<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto">This sounds so cool! Check it out! – – Sylvia<br id="lineBreakAtBeginningOfSignature"><div dir="ltr">Sent from my iPhone</div><div dir="ltr"><br>Begin forwarded message:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><b>From:</b> Christopher Nusbaum <cnusbaum@imagemd.org><br><b>Date:</b> November 26, 2024 at 3:32:54 PM EST<br><b>To:</b> president@nfbmd.org, Sylvia Reid <shevra@verizon.net><br><b>Subject:</b> <b>FW: Blind Cricket USA Team Opportunity</b><br><br></div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)"><!--[if !mso]><style>v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--><div class="WordSection1"><p class="MsoNormal">FYI—please pass on to anyone in our affiliates who may be interested. Sylvia, this was sent to Bridges by a DORS counselor, but I don’t see any mention of Maryland in it, so I don’t think it’s Maryland-specific.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>From:</b> Kelly Blake -DORS- <kelly.blake@maryland.gov> <br><b>Sent:</b> Friday, November 22, 2024 4:30 PM<br><b>To:</b> Kelly Blake -DORS- <kelly.blake@maryland.gov><br><b>Subject:</b> Blind Cricket USA Team Opportunity<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><p class="MsoNormal">Hi everyone, <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">If you are 18 years of age or older and would like to try a new sport, see below.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">Blow are more details from their organization. Below also is a summary of my call with them that gives a little bit more details.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">The training week, and continuing for those who make the team, will also have independent living training such as cooking and some assistive technology, leadership and self-defense classes. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">I don't want anyone thinking they can't do this because of the visio loss because this is only for blind/low vision players. If you are looking for additional information, Abey will be letting me know when their scheduled Q and A open house is and I will share that with you.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">Simply taking the step to go to the weekend camp is a huge confidence booster. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">Exact dates are forthcoming. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">My phone call summary:<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">Recruiting will occur in each state/ one regions.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">There will be a weekend training camp in those regions, free to attend. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">They will have local mentors after the training camp for additional support. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">In April, the training week will occur in one state for everyone to practice and then try out for the USA team. The tryouts again are free but as of right now, transportation costs and hotel would be your cost. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">Basics of How to play:<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">2 teams of 11: 4 need to be B1 totally blind, B2 some vision, B3 (those who can still see the ball coming ) no more then 4 people<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">Pitch is a rectangle with a wicked (poles) on each side and the ball can't hit it. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">The batting team stands by those.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">The bowlder (pitcher ) underhand rolls the ball <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">Batter tries to hit the ball<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">If the ball is hit, the batter runs to the next pole/base. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">The ball has a rattle in and the same size as a baseball.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">Copy of the attached word document:<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><div><p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Aptos;color:black">Blind cricket is now expanding across the United States, and we’re calling on passionate, adventurous individuals to join the national team. With no state teams to navigate, you’ll step directly into representing America on an international level! Train with us, master the skills, and get ready to travel to India in 2025 for your first tournament—an experience of a lifetime!<br><br>Whether you’re an athlete, a sports lover, or just looking for a unique challenge, we want you on our team! Contact Ms. Abigail Finklea at </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Aptos;color:blue">+1 (608) 404-0420</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Aptos;color:black"> or <a href="mailto:abeynova4@gmail.com" target="_blank">abeynova4@gmail.com</a> or Ms. Shruti Shree Tyagi at </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Aptos;color:blue">+91 9899247108</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Aptos;color:black">(whatsapp) or <a href="mailto:shrutishree@samarthanam.org" target="_blank">shrutishree@samarthanam.org</a> to learn more about how you can make history with blind cricket."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:8.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:justify"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">What is Blind Cricket? </span></b><o:p></o:p></p><p style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:8.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:justify"><b><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">An Overview of its Rules, Equipment, Tournaments, and Impact</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></p><p style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:8.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">Blind cricket is a modified version of traditional cricket for players who are blind or partially sighted, overseen by the World Blind Cricket Ltd (WBC) since 1996. </span><o:p></o:p></p><h3 style="mso-margin-top-alt:2.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">Rules and Equipment</span><o:p></o:p></h3><p style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:8.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">Blind cricket closely resembles mainstream cricket but includes unique adaptations:</span><o:p></o:p></p><ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc"><li style="color:black;margin-top:14.0pt;margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;vertical-align:baseline;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Teams</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">: Each team has 11 players classified by vision: B1 (fully blind), B2 (partially blind, see up to 2 meters), and B3 (partially sighted, see up to 6 meters).<o:p></o:p></span></li><li style="color:black;margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;vertical-align:baseline;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Ball</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">: Filled with ball bearings, making a rattling sound for easy tracking and slightly lighter.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li style="color:black;margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;vertical-align:baseline;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Bowling</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">: Delivered underarm and rolled along the ground to aid players in tracking by sound.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li style="color:black;margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;vertical-align:baseline;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Batting and Fielding</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">: Batsmen rely on sound cues, and fielders track the ball using auditory signals. B1 batsmen scores gets double and they need to bowl minimum 40% of the quota.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li style="color:black;margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:14.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;vertical-align:baseline;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Verbal Cues</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">: Bowlers announce “Play!†when releasing the ball, which must bounce minimum twice for B1 batsmen and once for B2/B3 players.<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul><h3 style="mso-margin-top-alt:2.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">Tournaments</span><o:p></o:p></h3><p style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:8.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">Blind cricket features two main international tournaments: the ODI and T20 World Cups. The game formats include a 40-over game (ODI), and a T20 match.</span><o:p></o:p></p><h3 style="mso-margin-top-alt:2.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">Countries Currently Competing</span><o:p></o:p></h3><p style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:8.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">Blind cricket has grown worldwide, with active teams from India, Australia, England, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, New Zealand, West Indies, and Afghanistan.</span><o:p></o:p></p><h3 style="mso-margin-top-alt:2.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">Why Play or Support Blind Cricket?</span><o:p></o:p></h3><p style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:8.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">Blind cricket empowers visually impaired individuals, providing a platform for physical, social, and personal development. Especially popular in cricket-loving countries like India, it nurtures teamwork, fitness, discipline, and resilience. The sport not only enhances skills but also fosters social inclusion and empowerment for the visually impaired.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:8.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:justify"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">Tentative Plan for Training</span></b><o:p></o:p></p><p style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:8.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">We plan to organise a training camp in the second half of January 2025 in a place that is warm and has apt training conditions. More details… coming so <b>Join hands to support and play blind cricket for our nation!</b></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="gmailsignatureprefix">-- </span><o:p></o:p></p><div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#222222"><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><div><div><table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td style="padding:0in .75pt 0in 0in"><table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" style="padding:0in 15.75pt 0in 0in"><div align="center"><table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td style="padding:0in .75pt 0in 0in"><p style="margin:.75pt"><span style="border:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in"><img alt="image001.jpg" src="cid:image001.jpg@01DB4018.72675910"></span><o:p></o:p></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td><td style="border:none;border-right:solid #B9BABB 1.0pt;padding:.75pt 0in 0in 0in"></td><td width="450" valign="top" style="width:337.5pt;padding:0in .75pt 0in 15.75pt"><table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td style="padding:0in .75pt 9.0pt 0in"><p style="margin:.75pt;line-height:13.5pt"><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#0B5394">Kelly Blake</span></b><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#0B5394"> MA, CRC</span></b><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#0B59AE"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p style="margin:.75pt;line-height:13.5pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#3D3D3D">Staff Specialist for Blind Services</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#3D3D3D"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin:.75pt;line-height:13.5pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#3D3D3D">Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS)<o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr><td style="padding:0in .75pt 0in 0in"><table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td style="padding:0in .75pt 0in 0in"><p style="margin:.75pt;line-height:13.5pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#3D3D3D">O: <a href="tel:4105549177" target="_blank"><span style="color:#3D3D3D">(410) 554-9177</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin:.75pt;line-height:13.5pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#3D3D3D">F: <a href="tel:4105549222" target="_blank"><span style="color:#3D3D3D">(410) 554-9222</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr><td style="padding:0in .75pt 0in 0in"><p style="margin:.75pt;line-height:13.5pt"><a href="mailto:Kelly.Blake@maryland.gov" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#0B59AE">Kelly.Blake@maryland.gov</span></a><o:p></o:p></p></td></tr><tr><td style="padding:6.0pt 13.5pt 0in 0in"><p style="margin:.75pt;line-height:13.5pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#3D3D3D">2301 Argonne Drive<br>Baltimore, Maryland 21218</span><o:p></o:p></p></td></tr><tr><td style="padding:6.0pt .75pt 0in 0in"><p style="margin:.75pt;line-height:13.5pt"><a href="https://dors.maryland.gov/" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#0B59AE">dors.maryland.gov</span></b></a><o:p></o:p></p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td style="padding:0in .75pt 0in 0in"><table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td width="30" style="width:22.5pt;padding:11.25pt .75pt 0in 0in"><p 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cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="max-width:375.0pt"><tbody><tr><td style="padding:13.5pt .75pt 0in 0in"><p style="margin:.75pt;line-height:10.5pt"><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#888888">The contents of this email and any attachments are intended solely for the use of the named addressee(s) and may contain confidential and/or legally privileged information. Any unauthorized use, copying, disclosure, forwarding, or distribution of the contents of this email is strictly prohibited by the sender and may be unlawful. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately and delete this email.<o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#222222"><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></blockquote></body></html>