[Sportsandrec] Students at the NFB Youth Slam Recount Their SportsExperiences!

[Justin Williams]

Great job joe.  You're the man.  
Outstanding.  

-----Original Message-----
From: sportsandrec-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:sportsandrec-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Joe Shaw
Sent: Monday, August 03, 2009 10:34 PM
To: Sports and Recreation for the Blind Discussion List
Subject: Re: [Sportsandrec] Students at the NFB Youth Slam Recount Their
SportsExperiences!

Yo, yo, yo, let me speak on this!
I had a Slammin time with the Youth in College Park!
I had three great mentees in Jason Capodi from New Jersey, Jose Zamora from 
Washington, and Daniel Collins from Georgia. They were really neat guys with

whom I shall stay in touch.
We did get our sport on. Natalie Sha Heeeeeeeen and I led goalball which was

very fun. Greg and LM knocked out judo. There was basketball, a star watch, 
board games, and frisby on "sports night" It was a blast.
Rec X brought the before mentioned activities. I love the moon bounce which 
I do here in Nashville with my daughter all the time and yeppers, I rode the

mechanical bull. Seven seconds baby! I could have lasted much longer the 
second time.  I was in a hurry trying to make sure I made all the events.
Yes sports and recreation is being made a true part of the Federation and it

is largely because of the planning of people in this division. I know people

who plan this event are on this list. Several of us are friends with the 
planners and worked ideas into the mind-frame as well as the education team 
has athletic members. I know Karen is an athlete. Jesse Hartle is an 
athlete. Natalie is a beast who I am a little afraid of.
My favorite thing personally is I made a couple friends I will take with me 
for a long time. LisaMaria and I became better friends. She is a good person

who is easy to be around and Greg Dewall is one of the highest quality human

beings I have met in a long time. Our senses of humor mesh well together. He

is really funny, has a lot to offer in the way of advice and conversation, 
and he's just a really nice guy.
It was a great program overall which was well put together by the staff. I 
am proud to call myself part of the organization. I learned a lot and had a 
ton of fun. Alrite kids, the rest ya had to be there.
"Slam, da, du, da" "Let the boys be boys!" Slam Onyx
JSNM
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Cervenka, Stacy (Brownback)" <Stacy_Cervenka at brownback.senate.gov>
To: "'Sports and Recreation for the Blind Discussion List'" 
<sportsandrec at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, August 03, 2009 11:01 AM
Subject: [Sportsandrec] Students at the NFB Youth Slam Recount Their 
SportsExperiences!


> Hey, all!
>    Like many of you, I enjoyed following the experiences of the kids at 
> the NFB Youth Slam through all the blog posts, podcasts, and videos that 
> were posted online at www.nfbyouthslam.org<http://www.nfbyouthslam.org>. 
> There was a kinesiology track this year called Slammin' Sports. Our own 
> Sports and Rec prez, Lisamaria Martinez, as well as Sports and Rec 
> Division members, Greg DeWall and Joe Shaw, were all mentors for this 
> track. There was also a Sports Night for kids in all the different tracks 
> and a Rec X night with a climbing wall, a Velcro wall, a moon bounce, a 
> mechanical bull, a dunk tank, a water slide, and so on. So, the concept 
> that it's important for blind people to be involved and integrated into 
> sports and recreation is slowly tricking its way into NFB events. I'd love

> to hear from LM, Joe, and Greg about some of the experiences you guys 
> had!!!
>    Also, if anyone is interested, I typed the word "sports" into the 
> search field on the Youth Slam page and I got the following six results, 
> in the chronological order they were posted. (I was disappointed to see no

> articles on Rec X night, but maybe I should have typed in a different 
> search word in order to get them.)
> 1. Sports Night
> 2. Greg DeWall's Athletic Life
> 3. Sports-A-Poppin'
> 4. Taking A Break With Goalball
> 5. A Sports Night at the Slam!
> 6. Exercise and Fun While Learning
>
> Here is the text of all six articles. They are all relatively short and 
> were all written by students in the Slam News track, which was the 
> journalism track that reported on the events of the Youth Slam all week 
> and created all the articles, blog posts, podcasts, and videos.
> Sports Night
> My sports night went really well. I did judo, and considering that I've 
> been doing that for maybe a year now, I had a lot of fun and thankfully 
> didn't have to do the INSANE exercise. I learned a new throw while I was 
> there and it is easier than osoto. Our sensei was very good and helpful. I

> was disappointed when it ended. My partner was Jason; he's pretty good if 
> he gets into it. He could be a beast if he really tried. Luckily nobody 
> broke his or her neck or arm or leg, whereas at my practice it's almost a 
> guarantee you will get hurt. So I had fun and I hope you guys had fun as 
> well. Later on, fellow slammers.
> Greg Dwall's Athletic Life
>
> This afternoon I had a fascinating interview with Greg Dwall, who was born

> February 10, 1979, in Chico, California. Mr. Dwall is an expert in Judo, 
> but is still learning. He has played in 3 international competitions such 
> as the World Judo Championships in Brazil and the 2008 Olympics in Asia. 
> During these games, Mr. Dwall became a silver and bronze metal winner. The

> most impressive fact that caught my eye was that Greg plays Judo against 
> sighted opponents. He does this by developing physical strategies and just

> plain hard work. I asked Greg what goes through his mind when playing 
> Judo. "Action," he said, "Just beating my opponent," he said simply.
>
> Greg said that with the coaching he believes that blind athletes can be 
> great - that's why he wants to continue the legacy of the blind Judo 
> wrestlers before him.
>
> I also had a chance to explore Greg's personal life and learn what makes a

> strong judo player and some strong events that helped build this man's 
> character. He started off by saying he grew up in a stable home, both 
> parents, one brother and one sister; also throughout his time in school he

> was active in football, soccer and wrestling. His hobbies were classic 
> rural boy ones - hunting and wrestling, a sport in which he won some 
> awards. Greg confided in me with some irony that in his teenage years he 
> mostly paid more attention to sports and his girlfriend and he never 
> worried about his grades. When it was time to figure out what college and 
> what career he wanted to do, however, he was trap, because his grades 
> weren't great and his mind wasn't together. So, increasingly, he began to 
> feel pressured by family and other peers.
>
> When I asked him what he did to get through his hard times he said, "I got

> up and grab my shotgun and tried to end my life." I was stunned at Greg's 
> great candor but he was comfortable explaining and I let him continue.
>
> When He awoke a week later Greg discovered that he was missing half of his

> face and that he was blind. I ventured to ask what was going through his 
> mind at that time and He was chillingly honest, "Oh crap, what am I going 
> to do now!"
>
> Even in the midst of his recovery, Greg's humor came through. While he was

> in the hospital he made a bet with his brother on who would win - the 
> Packers or the Patriots. Interestingly, Greg says that he was more 
> bothered after his accident by his injured face than with his blindness. 
> Improving his face would require that Greg undergo multiple surgeries to 
> restore his facial function and gain more comfort. After Greg was released

> from the hospital he attended college at California State University, 
> Chico. Though he resumed his studies, further surgeries slowed him down. 
> And in between all these demands he enrolled at a California blindness 
> training center to gain the basics of blind independence such as Braille 
> and cane travel.
>
> Now that Greg Dwall is 30, he is looking toward the future, toward 
> settling down in a stable community in Maryland, where he can keep 
> teaching Judo and continue doing recreation jobs. His advice to other 
> blind students thinking about sports is to "explore freely and make sure 
> you have support from family or friends and, above all, keep working 
> hard."
>
> Sports-A-Poppin'
>
> Tuesday night was Sports Night and the games were flying. There was plenty

> going on, from goal ball to basketball, from dance to yoga. There was a 
> star gazing party where you can see the moon and stars up close (with a 
> telescope of course). There was even a wheelchair race!
>
>
>
> It was amazing how all these students were able to find the force of the 
> ball and sense that it was coming, gaze at the stars, or listen to 
> directions and allow their bodies to move to the beat. The students were 
> able to turn a hard task into something easy to do and fun to work with. 
> They were also able to exercise not only their bodies and minds, but also 
> their ability to follow along, despite their blindness.
>
>
>
> At the Star Gazing portion of the evening, blind students were able to see

> the magic of the moonlit and starlit sky at night.  For blind people, 
> seeing the stars is one of those "unachievable" things, but Youth Slam 
> opened up that world to us.
>
>
>
> In the ball games, students are able to hear that the ball is coming and 
> either catch it, hit it, or kick it without getting hit.  And in the dance

> and yoga classes, people used their bodies to follow along to the music 
> and instructions. Overall, it was a very entertaining and relaxing night 
> for everyone.
>
> Taking a Break with Goalball
>
> Tuesday night was pronounced Sports Night, a change from our science and 
> engineering track coverage. Right after dinner, everyone was separated 
> according to the sport they chose before coming here. I was put into the 
> Goalball category with most of my Georgia Girls team. Ah, the memories.
> The walk there was a pretty long one but it was fun. None of us were in 
> our usual pods or tracks so it gave us all an opportunity to interact with

> and meet some of the other 200 students we wouldn't have met otherwise.
> When we got there, we were sorted into groups of people that had played 
> and groups of people who hadn't. There were about ten of us who had 
> actually played on teams, four of us from the Georgia team. Then, we were 
> further split into two teams and handed knee pads and eye shades. Most of 
> the players were girls and we were almost all wearing flip-flops. 
> Therefore, pretty much all of us played shoeless, a practice that would 
> result in some embarrassing moments.
>
> After we were all outfitted, we needed a scrimmage game starter. I wasn't 
> a starter, but when I came into the game, our team was losing and they 
> thought putting me in the center would solve things. Big mistake, guys!!! 
> I was fine for about the first thirty seconds. Then, it was my turn to 
> roll the ball. I stood up, backed up to take my roll, and tripped. The 
> ball rolled smoothly down the court, but sadly, so did my face. No one 
> laughed, except me, and for that, I was both happy and relieved. I felt 
> like a fool, but at least I was a fool having fun.
> Our team still lost, but it was fun nonetheless. At one point, the ball 
> was passed to me, and in waiting for the game whistle, we got a delayed 
> game penalty. It was really fun though.
>
> I am now a high school graduate so playing Goalball with my team is 
> virtually impossible, unless I want to do it on the national level. But 
> for me, Goalball is a hobby and I love it. Being there that night reminded

> me of how much I'm going to miss my old high school game.
>
> A Sports Night at the Slam!
>
> Hello to all readers!
> Once again, it is Tomi journaling directly from the one and only, 
> extraordinarily slammy Youth Slam! Well, a lot of people do slam into me 
> with their trays during meals, but perhaps that's a story for future 
> article.
>
> We had a sports night two days ago, and I thought I'd record my 
> experience.
> Each of us was assigned to a sport based on our top five choices, which we

> all selected during registration.
>
> I was assigned to goalball. As a longtime goalball player, I already knew 
> how to play this sport.
> Readers who are not familiar with Goalball can watch several YouTube 
> videos like the
> U.S. VS. Japan competition <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MLbC3er2Fc>
> But I will also explain the sport.
>
> We went to the Armory, the loud, echoing building where we had our dance. 
> The goalball field was set up there. Tactile tape on the floor outlines 
> the three wings (Left, center, and right) on each side of the court. Each 
> team consists of three players, so a total of six are required to play.
> Our group was divided into two subgroups: Those who already knew how to 
> play goalball and those who didn't. I was part of the players group, so 
> for us they recapped ball blocking techniques.
> Goalball is a special sport because you use your body a lot to block the 
> ball. In addition every player is blindfolded. When you are blocking, you 
> must carefully observe where the ball is rolling. You throw your body to 
> either the left or right, depending on where it is coming from. Protecting

> vital body parts such as your face is also important, so you can shield 
> your head with your hands. If you do not block the ball, it scores a goal 
> by rolling and staying in the field. Sometimes the ball bounces out of 
> bounds simply by hitting something like your leg, and that is still 
> considered a block.
>
> On the other side of the room those new to the sport learned how to throw 
> the ball because that task is also quite an experience. A highball is one 
> that is thrown too high and flies across the court. When throwing, it's 
> important to face the field and throw as if you were bowling the ball, 
> sort of rolling and throwing at the same time.
>
> Although we had time to play for only half an hour, Goalball gets very 
> intense, with fast throws and blocks. It's a fun sport, and I encourage 
> both blind and sighted readers to check it out and play on a team if one 
> is in your area. One future project I'm considering is setting up more 
> teams across my city. I believe that both blind and sighted players would 
> enjoy this sport equally. It's fun and intense!
>
> Exercise and Fun While Learning
>
> Baltimore, Maryland - During a morning event in the Health and Recreation 
> center of the University of Maryland college park, blind students 
> participated in a sports track through which they learned to exercise in 
> fun and educational ways. The track, which is part of the Youth Slam 
> organized by the National Federation of the Blind, engaged students in 
> many fun sports activities on exercise machines. And some of these 
> machines provided new ways to access sports information nonvisually.
> For example, each student was given a talking pedometer, which helped them

> keep count of how well they are doing. Rachna Kashwani, a mentor at the 
> event, says that this "helps encourage them to exercise in a more 
> interactive way.". "it makes them feel curious and more motivated to 
> exercise. They could keep track of how much work they have done and maybe 
> store a record of their highest step count."
> As Corina exercised on the elliptical, she could keep track of how many 
> steps she has taken by simply pushing a button on the pedometer. "4125 
> steps", the quiet yet understandable voice of the pedometer stated.
> "In the end we added all the steps our pod took and then the steps of the 
> entire class in general", she said, slightly out of breath from the 
> workout. "it's not a competition at all, it's simply fun to know how much 
> we all have walked. Although, I am trying to beat Portia - so far she has 
> walked more than i!"
> On the opposite side of the room, Ashley is using balls to stretch on. 
> "it's very fun and relaxing!" She says, laying her back on the ball.
> There are plenty of machines in this room. From weight machines and bikes,

> to arm exercising and muscle building tools, this track truly concentrates

> on presenting sports in a fun and interactive way, not something many 
> blind students get exposed to.
> Education is also a key in the track. After completing their exercising, 
> students came to a classroom to talk about their experiences. Instructors 
> also gave them exercising tips. "after you do your ten minute cardial 
> workout, it's important to cool down. That will work on your flexibility."
> Before leaving the center and heading back to the bus, a student was heard

> saying "this is a fun track! I love sports!" excitedly, and we could tell 
> that he was looking forward to the events which are to come in the future.
>
>
> Stacy Leigh Cervenka
> Legislative Assistant
> Office of Senator Sam Brownback (KS)
> 303 Hart Senate Office Building
> Phone: (202) 224-6521
> Email: 
>
stacy_cervenka at brownback.senate.gov<mailto:stacy_cervenka at brownback.senate.g
ov>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Sportsandrec mailing list
> Sportsandrec at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/sportsandrec_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
> Sportsandrec:
>
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/sportsandrec_nfbnet.org/jrs3147%40comc
ast.net 


_______________________________________________
Sportsandrec mailing list
Sportsandrec at nfbnet.org
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/sportsandrec_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
Sportsandrec:
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/sportsandrec_nfbnet.org/justin.william
s2%40gmail.com