseball Tonight” podcast
- His experiences with accessible technology for visually impaired sports fans
Learn all about beep baseball at http://nbba.org.
To check out his podcast, search for “Beep Baseball Tonight” on your favorite podcast platform.
In Episode 143 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we dive into birding for the blind. We meet Donna Posont, founder of Birding by Ear and Beyond in Michigan. During the discussion, she talked about:
- Her early years
- Her family and siblings who have also been blind
- How she got interested in nature and birds
- Launching the Birding by Ear and Beyond Program at the University of Michigan Dearborn
- What the program does and an overview of its participants
- Techniques and resources for identifying birds as someone with a visual impairment
- Other activities the program has hosted
- Her involvement with the National Federation of the Blind (NFB)
Contact Donna Posont at donnabutterfly50@gmail.com.
Check out the Merlin Bird ID app at https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/.
Learn about Birdability, a nonprofit for people with disabilities, at https://www.birdability.org/.
In Episode 142, we mix it up a bit by covering a new topic - accessible video games for the blind and visually impaired. We are joined by two guests - Carlos Vazquez, a.k.a. Rattlehead, and Aaron Espinoza, a.k.a. Blind All Day. During the episode, they covered:
- Their personal backgrounds
- Their visual impairments
- How they got into playing video games
- Some of the most accessible video games for the blind and visually impaired
- Their experience attempting to play sports video games
- The work they have done in terms of consulting and advocating for accessibility in video games
- Tournaments that have been held for blind gamers
- What they would like to see improve with accessibility
- How to follow them online
Check out Can I Play That at https://caniplaythat.com/ to learn all about which video games are accessible for blind and visually impaired gamers.
Search for the Blind Gamers Hub on Discord.
Follow Carlos on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/khrattlehead/ and search for Rattlehead on other social media platforms. Check out his Twitch channel at http://twitch.tv/kh_rattlehead.
Check out Aaron on X at https://x.com/blindallday and search for Blind All Day on other social media platforms. Visit his YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/@blindallday.
In Episode 141 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we visit with Emma Papariella from the Pittsburgh, PA area. During the conversation, the multipart adaptive athlete spoke about:
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How she was adopted out of China and moved to the U.S.
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Her visual impairment
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Her education
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How she was introduced to adaptive sports through the organization now known as Envision Blind Sports
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Her experience playing blind hockey
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Her experience with blind soccer, skiing, and goal ball
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Her current role with The Dented Puck Foundation
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Her role as a sport ambassador for the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes (USABA)
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What she enjoys most about participating in adaptive sports and helping to advocate for these types of programs for others to enjoy
Follow Emma on Facebook athttps://www.facebook.com/share/1EoLsTXQnu/?mibextid=wwXIfr. Visit her Instagram profile at https://www.instagram.com/emma_papariella_126/. Check her out on X athttps://x.com/e_papariella?s=21&t=vMdyNqbDgak3-FH5Ja86EA.
Learn about Envision Blind Sports at http://envisionblindsports.com.
Check out The Dented Puck Foundation at https://www.thedentedpuck.com/.
In Episode 140 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we meet Ryan Lazaroe, head coach of the U.S. men’s national blind soccer team. During the interview, Lazaroe spoke about:
- His personal and professional backgrounds
- His involvement in soccer over the years
- How he got involved in blind soccer and started coaching
- Becoming assistant coach of the U.S. men’s national team, then head coach in 2024
- How blind soccer works
- The team’s recent events against international competition
- Looking ahead to the rest of the 2025 season and beyond
- The current state of blind soccer around the U.S. and efforts to continue to grow the sport
- How people can learn more about blind soccer and get involved
Check out http://usaba.org/ to learn more about blind soccer.
Contact Ryan Lazaroe by email at rmlazaroe@yahoo.com.
In Episode 139 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we bring back Angel Parra. Originally on Episode 23 of the podcast back in 2020 and known as Damien at the time, Angel talked about:
- Why he changed his name
- His adaptive sports career
- Some recent health challenges and how they have impacted his physical activity
- Volunteering at Camp Abilities in Brockport, NY back in 2023
- Looking ahead to his future athletic pursuits
In Episode 138 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we meet three members of the Vibin’ Vixens, a brand new all-female beep baseball team. Ashley Melero, Faith Penn, and Dakota Hogwood joined the conversation to talk about:.
- Their visual impairments
- Their personal backgrounds
- How they got into beep baseball and the teams they’ve played with in the National Beep Baseball Association (NBBA)
- How the idea for the Vibin’ Vixens team was born
- Competing in their first beep baseball tournament in Las Vegas
- The importance of female participation in an adaptive sport like beep baseball
Looking ahead to the future of the Vixens and women in the game
Learn more about the National Beep Baseball Association at http://nbba.org.
Follow the Vibin’ Vixens on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/people/Vibin-Vixens/61566816963763/. Email the team at vibinvixens@gmail.com.
In Episode 137 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we welcome back members of the New York Bombers beep baseball team, formerly known as the Long Island Bombers. James Sciortino, Jim Hughes, and Alex Barrera join the conversation to talk about:
- How they got into beep baseball and their experience playing with the Bombers
- Why the team decided to rebrand itself from the Long Island Bombers to the New York Bombers
- Looking ahead to the 2025 season and National Beep Baseball Association World Series
- How they were invited to be guests on “The Kelly Clarkson Show”
- Their experience appearing on the show and how kind Kelly Clarkson was to them
- A donation from Major League Baseball they were made aware of during their appearance on the show
- What their TV appearance has meant in terms of awareness about the Bombers and beep baseball in general
Check out the New York Bombers website at http://www.nybombers.org.
Watch the Bombers’ appearance on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5OGtBPfH9o&t=4s.
This episode is sponsored by AccessAbility Officer. Learn more at http://accessabilityofficer.com/.
In Episode 136 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, our guest is Lillian Goodman, a visually impaired skier, paratriathlete, and all-around adaptive athlete. During the interview, Goodman talked about:
- Where she grew up and her visual impairment diagnosis as a child
- Her education and career working in finance
- How she discovered adaptive sports for the blind
- Her experience in skiing and attending Ski for Light
- Her involvement in swimming and other water sports
- How she got into the triathlon and some events she has competed in
- Her guide dog from Guide Dogs for the Blind
- Her other interests and hobbies outside of sports
Learn more about Ski for Light at http://www.sfl.org.
Check out the Northwest Association for Blind Athletes at http://nwaba.org.
Visit Dare2Tri at http://dare2tri.org.
Learn more about United in Stride at http://unitedinstride.com.
In Episode 135 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we visit with Tanner Gers. The longtime adaptive athlete discussed:
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His early years and family
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How he suddenly lost his eyesight in his early 20s
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His accomplished career playing beep baseball
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His career in track and field and competing in the 2012 Paralympic Games in London
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His professional work and current role with AccessAbility Officer
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How he has overcome so much adversity in his life through a positive attitude
Learn more about beep baseball at http://nbba.org.
Learn about AccessAbility Officer and ways to get involved in digital accessibility at http://accessabilityofficer.com.
In Episode 134 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, our guest is Tyson Gunter from Idaho. The longtime adaptive athlete in track and field discussed:
- His early years growing up in a small farm town
- Attending summer camps at the Idaho School for the Blind
- His education and career in sports nutrition
- How he got into track and field
- Competing in several Paralympic events, including the 2016 Paralympic Games
- His most proudest moments as an athlete
- His mission to help young visually impaired people discover adaptive sports
Follow Tyson Gunter on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/tysongunter_ply/ and on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtWxIFIvjesOlMPvzJqK9Qw.
Learn more about Black Label Supplements at http://blacklabelsupplements.com/.
In Episode 133 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we chat with Mark Ivy of the Oklahoma Lookouts beep baseball team. During the conversation, Mark discussed:
- His early years growing up in Oklahoma
- His visual impairment which has run in the family
- How he was introduced to beep baseball and other adaptive sports for the blind
- His career playing for the Oklahoma Lookouts of the National Beep Baseball Association and some memorable events in which he has competed
- His role as a sport ambassador for the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes (USABA)
- His day job with New View Oklahoma
- How he got into standup comedy and some funny stories about his gigs
- His favorite comedians
Learn more about beep baseball at http://nbba.org.
In Episode 132 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we visit with Mindy Cook from Ohio. A silver-winning Paralympic medalist in goalball, Cook talked about:
- Her childhood and visual impairment
- Her education and professional career with the federal government
- How she discovered goalball and her early career competing on the court
- Becoming a member of Team USA and competing in the Paralympic Games in Tokyo
- What it was like representing Team USA and winning a silver medal
- Her experience competing in domestic goalball tournaments
- What she enjoys most about goalball and adaptive sports in general
Learn more about goalball at http://usaba.org. Follow the U.S. national women’s goalball team on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/USAWomensGoalball/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/usawgoalball/.
In Episode 131 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we meet Darnell Booker. The founder of the Indy Thunder beep baseball club and a member of the NBBA Hall of Fame, Booker spoke about:
- His early years growing up in Indianapolis
- His visual impairment
- How he graduated from two high schools, including the Indiana School for the Blind
- How he learned about beep baseball and his playing career
- What inspired him to go into coaching beep baseball and why he decided to start the Indy Thunder beep baseball club
- The success of the Thunder over the years, including the team’s five straight World Series championships
- Some success strategies he has used as a coach
- His advice for anyone looking to start a beep baseball team or adaptive sports organization
Learn more about the Indy Thunder and contact Darnell Booker at https://thunderbeepball.org/.
In Episode 130 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we meet Rich Hunter. The longtime endurance athlete founded United in Stride, a website that helps connect blind and visually impaired runners and walkers with sighted guides. During the conversation, Hunter discussed:
- His childhood and education
- How vision loss impacted his military career
- His career working as a school psychologist
- How he got into adaptive sports for the blind
- Some of his highlights in marathons and other endurance events
- What inspired him to launch United in Stride
- How the United in Stride website works and tips and tricks for users to effectively utilize it
- His take on the runner-guide relationship and tethers
- How to learn more about United in Stride and get involved in the running community
Check out United in Stride at http://unitedinstride.com/ and find out how to register as a member of the community.
In Episode 129 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we visit with Dave Schleppenbach, the founder and CEO of Tactile Engineering. The company has developed a Braille tablet that is transforming how blind and visually impaired individuals consume visual information, including sporting events. During the interview, Schleppenbach talked about:
- His professional background
- How he got connected with the blind and visually impaired community
- What inspired him to launch Tactile Engineering
- An overview of the Cadence Braille tablet and how it works
- How the device was used for the 2024 Indy 500
- Other potential sports-related applications for the device
- Feedback the company has received from blind and visually impaired users
- Future plans and development of the device
Learn more about Tactile Engineering at http://www.tactile-engineering.com.
In Episode 128 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we have a returning guest, Ricky Castaneda (previously a guest on Episode 77). A member of the U.S. national blind soccer team, Ricky discussed the recent 2024 USA Blind Soccer International Cup. He spoke about:
- His background and various adaptive sports for the blind he has played
- How blind soccer works
- The recent 2024 USA Blind Soccer International Cup held in Chula Vista, CA
- How the U.S. team fared in the tournament against England and Japan
- What the team learned from this experience
- Looking ahead to the 2028 Paralympics in which the U.S. will field a blind soccer team for the first time
- How people can learn more about blind soccer
Learn more about blind soccer at https://www.usaba.org/clubs-sports/blind-soccer/.
Check out the Metro Blaze Blind Athletes of Texas website at https://www.metroblazeblindsoccer333.com/.
In Episode 127 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we feature a conversation with guests who are highly active in blind baseball. They are Kiana Glanton, co-captain of the U.S. blind baseball team, along with Ed Plumacher, president of the U.S. Blind Baseball Association (USBBA) and former guest on Episode 104 of Eyes Free Sports. During the conversation, they talked about:
- Their personal backgrounds and low vision journeys
- How they got into blind baseball and how the sport works
- Their initial experience competing in the 2022 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Blind Baseball International Cup in The Netherlands
- Competing in the 2024 WBSC Blind Baseball International Cup in London
- How the U.S. team performed in the tournament
- Connections they made with players from blind baseball teams in other countries
- The current state of blind baseball in the U.S. and future plans to continue to grow the sport
- How to learn more about blind baseball
Learn more about blind baseball at http://blindbaseball.org/.
Contact Ed Plumacher, president of the U.S. Blind Baseball Association, at edplumacher@usbba.us.
Check out one of the live streams from the finals of the 2024 WBSC Blind Baseball International Cup at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgqg4mwrpSw.
In Episode 126 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we visit with Richie Flores, the current president of the National Beep Baseball Association (NBBA) who has competed in beep baseball and goalball for many years. During the interview, Flores spoke about:
- His childhood and visual impairment
- His educational journey
- His professional career
- How he got involved in adaptive sports and who introduced him to beep baseball
- Memorable moments throughout his beep baseball career, including a World Series championship
- His work with the NBBA off the field and his current role as president
- His hopes and dreams for the future of the NBBA and beep baseball in general
- His various roles with the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), including its sports and recreation division
- His guide dog from Guide Dogs for the Blind
Learn more about the National Beep Baseball Association at http://nbba.org.
Contact Richie Flores at rflores@nbba.org.
In Episode 125 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we are joined by two representatives from OneCourt Technologies. These include Antyush Bollini, the COO and co-founder, as well as Bree Fraser, the program manager of business development. This startup company based in the Seattle, WA area has developed a device for blind and visually impaired sports fans to help them follow the action when attending or viewing sporting events. During the conversation, they discussed:
- Their professional backgrounds and how they got involved in OneCourt
- The inspiration for launching OneCourt and the meaning behind the name of the company
- An overview of the device they have developed for blind sports fans
- The specific sports and sports leagues they have focused on for the device
- How the device can be used at stadiums, in sports bars, or at home
- Feedback they have gotten from visually impaired sports fans
- Whether the device could be used for fans attending Paralympic events, goalball matches, beep baseball games, etc.
- Future plans and other potential applications for the device
- How to learn more about OneCourt and how to sign up to try the device at sporting events around the U.S.
Learn more about OneCourt at http://onecourt.io.
Follow OneCourt on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/onecourt.io/.
In Episode 124 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, our guest is Ivan Castro from Orlando, FL. The Army veteran and highly accomplished endurance athlete discussed:
- His early years and education
- What inspired him to enlist in the U.S. Army and his 28-year military career
- How he went blind while serving and how he was able to continue to serve on active duty in spite of his blindness
- His achievements in marathons, hikes, and other endurance adventures he has tackled around the world
- The U.S. presidents and other celebrities he has met throughout his life
- The book he co-authored about his journey
- His message about living life to the fullest
Check out Castro’s book, Fighting Blind, on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Fighting-Blind-Berets-Extraordinary-Courage/dp/1250076544.
In Episode 123 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, our guest is David Rosenkoetter. The longtime adaptive athlete and fitness guru has also competed in blind chess for many years. During the discussion, Rosenkoetter spoke about:
- Where he is from and his childhood
- His visual impairment
- His educational journey and professional career
- How he got into adaptive sports for the blind and the sports he has competed in
- How he got into blind chess and his journey competing in tournaments
- How chess is adapted for the blind and visually impaired community
- An overview of the United States Blind Chess Association (USBCA) and the current state of blind chess in the U.S. and internationally
- Over-the-board blind chess tournaments and those held virtually
- How fitness has helped him when playing the mental game of chess
Learn more about the United States Blind Chess Association at https://usblindchess.org/.
Check out Rosenkoetter’s website at http://boldlyblind.blog.
His soon-to-be-published book is called Jag.
In Episode 122 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we visit with Drew Garza and Josh Schneider, two of the founders of The Dented Puck Foundation who are both highly active in blind hockey in the U.S. During the conversation, they talked about:
- Their early years
- Their low vision journeys
- How they discovered blind hockey
- Their experiences in blind hockey both on and off the ice
- Why they started The Dented Puck Foundation and its mission
- The current state of blind hockey in the U.S. and looking ahead
- The possibility of getting blind hockey into the Paralympics someday
- How to learn more about blind hockey and their contact info
Learn more about The Dented Puck Foundation and blind hockey at http://thedentedpuck.com/.
In Episode 121 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, our guest is Sonya Chapnick from the Los Angeles, CA area. The founder and CEO of Yoga Gently spoke about:
- Her early years and education
- Her unique career prior to losing her vision
- How she got into yoga and her professional certifications
- What inspired her to launch Yoga Gently
- The yoga programs she offers and how she adapts them to blind and visually impaired clients
- How she got into tandem cycling, skiing, and other outdoor activities
- Her advice on the benefits of getting involved in sports and recreation
Learn more about Yoga Gently at http://yogagently.com.
In Episode 120 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we meet David Benney. The longtime beep baseball player and advocate for the sport spoke about:
- His early years growing up in Chicago
- His visual impairment and how it has impacted his life
- His education and career
- How he got into playing beep baseball and his lengthy career with multiple teams
- His role as a color commentator and media team member for the National Beep Baseball Association (NBBA)
- An overview of the 2024 NBBA season
- Recapping the 2024 NBBA World Series held in the St. Louis, MO area
- Players who stood out to him during the World Series
- His overall observations on how the World Series was put on and looking ahead
Learn more about the National Beep Baseball Association (NBBA) and the sport of beep baseball at http://nbba.org.
In Episode 119 of the Eyes Free Sports Podcast, Liz Bottner joins the conversation. A native of Delaware, Bottner has gone on to a successful professional career along with lots of involvement in several adaptive sports. During the podcast, Bottner talked about:
- Being a triplet and her two sisters
- Her eye condition
- Her education and graduate studies
- Her career working for a few major government organizations
- What led her to try adaptive sports for the blind
- Her experience competing in blind hockey with the Hartford Braillers
- Her experience as an adaptive runner and her running guide dog from Guiding Eyes for the Blind
- Her volunteer work
- Her advice for anyone in the blind community who has thought about trying sports and recreational activities
- Some important resources for those interested in adaptive sports programs
Learn more about the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) at http://www.usaba.org.
For more information on blind hockey, check out https://unitedstatesblindhockeyteam.com/.
Contact Liz Bottner at pennyforward@pennyforward.com.
In Episode 118 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we meet Alvin Suarez from New York City. During the conversation, the longtime adaptive athlete and coach spoke about:
- His early years growing up in New York City
- His visual impairment
- His education attending both mainstream schools and a school for the blind
- His day job and unique side hustle
- His experience playing adaptive sports as a youngster and what drew him back to participating in them well into adulthood
- His journeys in goalball and beep baseball
- His experience as a goalball coach for a women’s team
- His band with other visually impaired musicians and the music they’ve produced
Learn more about beep baseball and the National Beep Baseball Association (NBBA) at http://nbba.org.
Check out his band, Los Ciegos del Barrio, on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/losciegosdelbarrio.
Suarez is involved in a fundraiser with the New York Association of Blind Athletes on Wednesday, July 17 at Reif’s Bar at 302 East 92nd Street, Manhattan, NY. For more info, check out the NYABA Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/p/New-York-Goalball-Sport-for-the-Blind-Visually-Impaired-100063486644438/.
In Episode 117 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we meet Wynter Pingel from the Boston, MA area. The beep baseball player, runner, and musician talked about:
- Her childhood and attending both mainstream schools and a blind school
- Her education and career, including a job she had with National Braille Press (NBP)
- How she got introduced to adaptive sports for the blind as an adult
- Her experience playing beep baseball and tournaments she has competed in
- Her experience as an adaptive runner and her goals for future races
- Her background in music and her current career as a gigging musician
Learn more about beep baseball at http://nbba.org.
Check out one of the bands Pingel plays in, Connacht, at https://connachtband.com/.
In Episode 116 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we visit with longtime goalball player and disability sports leader Murray Elbourn. The native of Australia now operates Amerability Services in Washington State. During the interview, Elbourn talked about:
- His early years growing up in Australia
- His vision loss journey and how he had some vision restored as an adult
- How he was introduced to adaptive sports for the blind
- His career and achievements playing goalball
- What led him to move to the United States, back to Australia, and then back to the U.S.
- How he got into blind tennis and his current role with the U.S. Blind Tennis Association (USBTA)
- His coaching experience and why he thinks sports and recreation are essential for members of the blind community, especially children
- Why he started Amerability Services and how this company combines training in independent living skills with blind sports opportunities
Contact Murray Elbourne at amerabilityservices@gmail.com.
Learn more about the U.S. Blind Tennis Association (USBTA) at https://playtennis.usta.com/usbta.
In Episode 115 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we meet Charles Catherine. A native of France, Catherine has become a highly talented para-triathlete who was recently named as one of the captains of the U.S. men’s blind soccer team. During the conversation, Catherine discussed:
- His childhood growing up in France
- His eye condition
- His education and career, including his current role with the National Organization on Disability (NOD)
- His journey to the United States
- How he got into endurance sports, specifically the triathlon
- How he got into blind soccer and his journey moving up the ranks
- How blind soccer works
- What it means to represent the U.S. as a blind soccer player
- Looking ahead to the 2028 Paralympics in Los Angeles
- His musical interests and achievements
- Why he recommends all blind and visually impaired individuals find opportunities to pursue in sports and recreation
Learn more about blind soccer at https://www.usaba.org/clubs-sports/blind-soccer/.
Follow Charles Catherine on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/charles.daddio/.
In Episode 114 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we meet Tyler Cashman, a college student who has collected several titles competing in blind golf and has also played beep baseball and other adaptive sports. During the conversation, Cashman discussed:
- Where he was born and grew up
- His visual impairment
- His education and current studies at the University of Richmond
- His athletic career and how he got into playing blind golf through the United States Blind Golf Association (USBGA)
- How blind golf works
- Memorable tournaments and moments in his golf career
- How he got into playing beep baseball and tournaments he has competed in through the National Beep Baseball Association (NBBA)
- The fundraising work he and his family have done to help kids with disabilities
Learn more about the U.S. Blind Golf Association at http://blindgolf.org.
Learn more about beep baseball and the National Beep Baseball Association (NBBA) at http://nbba.org/.
Follow Tyler on Instagram at http://instagram.com/tycashman1114.
In Episode 113 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, our guest is Katy Boyd, founder of Twin Cities Blind Sailing (TCBS) in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area of Minnesota. During the interview, Boyd spoke about:
- Her childhood and visual impairment
- Her education and career history and goals
- How she got introduced to adaptive sports for the blind, specifically blind sailing
- What inspired her to start Twin Cities Blind Sailing (TCBS)
- How blind sailing actually works and how it can be customized to the visually impaired sailor’s abilities and goals
- The programs she offers to both youth and adults
- How blind sailing has positively impacted many people she has met over the years
- Her future plans with Twin Cities Blind Sailing and how she hopes to launch many blind sailing programs around the United States
- How you can learn more about Twin Cities Blind Sailing
Check out http://twincitiesblindsailing.org/ to learn more about the TCBS organization and how to get involved.
Contact Katy Boyd at kboyd@twincitiesblindsailing.org.
In Episode 112 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we discuss audio description for live sporting events and other live events provided by MindsEye, a nonprofit in the St. Louis, MO area. Two members of the organization, Magan Harms (MindsEye arts and culture director) and Liam McCoy (MindsEye quality control specialist), join the discussion. They spoke about:
- How Magan got involved in the blind community and audio description
- How she prepares to describe a live event for blind and visually impaired patrons
- Examples of verbiage she uses to describe sporting events and other live events
- How her role compares to that of a play-by-play announcer for a sporting event
- The technology involved in providing audio description of live events
- Her experience as an audio describer for the 2022 Winter Paralympic Games
- Liam’s background and visual impairment
- How he got involved in attending MindsEye events and participating in its adaptive sports programs for the blind
- His experience attending audio-described sporting events, musicals, and museum tours
- The feedback he provides to Magan and the audio describers to help improve the experience for visually impaired patrons
Learn more about MindsEye and its adaptive sports and audio-described programs at https://mindseyeradio.org/.
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/.
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.
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.
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.
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/.
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.
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/.
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.
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.
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.”
In Episode 101 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we visit with Drew Blake, president and co-founder of the nonprofit Guiding Eyes Outdoors, Inc. based in North Carolina. During the interview, Blake talked about:
- His personal and professional backgrounds
- What inspired him to help launch Guiding Eyes Outdoors
- An overview of adaptive outdoor activities the nonprofit offers to blind and visually impaired participants
- An overview of his team and volunteers
- The types of adaptive events the nonprofit holds and how they are accessible to blind and visually impaired participants
- An overview of the Accessible Aiming Project he and his team are working on with Georgia Tech
- Stories of how participants have benefited from being involved in these programs
- His future goals with the organization
- How people can learn more about the nonprofit and get involved
Learn more about Guiding Eyes Outdoors at https://www.guidingeyesoutdoors.org/. Follow the nonprofit on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/guidingeyesoutdoors, Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/guidingeyesoutdoors/, and TikTok at https://www.tiktok.com/@guidingeyesoutdoors.
In Episode 100 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, host Greg Lindberg celebrates this milestone episode by having the interviewing tables turned on him. Michael Stone, a blind endurance athlete, skier, biathlete, and author who appeared on Episodes 62 and 63 of the podcast, takes the reigns as guest host. During the conversation, Lindberg discussed:
- His visual impairment
- His childhood, education, and professional career
- How he got into playing adaptive sports, specifically beep baseball
- What inspired him to launch the Eyes Free Sports podcast in 2019
- A recent athletic injury he sustained and how it has impacted him
- His musical interests
- His biggest supporters as a podcaster
In Episode 99 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, our guest is Melchion Wee-Ellis. The beep baseball player and adaptive athlete from Long Island, NY spoke about:
- Where he was born, grew up, and his unique family heritage
- His education and sports he played as a youngster
- His visual impairment and how his vision has changed over time
- His adjustment to sight loss
- How he got into adaptive sports for the blind, specifically beep baseball
- His beep baseball career playing for the Long Island Bombers and Atlanta Chaos of the National Beep Baseball Association (NBBA)
- How he got into running with the Long Island chapter of Achilles International
- The numerous sports injuries he has sustained and how he has overcome them
- His guide dog from Guiding Eyes for the Blind
Contact Melchion at melchion.wee.ellis@gmail.com.
In Episode 98 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we chat about audio darts with two guests - Sam Jasmine of Plymouth, MN and Rich Koppenjan of St. Augustine, FL. The two discussed
- Where they are from and their eye conditions
- The history of audio darts in the United States
- How they got into playing audio darts
- How audio darts works and the audio dartboard Sam and her team developed
- Leagues and tournaments for audio darts around the country
- Other sports for the blind they have competed in
To learn more about audio darts for the blind or to purchase an audio dartboard, contact Sam Jasmine at audiodartmaster@samjasmine.com or by phone at 763-383-0077.
In Episode 97 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we feature a conversation with Allan Wylie, a 17-year-old sportscaster who happens to be blind. You’ll also hear some clips of what Wylie sounds like in the booth. During the interview, Wylie spoke about his early years and education, how he became interested in sports and sports broadcasting, announcers he has looked up to, how he got to call high school sports and Minor League Baseball games, and his goals in sports broadcasting.
In Episode 96 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, Donna Brown, a four-time Paralympian who competed in multiple Paralympic sports, joins the conversation. Brown spoke about: - Where she was born and grew up
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Her visual impairment which her two siblings also have
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Her experience attending a school for the blind and how this led her to adaptive sports for the blind
- Competing in the Paralympic Games in the 1970s, ‘80s, and ‘90s
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Other athletic events she has competed in since her Paralympic days
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Her teaching career and biggest takeaways from being an educator
- Her involvement in the American Council of the Blind (ACB) and other organizations in the community
In Episode 95 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we recap the 47th edition of the National Beep Baseball Association (NBBA) World Series held in Norman, OK during the first week of August. We are joined by Neal “Dawg” McDonald, a recent inductee into the NBBA Hall of Fame, along with Demetris “D-Mo” Morrow, an NBBA board member and member of the Gateway Archers beep baseball club. They spoke about:
- How each of the 19 teams finished at the World Series this year
- The offensive and defensive player awards, along with a variety of other award winners and Hall of Fame inductees
- The impact of the heat on the World Series and how it affected the schedule of games
- Whether the Indy Edge are a dynasty and the making and why the San Antonio Jets have come up short so many times
- The media coverage this World Series event received
- Looking ahead to the 2024 NBBA season and World Series to be held in the St. Louis, MO area
Learn more about the National Beep Baseball Association at http://nbba.org.
Check out The Beep Ball Blues Show (TBBS), hosted by Neal McDonald, on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ_HllNIoY5xLnhMVwVVGbQ. The show is also available on all of the major podcast platforms and streamed live on Facebook.
In Episode 94 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we meet Chuck Gottus from the Pittsburgh, PA area. The blind tennis player and bowler spoke about:
- Where he was born and grew up
- When he was diagnosed with a visual impairment and what it meant to him at the time
- Sports he played as a youngster and when he realized mainstream sports were too challenging because of his vision changing
- How he got into blind tennis and his experience in the sport thus far
- His goals in blind tennis
- How he got into bowling for the blind
- Other adaptive sports he would like to try
- How participating in sports for the blind has enhanced his life
His guide dog and some funny stories with him related to blind sports
In Episode 93 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we chat with Pearl Outlaw of Portland, OR. The visually impaired rower and skier spoke about:
- Where she was born and grew up
- When she learned she was visually impaired and how this impacted her life
- How she got into rowing and competing on an NCAA Division III rowing team with fully sighted teammates
- Her journey to competing in international rowing competitions for athletes with disabilities and her achievements in these events
- How she got into adaptive skiing
- Other blind sports she would like to try
- Her perspectives on the benefits of being involved in sports and recreation for those with disabilities
Follow Pearl Outlaw on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/pearl_outlaw/.
In Episode 92 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we meet Eliana Mason. The longtime goalball player who has competed and medaled in two Paralympic Games discussed:
- Her childhood growing up in the Pacific Northwest
- Her visual impairment and how much vision she has
- Her education and career working in the mental health field
- How she was introduced to goalball
- Her career competing in goalball tournaments around the world, including two Paralympic Games
- What it takes to be a successful goalball athlete and, more generally, a successful blind athlete
- Some of the unique places she has visited in her life thanks in large part to her involvement in goalball
- Her roles with the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes (USABA)
Follow Eliana Mason on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/elianaamarieee/?hl=en.
Follow the U.S. women’s goalball team on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/USAWomensGoalball/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/usawgoalball/.
In Episode 91 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we chat with Zephryn “Zeph” Victor, Jr., a.k.a. Comedian See No Evil, from Fort Lauderdale, FL. The longtime goalball player has recently found a new niche playing beep baseball in the last few years while balancing his career in entertainment. During the conversation, Victor spoke about:
- Where he was born and his childhood
- His visual impairment
- How he got into adaptive sports, specifically goalball
- Highlights from his goalball career and memorable teammates
- How he was introduced to beep baseball and his career in that sport
- The similarities and differences between goalball and beep baseball
- His career in the performing arts, stand-up comedy, and acting
Check out Victor’s Comedian See No Evil YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5T3xh3yae6vlAGkppkdT2A. Follow him on social media by searching for Comedian See No Evil.
In Episode 90 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we meet Dana Costa, president of the United States Blind Tennis Association (USBTA) and the Highland Park Tennis Club in the Pittsburgh, PA area. During the conversation, Costa discussed:
- Her family and being the mom of a visually impaired child
- How she was introduced to adaptive sports, specifically tennis for the blind and visually impaired
- How blind tennis works
- The inspiration behind launching the U.S. Blind Tennis Association (USBTA) and the goals of this organization
- Where the USBTA has held blind tennis events and future plans for events
- The benefits of participating in adaptive sports for the blind and visually impaired
Learn more about the U.S. Blind Tennis Association at https://playtennis.usta.com/usbta.
In Episode 89 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we catch up with John Kusku, a longtime goalball player who has competed at multiple Paralympic Games for Team USA. During the interview, Kusku spoke about:
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- His family and early years growing up
- What caused his visual impairment
- His education and career as a math teacher
- How he got into goalball and his lengthy career on the goalball court
- Competing in two Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo
- His experience with adaptive skiing and goals in this sport
- Other sports for the blind he has tried and would like to try
- What his life is like as a blind dad and husband
Learn about the Michigan Blind Athletic Association at http://miblindsports.org.
Check out the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) website at http://usaba.org.
In Episode 88 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we meet Blake Steinecke, a visually impaired mountain biker and member of the U.S. blind hockey team from the San Diego, CA area. During the interview, Steinecke spoke about:
- His childhood and education
- The sports he played growing up
- How he became visually impaired as a teenager
- How he got into mountain biking and how he has adapted it to be an accessible sport for the visually impaired
- How he got into blind hockey and what it meant to be named to the U.S. blind hockey team
- His blind hockey career and a recent event competing against the Canadian blind hockey team in Toronto
- His passions for assistive technology and his YouTube Channel
- How he has made photography and videography accessible as a visually impaired individual
- His career and current role with Clusiv
Learn more about the U.S. blind hockey team at https://unitedstatesblindhockeyteam.com/.
Check out his YouTube Channel, Adapting Sight, at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy7pr6FKOhahCERy_EIZ0Sw.
Check out a video about his mountain biking experience and an endurance race he competed in at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23BfP6cLTW8&t=10s
Learn about Clusiv at https://clusiv.io/.
In Episode 87 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we meet Lyn Lindbergh, founder of Couch to Active. The company provides virtual fitness programs and has developed a decent following from blind and visually impaired individuals. During the conversation, Lindbergh spoke about:
- Her personal and professional backgrounds
- Why she decided to start Couch to Active and what drew her to helping the blind and visually impaired community
- The programs and services Couch to Active offers
- How she makes her programs accessible to blind and visually impaired audiences
- Examples of client success stories
- Her podcast and other resources she has created
- Her advice on how a blind or visually impaired person can take that first step to become more active
Learn more about Couch to Active at http://couchtoactive.com
In Episode 86 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we meet Lindsey LaVere, of North Street, MI. A longtime dancer, she has recently gotten into taking adaptive dance classes and even teaching a dance class for individuals with disabilities. During the conversation, LaVere talked about:
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- Where she was born and grew up
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- How she suddenly lost her eyesight as a young adult
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- Her career in dance and what it was like transitioning into an adaptive dance environment
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- How she got into teaching adaptive dance for people with various disabilities
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- Her advice to someone who is blind or visually impaired on how to safely get into dance
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- Her involvement with the American Council of the Blind (ACB)
In Episode 85 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we meet Samir Mahir, president of the International Blind Tennis Association (IBTA). During the interview, Mahir spoke about:
- His personal and professional backgrounds
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- How he got interested in sports, specifically tennis
- How he got connected to adaptive sports, specifically blind tennis
- The history of blind tennis around the world
- An overview of the International Blind Tennis Association (IBTA) and his role as president of the IBTA
- How blind tennis works and the adaptive equipment
- Where tournaments have been held
- The current state of blind tennis in the United States and some recent developments on its growth
- How people can learn more and get involved in blind tennis
Learn more about the International Blind Tennis Association (IBTA) at http://ibtatennis.org. Learn about the United States Blind Tennis Association (USBTA) athttp://playtennis.usta.com/usbta.
In Episode 84 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we meet Demetris “D-Mo” Morrow, a longtime beep baseball player and martial arts competitor in judo. During the conversation, Morrow spoke about:
- Where he was born and grew up
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- His eye condition
- How he got into adaptive sports for the blind
- His introduction to beep baseball and his playing career with multiple teams
- His current role on the National Beep Baseball Association (NBBA) board of directors and his goals for the organization
- How he got into judo and his career highlights in martial arts
- Other adaptive sports he has played and would like to try
In Episode 83 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, our guest is Kevin Brown from the Washington, D.C. area. A blind adaptive athlete with multiple athletic achievements to his name, Brown talked about:
- Growing up in a military family
- -His eye condition and a sibling with the same diagnosis
- His education and attending the University of Virginia where he got a taste of Division I athletics
- The sports he played as a youngster with fully sighted peers
- How he got into adaptive sports for the blind and visually impaired
- Being named to the U.S. blind hockey team and the U.S. blind soccer team
- His experiences with adaptive skiing
- How he has successfully coached his sons and others across numerous sports in spite of his visual impairment
Learn more about blind hockey in the United States at https://www.usahockey.com/blindhockey.
Learn more about blind soccer in the United States at https://www.usaba.org/clubs-sports/blind-soccer/.
In Episode 82 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we chat with Omar Salem of Field of Vision, a startup company developing an innovative device for blind sports fans. During the conversation, Salem spoke about:
- The professional backgrounds of himself and his fellow co-founders of the startup company
- What inspired the three of them to launch Field of Vision
- An overview of how their technology has been developed
- An overview of how this technology actually works at a sporting event
- A description of the haptic feedback the device they are developing actually provides
- Which types of sports and venues the technology has been tested in and future plans for more sports and venues
- How fans can get access to this technology currently and in the future
- How this technology truly benefits visually impaired sports fans
- Contact info for Field of Vision
Learn more about Field of Vision and the unique technology the team is developing for blind sports fans at http://www.fov.ie/.
In Episode 81 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we are joined by Ethan Johnston, a longtime beep baseball player who currently plays for the Gateway Archers out of the St. Louis, MO area. During the conversation, Johnston discussed:
- His early years and childhood living in Ethiopia
- How he became blind
- What schools for the blind in Africa are like
- How he ended up coming to the United States
- His education and career
- How he got into adaptive sports for the blind, specifically beep baseball
- His beep baseball career
- Other adaptive sports for the blind he would like to try
Learn more about beep baseball at http://nbba.org. Learn more about the Gateway Archers beep baseball club at https://mindseyeradio.org/programs/mindseye-adaptive-athletics/beepball-program/gateway-archers/.
In Episode 80 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we speak with Koni Sims, a longtime advocate for the blind and visually impaired who now serves as a member of the American Council of the Blind’s board of directors. She is also a member of a new committee developed to oversee ACB’s Get Up and Get Moving campaign. During the conversation, Sims spoke about:
- Her personal and professional backgrounds
- Her visual impairment and why it has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride for her
- Her involvement in advocacy work with the American Council of the Blind, as well as its local chapters and affiliates
- The genesis behind ACB starting the Get Up and Get Moving campaign
- Why she decided to get involved in this initiative
- The current members of the committee and their backgrounds
- What the campaign has done and future goals
- ACB Community Calls (virtual events held on Zoom) related to this campaign and fitness in general
- The importance of physical fitness and wellness for the blind and visually impaired
- How people can learn more and get involved
Check out the ACB Get Up and Get Moving Facebook Group at https://m.facebook.com/groups/413654223681516/.
In Episode 79 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, our guest is Tim Kane, a highly talented blind hockey player and ambassador for the adaptive sport of blind hockey. During the discussion, Kane talked about:
- His early years and genetic visual impairment
- The sports he played growing up
- His education and career in sports medicine
- Being named to the U.S. national blind hockey team and being voted captain of the team
- How blind hockey works and his positions on the ice
- His thoughts on getting blind hockey into the Paralympic Games and the importance of growing the sport in other countries
- The current state of blind hockey in the U.S. and his take on its future
- Other adaptive sports he would like to try
- The benefits of sports, recreation, and simply moving in terms of the blind and visually impaired community
Learn more about blind hockey at https://www.usahockey.com/blindhockey.
Check out the following YouTube video on blind hockey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGpnomyQ1t8.
In Episode 78 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we are joined by David Brown, a three-time Paralympian in track and field and known to many as the world’s fastest blind man. During the conversation, Brown spoke about:
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Where he was born and grew up
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His visual impairment- His education- How he got into adaptive sports, specifically track and field
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How he became a Paralympian and his Paralympic career- The medals and records he is most proud of- The keys to having a successful guide in track and field
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Getting into blind soccer and being named to the U.S. national blind soccer team
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How to follow him on social mediaFollow David Brown on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/thatboydbrown/?hl=en and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Running4HISGlory1019/.
In Episode 77 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, our guest is Ricky Castañeda, an accomplished beep baseball and blind soccer star from Fort Worth, TX. During the conversation, he spoke about:
- Where he was born and grew up
- His visual impairment and how it runs in the family
- His education attending a school for the blind and mainstream schools
- His career goals and a career path in which he wants to be a trailblazer for the blind
- His beep baseball career with two Texas teams and competing in the championship game at the National Beep Baseball Association (NBBA) World Series
- How he got into blind soccer and how the sport works
- Being named to the U.S. national blind soccer team and his goals in the sport
- His advice for anyone interested in getting into adaptive sports
Follow Ricky Castañeda on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/rickybeats88_ and on TikTok at @rickygolden8899.
Learn more about blind soccer at https://www.usaba.org/clubs-sports/blind-soccer/.
In Episode 76 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we welcome Jen Armbruster, a seven-time Paralympian in goalball. During the interview, Armbruster spoke about:
- Her early years and K-12 education
- Her visual impairment, coping with her diagnosis, and why she feels so lucky
- Getting into goalball and what drew her to the sport
- Her decorated Paralympic career representing Team USA on the U.S. women’s goalball squad
- Her training routine and what it takes to be successful at goalball
- Other adaptive sports she has played, including her work on blind soccer
- The benefits of competing in adaptive sports for people with disabilities
- Her career and work in adaptive sports
Learn more about the popular adaptive sport of goalball at https://www.usaba.org/clubs-sports/goalball/.
Learn more about the USA men’s and women’s goalball teams at https://www.usaba.org/usa-goalball/.
In Episode 75 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, our guest is Wilbert Turner of Cleveland, OH. A Hall of Famer in beep baseball and world recordholder as a blind bowler, Turner discussed:
- Where he was born and his childhood
- His visual impairment
- His education and career
- How he got introduced to adaptive sports
- His beep baseball career and induction into the National Beep Baseball Association (NBBA) Hall of Fame
- His bowling career and the adaptations of blind bowling
- His advice for those interested in getting into adaptive sports for the blind and visually impaired
Learn more about beep baseball at http://nbba.org.
Learn more about blind bowling and the American Blind Bowling Association (ABBA) at http://abba1951.com/.
In Episode 74 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we are joined by Matt Wallace, a blind sports commentator and adaptive athlete from Pennsylvania. During the interview, Wallace spoke about:
- His early years and visual impairment
- His education and how he attended both mainstream and schools for the blind
- His college years and getting into sports media
- His experience as a commentator for fully sighted and blind sports
- His take on the most accessible websites, apps, and audio streaming services for blind sports fans
- The sports he has played as an adaptive athlete and among sighted peers
In Episode 73 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we speak with Jason Romero of Denver, CO. Romero is an extreme endurance athlete who has competed in numerous races and events that few sighted individuals would even try to tackle. During the conversation, Romero discussed:
- Where he was born and his early years
- His visual impairment
- His education and career
- How he got into adaptive sports, specifically running
- Guides he has had and the keys to a successful runner-and-guide team
- Types of tethers and other unique tools he has used to run with a guide and even independently in some cases
- His run across the United States, a distance of 3,063 miles
- His nonprofit, Inspire Connection, and his books about his life and overcoming adversity to achieve success
- Summing up his overall message to people with disabilities and people in general
- How you can learn more about him and his contact info
Learn more about Jason Romero at http://jasonromero.net.
Contact him via email at jasonromerospeaks@gmail.com.
In Episode 72 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we catch up with Jacory Wiley from Atlanta, GA. Wiley is a visually impaired author, motivational speaker, and longtime beep baseball player. During the interview, Wiley talked about:
- Where he was born and grew up
- How he suddenly became visually impaired
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- His education and finding his passions in life
- How he got introduced to beep baseball and the teams he has competed on for over a decade
- An incredible run in the National Beep Baseball Association (NBBA) for his team in 2022
- The benefits of competing in adaptive sports for the blind and visually impaired
- What inspired him to write some children’s books about kids with disabilities compeoting in sports and the main messages behind these books
- His career goals in writing and public speaking
Learn more about Jacory Wiley and find his books at http://www.jacorywiley.com.
Contact him via email at jacorydwiley@gmail.com.
In Episode 71 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we hit the pool to visit with McClain Hermes. A two-time Paralympian in swimming, she is now pursuing a new athletic goal. During the conversation, Hermes discussed:
- Where she was born and her childhood
- Discovering her visual impairment at a very young age
- Her education from elementary through high school and her college career in academics and athletics
- Competing in college athletics as a Division I student-athlete with a disability at a major university
- How she originally got into swimming and some adaptations she has used as a visually impaired swimmer
- Competing at multiple Paralympic Games and how she finished in her competitions
- Her new athletic goal and how she is training for it
- Her guide dog from Freedom Guide Dogs
- How she and her dad have helped the homeless in a very unique way
Follow McClain Hermes on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/McClainHermes and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/mcclainhermes88.
In Episode 70 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we chat with Dr. T. Nicole Kirk, an assistant professor of health and physical education in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Georgia who has coached, taught, and researched adaptive sports for the blind and visually impaired. During the interview, Dr. Kirk spoke about:
- Her early interest in sports
- Her educational journey through some unique degree programs and areas of study
- How she got interested in working with kids with disabilities
- Camps for the blind where she has taught and specific adaptive sports for the blind she has coached
- Notable findings in her research on adaptive sports and ideas on how to increase more opportunities for sports and recreation with the blind community
- Classes she teaches at the University of Georgia and how adaptive sports play a role in the curriculum
- Future projects she is working on to engage her students, blind and visually impaired students on campus, and blind and visually impaired K-12 students in the community
Check out Dr. Kirk’s bio at https://people.coe.uga.edu/nicole-kirk/.
In Episode 69 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, Neal McDonald, a.k.a. “Neal Dawg,” joined the conversation. A longtime beep baseball player himself and current advocate and commentator on this adaptive sport, McDonald discussed:
- His personal background and how he suddently went blind
- How he got into beep baseball and his career highlights
- An overview of the major offseason moves around the National Beep Baseball Association league before the 2022 season kicked off
- His initial thoughts going into the 2022 NBBA World Series in Beaumont, TX
- A recap of each round of the World Series and his thoughts on how everything shook out leading up to the championship game
- Recapping the championship game between the Indy Edge and San Antonio Jets
- Looking ahead to the 2023 beep baseball season
- His YouTube Channel and what inspired him to start a show on beep baseball
Learn more about beep baseball and the National Beep Baseball Association at http://nbba.org/.
Check out The Beepball Blues Show on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ_HllNIoY5xLnhMVwVVGbQ.
In Episode 68 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we chat with Krista Giannik, an entrepreneur in the PR and writing space who also happens to be a versatile adaptive athlete. During the interview, Giannik spoke about:
- Where she was born and grew up
- Her visual impairment
- Her education and early career
- Her current small business – Wise Words That Matter, and what inspired her to become her own boss
- How she got into adaptive sports, specifically snow skiing and water skiing
- The adaptations of snow and water skiing for the blind
- How sports have positively impacted her life
- Advice to the blind and visually impaired on the benefits of participating in sports and recreation
- Her contact info
Check out her business website at http://www.wisewordsthatmatter.com.
Explore the programs offered through Third Eye Insight at http://thirdeyeinsight.org.
Learn more about the Leaps of Faith (LOF) Adaptive Skiers program at http://lofadaptiveskiers.org.
Check out Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports at http://vermontadaptive.org.
In Episode 67 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we visit with Jasen Bracy II, a visually impaired football player from California, along with his dad, Jasen Bracy. The father and son discussed:
- Jasen’s childhood and visual impairment
- The long journey of dealing with his diagnosis and ultimately several medical procedures he had to endure as a youngster
- His education and getting into playing sports
- How he has played mainstream baseball and some unique adaptations to make the sport accessible to him
- How he got into playing mainstream football and how his dad has supported him with “live audio description” in his helmet
- His dad’s approach to describing his surroundings while his son is on the field
- The positions he has played on both offense and defense
- Their messages to visually impaired kids and their parents about having a “can-do” attitude when it comes to being successful in sports and life in general
In Episode 66 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, our guest is Sensei Devin Fernandez form New York. A visually impaired martial artist who runs a nonprofit providing adaptive sports, Fernandez spoke about:
- Where he was born and grew up
- Sports he played as a kid
- His education and ultimately getting to run his own small business
- A freak accident that happened to him while on the job, temporarily blinding him
- Being diagnosed with a visual impairment and his adjustment to vision loss
- What inspired him to get into martial arts and why he decided to teach these practices to the blind and visually impaired
- The programs and recreational activities Third Eye Insight, his organization, offers
- Why there are so many benefits for people with disabilities to experience sports and recreation, and how the general public benefits from seeing these activities as well
- His guide dog named after a candy brand and how she has benefited his life in so many ways
- How people can learn more about his organization
Learn more about Third Eye Insight at http://thirdeyeinsight.org. Contact Devin via email at senseidevin.thirdeyeinsight@gmail.com or by phone at 631-445-3464.
In Episode 65 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we feature a Yin-style yoga session with Jillian Ricks. You might remember her from Episode 57 of our podcast. Jillian is a visually impaired certified yoga instructor from Tennessee, and she was generous enough to record this fully described yoga session for our listeners.
Learn more about her health and wellness business, Jillian’s Healing Arts Center, at http://www.jillianshealingartscenter.com. Contact her at jillianshealingartscenter@gmail.com.
In Episode 64 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, our guests are Kyle and Sean Borah, two visually impaired athletic brothers from the St. Louis, Missouri area. Both have been very involved in the adaptive sports of blind hockey and beep baseball over the past few years. During the conversation, they talked about:
- The same retinal condition they both have
- Their childhood growing up in the St. Louis area and their educational journeys
- Sports and recreation they participated in as kids
- Their college experiences attending Webster University, the degrees they earned, and their current jobs
- How Sean Borah’s comment on a Facebook live video led to establishing the St. Louis Blues Blind Hockey Club
- How the adaptive sport of blind hockey works and the rules of the game
- The positions they have played in blind hockey and what they enjoy most about this adaptive sport
- The Gateway Archers beep baseball team and their beep baseball careers
- An award Kyle Borah won for his beep baseball performance and a special message from a well-known St. Louis Cardinals player he received
- Other adaptive sports for the blind they have tried and would like to do more
- Their musical interests
Follow Sean Borah on Twitter at http://twitter.com/real_parmesean. Email him at seanborahz@gmail.com.
Follow Kyle Borah on Twitter at http://twitter.com/kyleborah.
Learn more about the St. Louis Blues Blind Hockey Club at https://www.stlbbhc.com/.
Learn more about the Gateway Archers beep baseball team at https://mindseyeradio.org/programs/beepball-program/gateway-archers/.
In Episode 63 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we visit with Michael Stone, a highly accomplished visually impaired endurance athlete who has competed in over 200 races in his life. He has also gotten into skiing and the biathlon in recent years. This is Part 2 of our conversation. During this segment, Stone spoke about:
- His perspectives on using different types of tethers and other methods of running and swimming with guides
- What inspired him to get into adaptive winter sports like skiing and the biathlon
- How the biathlon works for blind and visually impaired skiers
- His other recreational interests and how he does them as someone with a visual impairment
- His recent goals to help expand the availability of accessible mindfulness and meditation platforms to the blind community
- The relationship with his guide dog from Guiding Eyes for the Blind and how he can both run and ski with his dog
In Episode 62 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we visit with Michael Stone, a highly accomplished visually impaired endurance athlete who has competed in over 200 races in his life. He has also gotten into skiing and the biathlon in recent years. This is Part 1 of our conversation. During this segment, Stone spoke about:
- His early years growing up in the Midwest
- His visual impairment and relatives with the same condition, as well as research being done on degenerative retinal conditions through the Foundation Fighting Blindness and other organizations
- Why he has a positive outlook on having low vision
- Mainstream sports he competed in while he was visually impaired but before he was formally diagnosed, and when he realized it was not safe for him to do certain activities without a guide
- How he got into adaptive sports and the adaptive sports and recreation activities he competed in early on
- His perspective on the blind runner-guide relationship
Check out Stone’s book, Eye Envy: Perspectives into Vision Loss, on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Eye-Envy-Perspectives-into-Vision/dp/1427646740.
In Episode 61 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, our guest is Justin Holland, a blind bodybuilder, beep baseball player, and YouTuber. During the conversation, Holland chatted about:
- His early years, family, etc.
- Sports he played when he was fully sighted
- Losing his vision suddenly and his specific eye condition
- His guide dog from Guiding Eyes for the Blind
- Getting into adaptive sports
- His bodybuilding career and adaptations as a blind bodybuilder
- His beep baseball career
- His YouTube Channel and awareness he has raised about blindness and adaptive sports
- Future goals in sports, career, etc.
- How people can follow him online
Follow Justin Holland on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/justinnhollandd/.
Check out his YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/justinhollandfitness.
Contact him via email at justinhollandfitness@gmail.com.
In Episode 60 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we meet Dan Berlin, a highly accomplished endurance athlete and entrepreneur. Berlin talked about:
- His early years and diagnosis of a visual impairment
- His education and early career
- Getting into adaptive sports and endurance activities
- How he has found guides for running, swimming and cycling and what makes a successful team
- His experience competing in marathons, including the 2013 Boston Marathon and the bombing of that event
- His experience competing in triathlons
- Running in the Grand Canyon and some other cool places he has run in or summited around the world
- Why he started Team See Possibilities and what the mission of the organization is
- His experience working with blind youth and adults around the world, including helping to provide more access to education and adaptive sports
Learn more about Berlin’s organization, Team See Possibilities, as well as an overview of his many adaptive endurance adventures at http://www.teamseepossibilities.com/.
In Episode 59 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, our guest is Dominick Petrillo, a fantasy football writer and expert who happens to be blind. During the conversation, Petrillo discussed:
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- His early years
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- His physical and mental health challenges and how he has managed to overcome this adversity
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- How he follows sports games, info, statistics, etc. as a blind fan, writer, and researcher
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- The sports websites he has written for
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- The technology he uses to make sports information more accessible as a blind individual
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- The most accessible websites for sports information, fantasy sports, and sports gambling
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- His advice for blind individuals who are interested in getting into writing, digital media, fantasy sports, etc.
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- His contact info
Follow Dominick Petrillo on Twitter at http://twitter.com/envisionff.
Check out his perspective on watching the Super Bowl as a blind fan in the following article on The Athletic: https://theathletic.com/3113053/2022/02/09/watching-the-super-bowl-as-a-blind-guy-whats-different-whats-the-same-my-favorite-announcers-and-more/.
In Episode 58 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we chat with Tyson Ready, founder of the Braille Mountain Initiative in western Canada along with Donovan Tildesley, an accomplished Canadian Paralympic swimmer who took a trip with Ready and other blind athletes for an exclusive back-country skiing adventure in January of 2022. Ready and Tildesley spoke about:
- Tildesley’s eye condition and early years competing in sports
- His accomplished Paralympic swimming career with Team Canada and serving as his country’s flag bearer at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing
- The adaptations for blind swimmers
- A Recap of the Braille Mountain Initiative’s back-country skiing trip to Purcell Mountain Lodge this past January
- An overview of the visually impaired skiers and guides
- Highlights of the trip and some funny stories
- The organization’s upcoming trip in April to Sorcerer Lodge
- Contact info and social media handles for both Ready and Tildesley
Learn more about the Braille Mountain Initiative at https://www.braillemountaininitiative.com. Follow the organization on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BrailleMountainInitiative/. Contact Tyson Ready and BMI via email at braillemountaininitiative@outlook.com.
Follow Donovan Tildesley on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/theblindguy_/ and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/donovanspeaks. Check out a video called “The Winter Within” featuring him at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0NT4-6f49k.
In Episode 57 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, our guest is Jillian Ricks, a legally blind certified yoga instructor, massage therapist, dance instructor and enthusiast, and wellness advocate from Tennessee. Ricks discussed:
- Her early life and learning of her visual impairment at a young age
- Getting into dance and how she has made it accessible for herself and her students
- Her college education and numerous certifications in health and wellness
- How she got into yoga and the yoga courses she teaches on Zoom benefiting National Braille Press
- The importance of physical activity and movement for people with disabilities
- The services she offers through Jillian’s Healing Arts Center in Tennessee
Learn more about her center and how to get involved in her virtual yoga classes for the blind and visually impaired at http://jillianshealingartscenter.com. Contact Jillian directly at jillianshealingartscenter@gmail.com.
In Episode 56 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we chat with Dan Guard, the founder and program director of the El Paso Mooses Blind Inline Hockey Club based in El Paso, TX. Guard spoke about:
- How he got into providing adaptive sports programs for kids
- What inspired him to start the El Paso Mooses Blind Inline Hockey Club
- How blind inline hockey works
- An overview of the Mooses team and who can join
- His goals with blind inline hockey and the possibility of it becoming a Paralympic sport in the future
- Benefits of adaptive sports for the blind and visually impaired
Learn More about the el Paso Mooses Blind Inline Hockey Team Learn more about the El Paso Mooses Blind Inline Hockey Club at www.blindhockeymooses.com. Follow the team on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SonicHockeyMooses/.
In Episode 55 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, our guest is Bailey Martin, a freshman at the University of Northern Iowa. Martin talked about:
- Her early years and childhood being fully sighted
- How she became visually impaired practically out of the blue
- Her education and how supportive her teachers and professors have been throughout her schooling years
- Getting back into sports after losing her eyesight and learning other adaptive sports for the blind
- Her experience winning a contest through Orcam to meet other blind athletes and a superstar soccer player
- Her goals with blind soccer and track and field and dreams of competing in the Paralympic Games
Follow Bailey Martin on Instagram at http://instagram.com/bailey_22_martin.
In Episode 54 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we chat with Zach Buhler, a multisport adaptive athlete from Indiana who competed in goalball at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021. He talked about:
- His early years and childhood
- How he lost his sight in his pre-teen years
- Being a military spouse and a Paralympic husband
- How he got introduced to goal ball and beep baseball
- His beep baseball accomplishments as a member of the five-time defending World Series champion Indy Thunder in the National Beep Baseball Association (NBBA)
- His experience at the Tokyo Paralympic Games and his take on how the USA men’s goalball team performed
- Other adaptive sports for the blind he has tried and some he would like to try
- How playing adaptive sports can completely change one’s perspective for the better
Follow Zach on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/buhlerz5 and on Instagram at http://instagram.com/zachbuhler5.
In Episode 53 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we are joined by Dr. Andre Watson, a clinical psychologist who is also a highly accomplished blind adaptive athlete. Dr. Watson discussed:
- His early years and childhood
- What caused him to suddenly go blind at a young age
- His education and some rare opportunities he earned to compete in mainstream sports with other students
- His undergraduate studies at the University of Pittsburgh and graduate work to earn a master’s and Ph.D. from Widener University
- How he got into playing goalball and his many achievements in this adaptive sport for the blind
- His introduction to the martial arts of Tang Soo Do, karate, and judo
- Competing in international judo competitions, including the Paralympic Games, and some unique experiences he has had at them
- His experience playing audio darts and a demo of how this game works
Learn more about audio darts and purchase an audio dart board at www.audiodartmaster.com.
In Episode 52 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we catch up with a former guest, Kyle Coon. A talented paratriathlete, Coon competed in the Paralympic Games over the summer, a world championship event in November, and has taken on a unique job since we last featured him on Episodes 3 and 4 of the podcast. During this conversation, Coon discussed:
- How he was impacted by the delay of the Tokyo Paralympic Games by one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- The qualifying events he competed in leading up to the Paralympics in 2021
- The relationship with his guide, a world-renowned triathlete
- His adventurous trip to Tokyo and finally arriving in the Paralympic Village
- Recapping he and his guide’s paratriathlon event and their finish in the standings
- His take on the dining hall and food he got to eat in Tokyo
- His experience at the 2021 World Triathlon Championship Series in Abu Dhabi
- His role with the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) and “The Blind Spot” interviews he has done with elite blind athletes
- What he thinks is necessary to increase the coverage and awareness of athletes with disabilities
Check out his website at www.kylecoon.com. Follow him on Facebook at https://facebook.com/kylecoonspeaks, on Twitter at https://twitter.com/kyle_coon, and on Instagram at https://instagram.com/eyeronkyle.
Learn more about the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) at https://usaba.org.
In Episode 51 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we feature a discussion about sports and fitness for the blind and visually impaired on a budget. In collaboration with the Penny Forward podcast, this episode features a roundtable discussion. The co-hosts were Chris Peterson, Liz Bottner, and Greg Lindberg. Panelists included Marana Vradenburg, Riley Schmitz, and Mary Stores. The points of discussion include:
- Their backgrounds and involvement in a variety of adaptive sports and activities for the blind and visually impaired, including beep baseball, goalball, blind hockey, running, and martial arts
- Examples of inexpensive and free options for working out at home
- Advice on going to a gym or fitness center as a blind or visually impaired individual
- Tips and tricks on making sports and fitness more affordable for the blind and visually impaired
- Why advocating for oneself is so critical in terms of successfully staying fit and having equal access to fitness options
- Examples of organizations that provide sports and recreation to the blind and visually impaired
Learn more about Penny Forward and the Penny Forward podcast at www.pennyforward.com.
In Episode 50 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, our guest is Trent Ferguson, a 23-year-old totally blind sportscaster and radio commentator in Florida. Ferguson talked about:
- His early years attending public school
- Transitioning to attend the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind (FSDB) in St. Augustine, FL
- His early interest in radio and how this led him to start doing public address announcing at sporting events
- His favorite radio personalities who have inspired him
- His current role with WNZF radio
- How he accesses sports information for both his work and as a fan
- His musical interests and role with the California Toe Jam band
Check out WNZF online at https://www.flaglerbroadcasting.com/wnzf. Catch Ferguson’s sports reports every morning at 25 and 55 after the hour. Listen to the radio show he co-hosts every Saturday morning at 7:30 a.m. Eastern.
Learn more about the band he plays in at https://californiatoejam.com/.
In Episode 49 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we meet Ricky and Christy Jones of STRIVE4You, a nonprofit providing a variety of adaptive sports programs for the blind and visually impaired. They discussed:
- Their personal and professional backgrounds
- Their visual impairments
- How Ricky became involved with the Tennessee Association of Blind Athletes, a chapter of the United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA
- What it’s like being blind parents and some funny stories
- Their two guide dogs and how they get along in the same household
- What inspired them to launch STRIVE4You
- The programs and services they offer through STRIVE4You
- How adaptive sports have impacted their lives and the lives of others around them
Learn more about STRIVE4You and how to get involved in its many adaptive sports opportunities at http://strive4you.org.
In Episode 48 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, our guest is Tom Fisher of the North American Association of Blind Sportsmen (NAABS). Fisher discussed:
- Growing up in the Pacific Northwest
- A diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes at a very young age
- How he went blind and what the process of losing his vision was like for him emotionally
- How he got involved in the North American Association of Blind Sportsmen (NAABS)
- The adaptive outdoor programs and events NAABS offers
- The “Adaptive Pursuits” TV show which has highlighted NAABS and several blind and visually impaired individuals
- Why he says getting into sports and recreation saved his life
Learn more about the North American Association of Blind Sportsmen (NAABS) at http://www.naabs.org. Contact the organization at info@naabs.org.
In Episode 47 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we highlight the Long Island Bombers beep baseball team from New York and its performance at the 2021 National Beep Baseball Association World Series in Wichita, KS. We caught up with Ted Fass, Alex Barrera, and Edgar Erickson of the Bombers to talk about:
- Their personal and professional backgrounds
- Their visual impairments
- How they got into adaptive sports
- How they got into beep baseball and what they enjoy most about it
- The history of the Long Island Bombers
- The 2021 NBBA World Series
- Why blind and visually impaired individuals should try adaptive sports
Learn more about the Long Island Bombers beep baseball team on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LIBombers. Learn more about the National Beep Baseball Association (NBBA) and teams across the U.S. at www.nbba.org.
In Episode 46 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we look back on the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics which just wrapped up from a blind sports perspective. In the first segment, we are joined by Mason Merren, an analyst for the USA men’s goalball team and son of longtime Paralympic goalball player Tyler Merren. Mason discussed:
- Growing up with visually impaired parents
- How he got into his unique role as a goalball analytics coordinator with the United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) after attending Florida Atlantic University
- The outcome of the men’s and women’s goalball competitions at the Tokyo Paralympics
- Some interesting statistics and analysis from the events
- His predictions for goalball moving forward and looking ahead to the 2024 Paralympics in Paris
In the second segment, host Greg Lindberg talked about the results of some Eyes Free Sports guests who competed in this year’s Paralympics (including Lex Gillette and Kyle Coon), the blind football results, some insight on judo, swimming, and the paratriathlon, and some final thoughts on the Games.
In Episode 45 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, our guest is Drew Hunthausen. Known as “The No Excuses Blind Guy,” he talked about:
- His early childhood and the numerous sports he played when he was still fully sighted
- A sudden diagnosis and why he spent three months in a coma
- The long road he endured when awakening from the coma and its resulting effects on him physically
- The first sport he got into after losing his sight and hearing and how freeing it felt to him
- Getting involved in the Blind Stokers Club and how this led him into doing triathlons
- Some adaptations he uses as a blind and hearing impaired triathlete
- Why he adopted the nickname “The No Excuses Blind Guy”
Learn more about Drew Hunthausen at www.drewhunthausen.com. Follow him on Facebook at http://facebook.com/drewhunthausen. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/drewhunthausen. Check out his Instagram page at http://instagram.com/drewhunthausen.
In Episode 44 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we preview the Tokyo Paralympics from a blind sports perspective. In the first segment, our guest is Lucy Dominy, the media and communications manager of the International Blind Sports Federation. She discussed:
- What the International Blind Sports Federation is and which sports for the blind and visually impaired the governing body oversees
- An overview of goalball and a preview of the teams and matchups at the Tokyo Paralympics
- An overview of five-aside soccer (a.k.a. blind soccer or blind football) and a preview of the upcoming matchups at the Tokyo Paralympics
- An overview of the blind judo competitors competing in the Tokyo Paralympics
In the second segment, host Greg Lindberg reviews a few of the Eyes Free Sports guests who will be competing in the Paralympic Games this year, along with some news about watching the games with audio description and the improvement of some web accessibility for blind and visually impaired fans to more easily follow the games.
Learn more about the International Blind Sports Federation at https://ibsasport.org/.
Learn more about the 2020 Tokyo Summer Paralympic Games at https://www.paralympic.org/tokyo-2020.
In Episode 43 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, our guest is Bob Babbitt, a co-founder of the Challenged Athletes Foundation. Babbitt discussed:
- How he got into endurance sports and his first Ironman event
- What inspired him to help launch the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF)
- Who is eligible for a CAF grant
- What these grants can actually cover for challenged athletes
- Examples of events and clinics CAF puts on
- Examples of blind and visually impaired athletes he has gotten to know and their unique stories
- Why he says he has so much respect for blind athletes
- How sports have transformed the lives of so many individuals he has met over the years
Learn more about the Challenged Athletes Foundation at www.challengedathletes.org.
Learn more about Bob Babbitt and find his podcast at www.babbittville.com.
In episode 42 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we catch up with Dave Wilkinson, a blind triathlete, marathoner, and Ironman competitor who has a great sense of humor. Wilkinson spoke about:
- How his mom discovered his visual impairment of Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis (LCA)
- What led him to work in Iceland as a young man
- Attending and working for New York University (NYU)
- His work in assistive technology for a number of well-known companies and meeting his future wife at a conference
- Recreational activities he participated in as a youth
- Getting involved in Ski For Light and then trying a 5K for the first time
- His perspective on the keys to having a successful guide if you are a visually impaired runner or swimmer
- Completing the Louisville Ironman event a few years ago after being involved in a serious car accident
- His advice on how to get into sports and recreation if you are visually impaired and haven’t been active before or for a long time
Contact Dave by email at dave@speedyturtle.net.
Visit www.reliableracing.com to find the orange vest he has worn to indicate to others that he is visually impaired when running or skiing.
Learn more about Ironman races, what they are, and a schedule of upcoming events at www.ironman.com.
In Episode 41 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we are joined by two sisters who play blind hockey, Vicki Vanturini McDermott and Christine Vanturini Callagy. They talked about:
- Growing up with Stargardt disease
- Getting into hockey through the Pawling Youth Hockey Program in New York
- How Christine got to do an internship with Courage Canada, now called Canadian Blind Hockey
- What it meant to them to experience blind hockey for the first time
- Their favorite positions to play on the ice
- Their perspectives on being the only females on the U.S. Blind Hockey National Team and how they can introduce more females to the sport
Learn more about blind hockey in the U.S. at https://www.usahockey.com/blindhockey.
Learn more about the Canadian Blind Hockey Association at https://canadianblindhockey.com/.
In Episode 40 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we visit with highly accomplished beep baseball player and advocate Kalari Girtley-Jackson. She spoke about:
- Suddenly becoming visually impaired at the age of six
- Growing up in Chicago and playing sports as a young girl
- How she discovered beep baseball
- How getting involved in beep baseball has transformed her outlook in so many ways
- Why she says she feels “normal” when she is at a beep baseball event
- A funny story about when she was interning with the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB)
- Her involvement in the Women of Our League (WOOL) exhibition game at the World Series each year and her goal for an all-women’s team to compete against the entire league
- Her appearance on the MLB Network to raise awareness about beep baseball thanks to the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF)
- A contest through Orcam she won in which she traveled to Barcelona, Spain to meet several blind athletes from around the world and a soccer superstar
- Why she says blindness is a “universal language”
In Episode 39 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, our guest is Richard Thomsen of the American Blind Skiing Foundation. Thompson talked about:
- His early years and visual impairment
- Attending camps for visually impaired kids
- Sports he initially tried as a kid, including football and wrestling
- His college education and his current bachelor’s program at the College of Lake County
- His experience doing web design and social media marketing through his own small business
- How he initially got interested in skiing
- The history of the American Blind Skiing Foundation (ABSF)
- How ABSF guides work to help guide blind and visually impaired skiers
- Examples of ski trips members have taken and how the organization helps cover many of the expenses for skiers
- The adaptations of snowboarding for the blind
- The guide clinics ABSF puts on to train guides on the specifics of guiding blind and visually impaired skiers
- The camaraderie and support among the skiers
Learn more about the American Blind Skiing Foundation at www.absf.org. Follow ABSF on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AmericanBlindSkiingFoundation/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/americanblindskiingfoundation/.
Learn more about Thomsen’s web design and marketing business at http://tnt-concepts.com.
In Episode 38 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we talk to 11-year-old Isaiah Bingham, a visually impaired athlete from Delaware, along with his father, Bernard Bingham. The two discussed:
- Where Isaiah was born and his visual impairment
- How Bernard and his wife took action early in Isaiah’s life to help him
- The initial sports Isaiah got into starting around age four
- How he got into playing football, the positions he plays, and the unique nickname his coach gave him
- Isaiah’s clothing line and book he is publishing
- The numerous media interviews and other unique opportunities Isaiah has had in his life already
- The community service work Isaiah has already done to help the homeless and kids in need
Check out Isaiah’s website at www.vision322020.com. Follow him on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/vision2020ceo/ and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/bernard_bingham. Check out his Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/vision2020CEO/.
In Episode 37 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we visit with Kevin Shanley. One of the “founding fathers” of blind hockey in the United States, Shanley spoke about:
- Growing up in Boston, MA and why his parents always let him hang out with fully sighted kids
- Attending Saint Michael's College in Vermont and then Clarkson University in New York
- Finding his niche in engineering and starting his career with IBM
- Interning with the Naval Research Lab in its marine meteorology division
- Going back to school for a master’s degree from UMass Boston and returning to Clarkson University for a Ph.D.
- Working for Rolls-Royce on the gas turbine engines of aircraft
- Changing careers and going into higher education to help launch a new mechanical engineering program at the State University of New York (SUNY) in New Paltz, NY
- Playing beep baseball for the Boston Renegades for one season
- How he got into playing hockey as an adult with fully sighted peers but then discovering Courage Canada, now known as the Canadian Blind Hockey Association
- Competing in the first national Canadian blind hockey tournament and how he felt so accepted by the camaraderie of the players
- How he helped arrange the first-ever blind hockey summit in the U.S.
- The adaptations and rules of blind hockey
- The possibility of blind hockey getting into the Paralympics in 2026
- How several NHL clubs have supported local blind hockey programs
- His guide dog, Bo, from Freedom Guide Dogs and the tremendous benefits of this partnership
Learn more about blind hockey in the U.S. at https://www.usahockey.com/blindhockey. Learn more about blind hockey in Canada at https://canadianblindhockey.com.
In Episode 36 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we learn about blind golf. Our two guests, Greg Hooper and Ty Thompson of the United States Blind Golf Association (USBGA), spoke about:
- Their personal lives, careers, and their unique visual impairments
- A history of the USBGA and its connection to the International Blind Golf Association (IBGA)
- The adaptations of golf for the blind and visually impaired
- The relationship between the blind golfer and his or her coach
- How a golf course is identified for a blind golf tournament
- How the two have helped get visually impaired kids into playing golf
- The benefits of playing this great sport and the family atmosphere of the USBGA
Learn more about blind golf and the USBGA at www.usblindgolf.com. Follow the USBGA on Facebook at https://facebook.com/USBGA and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/us_blind_golf.
In Episode 35 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we visit with blind long distance runner and marathoner Abigail Shaw. She talked about:
- Her diagnosis of a visual impairment at age four
- Attending Appalachian State University to earn a bachelor’s in music and audio production and Fordham University for a Master of Social Work
- Her guide dog from the Running Guides program at Guiding Eyes for the Blind and a special harness to make running with her dog more efficient
- How she got involved in running with Achilles International, an organization that helps engage people with disabilities in running and other recreational activities
- The half-marathons, marathons, and triathlons she has competed in
- What she enjoys most about running and how accepting the running community is for people of diverse abilities
- Her job with Learning Ally, an organization providing audiobooks and mentoring to students who are visually impaired, dyslexic, or have other challenges
- Her advocacy work on the Advisory Committee on Transit Accessibility through the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in New York
Learn more about Achilles International at http://www.achillesinternational.org. Learn more about Learning Ally at http://learningally.org.
In Episode 34 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we chat with deaf blind athlete Brian Switzer of Massachusetts. Switzer, who has competed in a number of sports and challenging running events, discussed:
- His early years growing up in Massachusetts
- Being diagnosed with Usher syndrome at a young age, which meant both a visual and hearing impairment
- Earning dual undergraduate degrees in economics and philosophy with a minor in German from Stonehill College
- Earning a master’s in public policy with a focus on disability policy from Suffolk University and his current master’s program at UMass-Boston
- Working at the Perkins School for the Blind in the Career Launch program to help prepare young people with visual impairments for employment
- Several sports he initially played and then how he got into running
- Playing beep baseball with the Boston Renegades
- Competing in the Equinox Marathon in Alaska, one of the world’s most challenging races
- Competing in the Radnar Relay Ultra in New Hampshire
- The adaptations of running for blind individuals and the relationship between blind runners and their sighted guides
- The concept of rucking and an event he competed in for Heroes in Transition to help veterans
- His guide dog from Guiding Eyes for the Blind
- Accessibility testing he has done on running apps like RunKeeper and Strava
Check out his Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/briandeafblindathlete/.
Find his two books on Amazon: 1) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Y6MRD99/ref=cm_sw_r_em_api_glt_BP5ENYHYR7H082B65CBR 2) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D3Z6ZM8/ref=cm_sw_r_em_api_glt_B6ZMFKZ58S1DWDHRA53Y
Check out the Career Launchpad Facebook Group he manages for young visually impaired individuals seeking employment or professional development at https://www.facebook.com/groups/2497533623910676/?ref=share. Learn more about the Career Launch program at Perkins at https://www.perkins.org/school/transition-programs/career-launch.
For a text transcript of this podcast episode, visit: https://greglindberg.net/index.php?id=the-eyes-free-sports-podcast-ep-34-running-with-deaf-blind-athlete-brian-switzer-podcast-transcript.
In Episode 33 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, Joshua “The Jedi” Loya is our guest. In Part 2 of our chat with Loya, he talked about:
- Getting to work with an Olympic alternate who helped train Ronda Rousey
- How he got into surfing and the unique intersection between surfing and judo
- Competing in the U.S. Open Adaptive Surfing Championships and a national event as well
- Competing in the AmpSurf ISA World Para Surfing Championship
- What slack lining is
- The importance of athletes surrounding themselves with positive coaches and actually enjoying the sports they compete in
- Why he believes blind and visually impaired people should take some risks and do some “scary things”
- His Adventure Mind podcast and initiative to get more blind people into surfing
- What it’s like skydiving as a blind individual
- Jumping off the Stratosphere building in Las Vegas
- His personal mental health challenges and strategies he uses to cope
Follow him on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/joshuathejedi/, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JoshuaTheJedi/, and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/servantwarrior.
Learn more about his podcast at www.adventuremind.net and feel free to contact him at joshua@adventuremind.net.
In Episode 32 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, Joshua “The Jedi” Loya is our guest. In Part 1 of our chat with Loya, he talked about:
- Growing up in Santa Cruz, CA
- Having limited vision as a child
- How he suddenly went totally blind at age 15 but why this actually improved his quality of life
- Getting into martial arts
- How he and his wife got into running a Dojo and how he has adapted when teaching martial arts techniques to blind and visually impaired students
- His involvement with Blind Community Martial Arts in San Diego, CA
- How martial arts and self-defense go hand-in-hand
Learn more about Joshua “The Jedi” Loy at http://servantwarrior.me.
Find his Adventure Mind podcast on all major podcast platforms.
In Episode 31 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, Kevin Broussard of the United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) is our guest. Broussard talked about:
- His early years growing up in San Clemente, CA
- His visual impairment
- A dinnertable conversation he recalls having had at age eight and how this conversation ultimately changed his mindset as a young man with a disability
- Playing offensive line on his high school football team
- A high school coach who gave him a chance at track and field
- The first blind sports event he attended in 2007 at the Junior Blind of America (now Wayfinder Family Services)
- Competing in the World Youth Games
- Competing on the track and field team at the University of La Verne in California
- Competing and winning medals in the 2011 and 2015 World Championships in track and field
- The adaptations of the discus and shotput for blind and visually impaired competitors
- Getting into judo and the adaptations of this sport for the blind
- His role working for USABA
- His interest in blind soccer and a description of this sport
- His thoughts on why the unemployment rate in the disability community has remained high and some advice on how job candidates can increase their chances of finding gainful employment
Visit www.talksbykevin.com to learn more about his story, watch some of his videos/speeches, and to follow him on social media.
Learn more about the United States Association of Blind Athletes at www.usaba.org.
In Episode 30 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, host Greg Lindberg speaks about a book he just finished reading. The book is titled Seeing Home: The Ed Lucas Story – A Blind Broadcaster's Story of Overcoming Life's Greatest Obstacles. Greg provided a brief overview of the book without giving away too many details. His life has included getting to know some U.S. presidents, Hall of Fame baseball players from the 1930s to the present, having four guide dogs from The Seeing Eye, and finding ways to persevere in many aspects of his life despite being blind since age 12. Lucas was also inducted into the Irish-American Baseball Hall of Fame which is recognized by the main Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.
Check out the book on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Seeing-Home-Broadcasters-Overcoming-Obstacles/dp/147678583X and on Audible at https://www.audible.com/pd/Seeing-Home-The-Ed-Lucas-Story-Audiobook/B00VKSCMD4.
Learn more about the Ed Lucas Foundation at www.theedlucasfoundation.org.
In Episode 29 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we hit the skatepark to learn all about skateboarding for the blind and visually impaired. Guests Matt Janz and Curtis Ruttle of Calgary, Alberta, Canada spoke about:
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Matt’s background and attending the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) and the University of Calgary to earn journalism and communications degrees
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His volunteer work in teaching skateboarding and how he got into low vision skateboarding
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His visual impairment and how his parents spotted it quickly when he was a youngster since he has an inherited condition
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How Curtis attends a self-directed high school program
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Curtis’ involvement in skiing with Canadian Adaptive Snowsports and playing blind hockey through the Calgary Seeing Ice Dogs and Canadian Blind Hockey
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How they each got into skateboarding, including Matt’s introduction to skateboarding while living in Vancouver and how Curtis was introduced to the sport by Matt
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The unique Skate Bats program Matt started to offer skateboarding lessons to visually impaired kids
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Curtis’ Alt Route program and how he got grant funding through the CNIB Youth Council
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The adaptations Curtis and Matt have come up with to make skate parks more accessible using some very creative techniques for both low vision and totally blind participants
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How blind skateboarders can actually use a white cane to help guide them
Learn more about Skate Bats at www.skatebats.ca and on Instagram at http://instagram.com/skatebats.
Learn more about the Alt Route project at www.altroute.ca and on Instagram at http://instagram.com/altrouteprojects.ca.
In Episode 28 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, Tim McCorkle of Ski for Light, Inc. joins the conversation to speak about:
- Growing up in Juneau, Alaska and the winter sports he learned to love as a youngster, especially cross-country skiing
- Being diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative retinal condition
- Jobs he has had working in accounting and finance
- How he discovered Ski for Light, Inc. and got involved in cross-country skiing as a blind individual
- The history of the Ski for Light organization and how it was born out of an effort from a blind musician in Norway in the 1950s
- How the ski guides are trained and what information they verbally provide to help blind skiers navigate the terrain on which they are skiing
- The weeklong Ski for Light international event held annually since 1975
- How a location is identified for the Ski for Light international events
- The 2021 virtual Ski for Light event being held from Jan. 27-30, 2021
- His experience skiing at the Ridderrennet (“Knights race” in English”) event in Beitostolen, Norway in 2014
- How skiing has benefited his orientation and mobility to be a better independent blind traveler
Learn more about Ski for Light, Inc. at http://www.sfl.org. Check out their Facebook page at http://facebook.com/skiforlight and follow Ski for Light on Twitter at http://twitter.com/skiforlight.
In Episode 27 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, blind skier Tyson Ready of the Braille Mountain Initiative was our guest. Ready spoke about:
- His early years and how he got into winter sports like hockey and skiing
- Why he suddenly lost a significant amount of vision in 2018 and 2019
- Working as a back-country ski guide for Great Canadian Heliskiing
- Getting services from the CNIB and Canadian Assistive Technology
- Receiving an Orcam device from the Canadian Ski Guide Association
- What inspired him to create the Braille Mountain Initiative, a nonprofit he recently started to bring back-country skiing experiences to blind and visually impaired skiers
- The upcoming back-country skiing trip he has planned for April 2021
- The adaptations of skiing for those with visual impairments and specifically how back-country skiing offers far more opportunity for independence for blind skiers
- Other mountain sports he hopes to incorporate into his organization
Learn more about the Braille Mountain Initiative at http://www.braillemountaininitiative.com and on Facebook at http://facebook.com/braillemountaininitiative.
Tyson welcomes email contact at braillemountaininitiative@outlook.com.
In Episode 26 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, beep baseball star player Erik Rodriguez joined host Greg Lindberg to talk about:
- A rare genetic condition causing a visual impairment that he and some of his siblings have had since birth
- Attending the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired and getting into sports like wrestling while there
- How he was introduced to beep baseball at age 10 when he attended the 2008 National Beep Baseball Association World Series
- Starting his beep baseball career with the Chicago Comets and then transitioning to the Indy Thunder
- How he has helped the Indy Thunder win the past four National Beep Baseball Association World Series titles
- His take on how to be a successful beep baseball fielder, runner, and hitter
- What the sport of beep baseball means to him in his life
- His experience playing goalball
- His current career and future goals
Learn more about beep baseball and the National Beep Baseball Association at www.nbba.org.
In Episode 25 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we discuss trail orienteering for the blind. Our two guests, Russ Myer and Megan Hale, discussed:
- How Myer got into helping people with disabilities -
- His involvement with World Para Nordic Skiing and International Orienteering Federation
- The Capital Region Nordic Alliance in Albany, NY and its adaptive sports programs for local residents with disabilities
- Hale’s visual impairment and current degree program she is working on at Hudson Valley Community College
- How Hale got into blind sports by attending Camp Abilities events in New York and then joining the track and field teams at her middle school, high school, and college
- Her guide dog, Hero, from Guiding Eyes for the Blind’s Running Guides program
- Myer’s work with Microsoft on the development and beta testing of a more robust version of the Microsoft Soundscape mobile app to be used for trail orienteering
- The various sounds that are used to indicate a trail orienteering competitor’s whereabouts in relation to the virtual beacons within a course
- Hale’s experience with trail orienteering and the differences between using her white cane or being guided by her dog on the course
- Hale’s enjoyment of participating in adaptive sports and how rewarding it is to independently compete in sports as someone with a disability
- What Myer has seen in terms of how positively sports and recreation have impacted the lives of people with disabilities
Learn more about the Capital Region Nordic Alliance in New York at www.capitalregionnordicalliance.org.
Contact Russ Myer directly to learn more about trail orienteering or to get involved by emailing him at russmyer08@gmail.com.
Learn more about the Microsoft Soundscape project at https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/product/soundscape/. Download the Soundscape iPhone app at https://apps.apple.com/us/app/microsoft-soundscape/id1240320677.
In Episode 24 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, Fred Nickl of the American Blind Bowling Association is our guest. Nickl discussed:
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- How he suddenly lost his vision from an accident
- Why losing a job actually helped him get into blind bowling
- The adaptations of bowling for the blind and visually impaired
- The history of the American Blind Bowling Association (ABBA)
- The annual national tournament the ABBA puts on and how the locations are selected for these tournaments
- The social aspects of the tournaments like the dance and exploring the locations of each event
- International participation in blind bowling and some unique rules in other countries
Learn more about the American Blind Bowling Association and blind bowling in general at www.abba1951.com.
In Episode 23 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, all-around young blind athlete Damian Parra joins host Greg Lindberg to discuss:
- Why he suddenly lost a good amount of vision around age three
- Why his family moved from New York to Seattle to give Damian a better future
- How he got into playing blind sports by attending the Washington State School for the Blind (WSSB)
- How he got into goalball and competing in goalball tournaments
- His first national goalball tournament at the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind (FSDB) in St. Augustine, FL and an Austin, TX national tournament in 2019
- Getting to play with a goalball team from British Columbia in another tournament thanks to decorated Paralympic goalball athlete Jen Armbruster
- His involvement in the USA Goal Ball Facebook Group and how it has inspired him in many ways
- His advice for being successful at goalball
- How he got into powerlifting and the most he has lifted
- How he got into swimming
- The training programs he has taken from Youth Employment Solutions through the Washington State Department of Services for the Blind
- His career goals and one profession he hopes to attain
In Episode 22 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, accomplished blind water sports athlete Scott Leason joined the conversation to talk about:
- Growing up in Newport Beach, CA
- The sports he enjoyed playing growing up
- His seven-year stint in the U.S. Navy and how this military experience shaped him as a young man
- The story of how he lost his vision due to an event that nearly took his life
- Attending the Braille Institute and the Foundation for the Junior Blind to learn independent living skills
- How he was introduced to water sports at the Blind Community Center of San Diego
- Competing in events through the Challenged Athletes Foundation and CAF’s Operation Rebound program for veterans
- His accomplishments in water skiing, surfing, and wakeboarding
- The adaptations of water sports like water skiing, surfing, and wakeboarding
- Competing in Ironman events
- His involvement with the Blind Stokers Club
- How his Apple Watch has been a helpful and accessible tool in his sports and fitness endeavors
- Getting three guide dogs from The Seeing Eye
- The positive impact of being involved in sports as a blind individual
Check out Leason’s Never Lose Sight Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/neverloosesight/
In Episode 21 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, Dawn Wells of Angel Eyes Fitness and Nutrition is our guest. Wells, who has dubbed herself “Sista Fitness,” discussed:
- Why she attended 19 schools while growing up
- Serving in the Marine Corps for four years and the Army Reserves for seven years
- How a bulimia diagnosis changed her life for the better and led her into fitness
- How she got into teaching fitness classes, specifically Zumba at first
- An introduction to the blind community when she unexpectedly was invited to teach a Zumba class at an NFB of Georgia state convention in 2014
- What inspired her to start Angel Eyes Fitness and Nutrition in 2017 as a formal nonprofit organization
- The nine programs she offers through the nonprofit
- How she verbally describes her fitness classes and uses methods like the clock face to ensure all participants understand the instructions
- A partnership her organization established to offer free Uber rides for participants in her fitness classes to attend classes on site at locations around the country
- How she got involved in offering free Zoom fitness classes for the American Council of the Blind
- The nutrition programs and meal plans she has developed based on a person’s blood type, thanks to her research on Dr. Peter D’Adamo and his “Eat Right for Your Blood Type” concept
- Why she believes making fitness fun is the key to long-term success and positive results
Visit https://angeleyesfitnessandnutrition.org/
to learn more about her nonprofit organization and its unique services.
In Episode 20 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, blind hockey goalie Doug Goist joined the conversation to talk about:
- His early years and how active he was as a child playing sports
- When he started to notice something was wrong with his vision
- Attending college at Wake Forest University and earning a bachelor’s degree in English
- His work in journalism and as a transcriptionist
- How he unexpectedly got into blind hockey and why he thought his friend was making it up at first
- How blind hockey is played
- The vision classifications of blind hockey players and the positions they typically play based on their levels of vision
- His role on the ice as a goalie
- Playing with the Washington Blind Hockey Club and the U.S. Blind Hockey team
- Competing in the first-ever international blind hockey series of games vs. Canada
- If he thinks blind hockey will get into the Paralympics and what has to happen for this to occur
- Advice for anyone interested in playing blind hockey
- His job with the National Industries for the Blind (NIB) and his efforts to help blind individuals land jobs
- Some advice for blind and visually impaired job candidates on what they can do to advocate for themselves during the job search and interview process
Learn more about USA Blind Hockey and the sport of blind hockey at https://www.usahockey.com/blindhockey.
Check out the Washington Blind Hockey Club site at https://dcblindhockey.org/.
In Episode 19 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we feature Part 2 of our conversation with Paralympian and fitness guru Tyler Merren. Merren talked about:
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- How he and his wife, Leanne, met through goal ball and what parenting is like when both parents are visually impaired
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- The audio described fitness videos he has created for the USABA Facebook page during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, as well as the United We Move challenge to get blind individuals more active through the use of a Fitbit
- What inspired him to start ReVision Training, LLC and his goal to create a one-stop subscription service for sports and recreation training content for the blind and visually impaired through a smartphone app
- Why he started a Facebook group and YouTube channel with accessible content for blind and visually impaired athletes or those wanting to get into fitness
- His work as a personal trainer
- His advice of a four-step process for anyone who is blind or low vision and what they can do to start being more physically active and leading a healthier lifestyle
Visit his Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/492112998046718/.
Check out his YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEtd0CZcXwymcY2W6oRQX0w.
In Episode 18 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we feature Part 1 of our conversation with Paralympic medalist and personal trainer Tyler Merren. In this part of our discussion, Merren spoke about:
- His take on the meaning of a champion, whether it’s in sports or in any other aspect of our lives
- His early years and losing his eyesight as a young teenager
- How his parents first reacted to his vision loss diagnosis of retinitis pigmentosa (RP)
- How he was introduced to goal ball at a blind sports clinic at Western Michigan University and how he quickly became good enough to compete nationally and internationally
- Competing in the Paralympic Games and how it feels to walk into a Paralympic stadium sporting the red, white, and blue of Team USA
- His first Paralympics in Athens, Greece in 2004 and what it was like defeating Team Canada in the men’s goal ball bronze medal match, 5-4
- How the goal ball matches are structured and scheduled in the Paralympics
- How goal ball is played and a brief history of the sport
- The keys to being a successful goal ball player
Catch Part 2 of our interview with Tyler Merren in Episode 19 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast.
Check out his website at www.tylermerren.com.
Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tylermerren.
In Episode 17 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, host Greg Lindberg is joined by Air Force veteran, author, and yoga enthusiast Marty Klein of Blind Yoga. Klein discussed:
- His pre-blindness childhood and how he was into playing many sports as a boy
- Serving in the U.S. Air Force before having to leave the military due to his visual impairment
- His accomplishments in billiards
- The work he has done in the counseling field spanning 45 years
- How he got interested in yoga
- What inspired him to create the Blind Yoga programs
- His audio-described yoga programs and how they are designed for blind individuals, as well as how they teach a visually impaired person how to advocate for themselves if they are in a yoga class with mainly sighted participants
- The physical and mental benefits of doing yoga for anyone, but especially for people with disabilities or other ongoing challenges
- The books he has written on a variety of blindness topics
- A documentary film he wrote and directed on wounded and disabled military veterans transitioning back into civilian life and the epidemic of veteran suicide
Visit www.blindyoga.net to learn more about and purchase Klein’s Blind Yoga audio yoga programs.
Check out Klein’s six-minute yoga flow with narration at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV2KxhM0Dm8.
Check out the Blind Yoga Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/BlindYogaMartyKlein/.
Watch his film, Why Can’t We Serve, with captions and audio description by visiting the following link and using the following password: https://vimeo.com/284206434 and the password is Marty2. Learn more about the film at www.whycantweserve.com.
His memoir, Blindsighted: One Man’s Journey from Sight to Insight, is available on BARD. His books can also be found on Amazon.
In Episode 16 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we caught up with Lex Gillette, one of the top blind track and field athletes in the world and multiple-time beep baseball champion. Gillette discussed:
- How he suddenly lost his vision at age eight
- Attending mainstream schools and then East Carolina University for college
- His successful beep baseball career playing with the West Coast Dawgs
- How he got into track and field
- What adaptations a blind long jumper uses to succeed in this sport and the relationship with his track and field guide
- What life is like at the Paralympic Games both while competing and in the Olympic Village
- Tandem biking with the Blind Stokers Club
- One blind sport he’d really like to try but never has
- How he has dealt with the Paralympic Games being postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- His new book, FLY: Find Your Own Wings and Soar Above Life’s Challenges
- How he made a connection with Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey
- His unique Air Jordan video series on Twitter in which he has raised awareness about how a blind person handles daily tasks
Check out his website where you can also purchase his book at http://www.lexgillette.com.
Follow him on Facebook at
http://facebook.com/lexgillette, on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lexgillette, and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/lexgillette.
In Episode 15 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, world champion blind sailor Lucy Hodges MBE joined us to discuss the exhilarating sport of blind sailing. She talked about:
- Her visual impairment
- Other sports she enjoyed prior to getting into sailing as a teenager
- How her dad got her into sailing
- The adaptations of sailing without sight
- The different vision classifications of blind sailors
- Some of the events she has competed in and the titles she has won in blind sailing
- The nonprofit, Blind Sailing UK, in which she is involved
- Advice for blind and low vision individuals who are interested in getting into sailing
Learn more about Blind Sailing UK at http://gbrblindsailing.co.uk. Follow Blind Sailing UK on Facebook at http://facebook.com/blindsailinguk and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/blindsailinggbr.
Follow Lucy Hodges MBE on Facebook at http://facebook.com/LucyHodgesMBE and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lucyloosailing.
To learn more about blind sailing resources around the world, check out the Blind Sailing International website at http://www.blindsailinginternational.com.
In Episode 14 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we visit with Bryce Weiler, an ardent disability advocate, sports commentator, and all-around talented young man. Wiler talked about:
- His visual impairment
- How he was mainstreamed in public schools before enrolling in the Indiana School for the Blind where he graduated from high school in 2010
- His college experience attending the University of Evansville and Western Illinois University
- How he got into sports broadcasting in college doing color commentary for radio broadcasts of University of Evansville athletic events
- How he has worked with various play-by-play announcers and has adapted to their styles to be an effective color commentator
- How he prepares for a game broadcast and how many hours are involved in this process
- How and why he co-founded The Beautiful Lives Project
- Types of unique sporting events his nonprofit has put on for kids and adults with disabilities
- His work to make stadiums and arenas more accessible to fans with disabilities
- His role as the disability consultant for the Baltimore Orioles and how he got the team to wear Braille jerseys during a regular season game in 2018
Learn more about The Beautiful Lives Project at http://www.beautifullives.org. Follow Weiler on Twitter at http://twitter.com/bryceweiler.
Check out a sample of his color commentary of a University of Evansville soccer match at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2hlMPoWHnY
In Episode 13 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, Katie Atkinson and Noah Beckman of Ohio Blind Soccer join the conversation to talk about:
- Their backgrounds and how each got involved in blind sports
- Atkinson’s educational and professional background in working with blind individuals
- Beckman’s childhood and sports he played growing up being visually impaired
- Why Atkinson started Ohio Blind Soccer and her role as a coach
- Beckman’s introduction to blind soccer and what he enjoys most about playing this adapted sport
- The rules of blind soccer, a.k.a. five-aside soccer or blind football
- The benefits of playing blind soccer and other sports for blind and visually impaired individuals
Learn more about Ohio Blind Soccer at https://ohioblindsoccer.weebly.com/. Follow Ohio Blind Soccer on Facebook at http://facebook.com/ohioblindsoccer and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/blindohio.
Check out some of Katie Atkinson’s blind soccer training videos on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFvZ-GuHU1A2vdzTCy2xkmw?view_as=subscriber
In this episode of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, Stephen Guerra of the National Beep Baseball Association (NBBA) joined the conversation to discuss:
- His visual impairment
- His childhood and early years
- His college years attending and graduating from Hofstra University
- His career working in assistive technology and running his own business
- How he was first introduced to blind sports, including goal ball and beep baseball
- How he got involved in the National Beep Baseball Association (NBBA)
- The history of beep baseball and the movers and shakers within the NBBA
- The international reach of beep baseball and specifically how the Austin Blackhawks have led this effort
- What blind baseball is and how this sport differs from beep baseball
- What it would take to get beep baseball into the Paralympic Games
Learn more about the National Beep Baseball Association (NBBA) at www.nbba.org.
In Episode 11 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, hear Part 2 of our interview with Michelle Jorgensen, a blind MMA and judo competitor who has won 15 medals. Jorgensen discussed:
- What it was like competing in the 2020 IBSA Pan American Championships in judo in Montreal back in January
- Who she faced in the competition and the dramatic three-round match she had with this competitor from Uruguay
- The calm attitude she had before the competition and how it helped her
- The ultimate outcome of the competition
- The unique dynamics of an international competition with so many languages and cultures coming together in one place
- How blind and visually impaired athletes are classified in the Paralympics
- The accepting and welcoming nature of the MMA and judo communities
- Advice for blind and visually impaired individuals on what first step they can take to get involved in MMA or judo
In case you missed it, listen to Episode 10 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast to hear Part 1 of our interview with Michelle Jorgensen. You can follow her on Instagram at @embracedchaos93.
In Episode 10 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we feature Part 1 of Greg Lindberg’s interview with mixed martial arts competitor Michelle Jorgensen. She discussed:
- Her eye condition
- The challenges of finding sports to play as a visually impaired child
- Her introduction to mixed martial arts (MMA) in 2017 after taking a self-defense class
- How she got into judo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and Muay Thai kickboxing
- Unique strategies she uses as a blind MMA competitor
- How she started working with Kathy Hubble, a highly accomplished Canadian National Judo champion and coach
Listen to Episode 11 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast to hear Part 2 of our interview with Michelle Jorgensen. You can follow her on Instagram at @embracedchaos93.
In Episode 9 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, Dave White and Jaime Gonzalez of the Blind Stokers Club talk with host Greg Lindberg about:
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How the club started from a small event in 2005
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The roles of the sighted captain and blind stoker when riding together on a tandem bike
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The social benefits and enjoyment of tandem cycling
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The club’s annual Cycling For Sight event
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Other events the club has hosted
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Some unique virtual rides the club has done in the midst of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
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How interested riders can connect with a potential tandem partner, whether you are sighted or visually impaired, around the U.S.
Learn more about the Blind Stokers Club in San Diego, CA at www.blindstokersclub.org.
In Episode 8 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, Greg Lindberg talks to Pam McGonigle, a Paralympic gold medalist and currently the director of development at the United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA). She discusses:
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- Her family and guide dog, Maida, who actually runs with her and was trained through the Running Guides Program at Guiding Eyes for the Blind
- Her role with USABA
- Competing in four Paralympic Games in 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004 and winning medals in track and field
- A variety of sports for the blind and visually impaired
- Specific events and opportunities offered by USABA
Learn more about the United States Association of Blind Athletes at www.usaba.org.
In Episode 7 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, certified personal trainer and aerobics instructor Leslie Spoone joined the conversation to talk about:
- Simple physical exercises blind and visually impaired individuals can do from home during the Coronavirus pandemic or at any other time
- How to do chair yoga
- Using a white cane to perform certain individual exercises or exercises with other individuals
- Strategies to make inaccessible exercise equipment more accessible to blind and visually impaired users
- The fact that more blind and visually impaired individuals are very active than many stereo types portray
Leslie welcomes questions and comments at lesliespoone@cfl.rr.com. As mentioned during the podcast episode, she will also be holding some free Zoom conference calls on chair yoga through the American Council of the Blind. More details on these calls can be found here.
In Episode 6 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, Greg Lindberg talks to Denzell Ferges, a goal ball player from Maryland. They discuss how he became visually impaired as a child, how he got into goal ball, the rules of the game, how the sport of goal ball has changed his life for the better, and his goals within the sport.
Learn more about the blind sport of goal ball on the USABA website here. Check out the USA Goal Ball Facebook group for an active community of goal ball enthusiasts.
In Episode 5 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, Greg Lindberg chats with Enrique Oliu, the longtime color commentator for the Tampa Bay Rays’ Spanish radio broadcasts. Oliu, who is totally blind, discusses: - Why he immigrated from Nicaragua to Costa Rica and then to Florida - How he lost his eyesight - His experience attending the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind - How he initially got into broadcasting - How he joined the Rays’ Spanish broadcast team in their inaugural season of 1998 - How he prepares for each game broadcast - The Rays’ 2008 run to the World Series - How he actually does his job as a blind broadcaster
In Episode 4 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, Greg Lindberg chats with Kyle Coon, a blind triathlete who is only in his late 20s yet has already accomplished several world records. This episode is Part 2 of the interview in which Kyle speaks about:
- The adaptations he uses for running and swimming
- His experience at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO
- What he must accomplish to qualify for the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Japan
- His advice to any blind or visually impaired person looking to get more physically active, including websites and Facebook groups for those interested in getting into running
In case you missed it, check out Episode 3 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast for Part 1 of our conversation with Kyle Coon. Check out Kyle’s website at www.kylecoon.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
In Episode 3 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, Greg Lindberg chats with Kyle Coon, a blind triathlete who is only in his late 20s yet has already accomplished several world records. This episode is Part 1 of the interview in which Kyle speaks about:
- Losing his eyesight to eye cancer as a young boy
- What inspired him to get back into sports after going totally blind
- How he gained the title of being the first totally blind competitive rock climber
- His involvement with Erik Weihenmayer
- His experiences with a program now known as No Barriers USA
Stay tuned for Episode 4 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast for Part 2 of our conversation in which Kyle talks about his efforts to make it into the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.
Check out Kyle’s website at www.kylecoon.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
In Episode 2 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, Greg Lindberg chats with Andrew Leibs about a number of sports for the blind and visually impaired. These include goal ball, beep baseball, tandem biking, golf, water sports, audio darts, and even winter sports. Leibs, a visually impaired athlete himself, is the author of the Encyclopedia of Sports and Recreation for People with Visual Impairments.
This is the most comprehensive guide ever written on this subject with a plethora of information and resources on how to get involved in blind sports, along with profiles and stories about the movers and shakers within the blind sports community.
The book is available on Amazon, the IAP Publishing website, and as a talking book through the National Library Service (NLS).
(Podcast theme music is produced by Andre Louis. Follow him on Twitter @FreakyFwoof.)
In Episode 1 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, Greg Lindberg introduces himself and why he decided to start a podcast on blind sports. His guest for this episode is David Wanczyk, an English professor at Ohio University and author of Beep: Inside the Unseen World of Baseball for the Blind. The interview covers:
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- Wanczyk’s personal and professional background
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- What inspired Wanczyk to write a book on beep baseball, an adaptive form of baseball for the blind and visually impaired
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- How beep baseball actually works – and some potential experimentation Wanczyk would love to see with the rules of the game to make it a little more interesting
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- Wanczyk’s observations from the National Beep Baseball Association’s annual World Series events he has attended
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- How his perception of visually impaired people has changed since writing this book and getting to know a number of blind athletes
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- How beep baseball has positively transformed the lives of many blind individuals
Beep is available on Amazon, Audible, and through the National Library Sservice (NLS) in both audio and Braille formats. Learn more about David Wanczyk and the book at www.davidwanczyk.com.