[nfbmi-talk] Jordyn Article: Thanks Nadia

[Jordyn Castor]

Thanks for the shares everyone!! I highly recommend trying downhill skiing if you ever get the chance. So much fun! :)

Jordyn

> On Mar 23, 2015, at 7:44 PM, Fred Wurtzel via nfbmi-talk <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Blind MSU student skis against the odds
> 
> By:
> 
> Amanda Chodnicki, Michigan State University
> 
> March 23, 2015 2:48 pm
> 
> For spring break, Jordyn Castor, a Michigan State University computer
> science senior,
> 
> went skiing at
> 
> Jackson Hole Mountain Resort
> 
> in Wyoming. That may sound like an average spring break, but there's a
> kicker -
> 
> she's blind.
> 
> "I think a lot of people think, 'Oh, you're blind. I don't think it's
> possible for
> 
> you to ski.'" Castor says. "But I just have such a sense of adventure and I
> love
> 
> showing people that a disability doesn't have to hold you back."
> 
> Castor says she skied for the first time at eight years old with a group
> called the
> 
> Michigan Parents of Children with Visual Impairments
> 
> . She says they went skiing at Challenge Mountain, a recreational facility
> that is
> 
> dedicated to teaching adaptive sports to people with disabilities.
> 
> "When I skied at Challenge Mountain that first time, I actually came back
> two or
> 
> three more times that winter because I loved it so much," Castor says.
> 
> RELATED:
> 
> Duke student mentors others with disabilities
> 
> Since then, Castor's love for the sport has only grown, as she has skied all
> over
> 
> Michigan, as well as Colorado and Wyoming.
> 
> "Eventually, I decided to join the ski club," Castor says. " I was a little
> bit hesitant
> 
> about it at first because I was like, 'Oh my goodness. I'm blind. I don't
> know what
> 
> they're going to think.'"
> 
> She says all of the ski club officers and its members were so welcoming,
> which made
> 
> her even more excited about attending the four-day spring break trip to
> Jackson Hole.
> 
> "The blue hills [in Wyoming] are actually black diamonds in Michigan, so the
> black
> 
> diamonds are the hardest terrain you can ski," Castor says. "And I actually
> skied
> 
> a 3,000-foot blue hill there."
> 
> RELATED:
> 
> UVM becomes first Division I school to be a Special Olympics College
> 
> Not only did Castor ski a blue run, but she was able to ski "by herself,"
> meaning
> 
> her guide didn't have to call out her turns.
> 
> "It just gives you such a sense of accomplishment," Castor says.
> 
> Feeling accomplished after skiing a blue run at Jackson Hole, MSU senior
> Jordyn Castor
> 
> poses for a picture. (Jordyn Castor)
> 
> Feeling accomplished after skiing a blue run at Jackson Hole, MSU senior
> Jordyn Castor
> 
> poses for a picture. (Jordyn Castor)
> 
> Beyond feeling accomplished, she says skiing brings her many other feelings
> and sensations
> 
> that she absolutely loves.
> 
> "I might not be able to see where I'm going, but I can feel the snow gliding
> under
> 
> my skis," Castor says. "I can feel the way the snow changes. I can feel the
> wind
> 
> in my face, the thrill of going really fast going down the mountain."
> 
> Castor says she wants others with disabilities to take advantage of the
> resources
> 
> out there and be able to experience these same feelings as her.
> 
> "No matter your disability, no matter your circumstance, if there's a will,
> there's
> 
> a way," Castor says. "If you set your mind to doing something, you can
> achieve anything
> 
> you want."
> 
> Amanda Chodnicki
> 
> is a student at Michigan State University and a spring 2015 USA TODAY
> Collegiate
> 
> Correspondent.
> 
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