[Sportsandrec] Big Fun in Motor City!

Sun Jul 12 19:20:03 UTC 2009

Great job, you guys. I missed these events because of other commitments, but 
I think they are critical to our movement. Thanks for all your hard work!

Kathy McGillivray
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Cervenka, Stacy (Brownback)" <Stacy_Cervenka at brownback.senate.gov>
To: <sportsandrec at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, July 12, 2009 1:13 PM
Subject: Re: [Sportsandrec] Big Fun in Motor City!

> Joe,
>
> I'm glad that you and Jesse got a chance to do that. As I wrote below in 
> my little summary of my own convention memories, I think that this is an 
> area where we in Sports and Rec can really jump in and fill a need that 
> the rest of NFB isn't always able to meet at Conventions. It's great that 
> the Parents Division knows that they can turn to us as a resource when it 
> comes to getting blind youth physically active.
>
> I am curious as to whether your experiences with the youth at "Back And 
> Biceps, Chest And Triceps" were similar to those we had at "You Like To 
> Move It, Move It!" We sure do have a long way to go!
>
> Anyway, here are a few of my favorite Sports and Rec memories from 
> Convention '09.
>
> 1. Sports Extravaganza Swimming Event- The Sports Extravaganza swimming 
> event on Friday was one of the most enjoyable and memorable parts of the 
> Convention for me.
>
> It was great to work with Annie and then Tristan on my flip turns. They 
> both did a fantastic job of ensuring that everyone got a lot of one on one 
> instruction and of keeping things organized and moving along. Thank you 
> both for doing this! I hope it was as rewarding for you as it was for us!!
>
> Besides the swimming itself, one of the best parts of this event was just 
> waiting alongside the wall of the pool and chatting, joking, doing water 
> judo, dunking, and getting dunked by Greg, Christella, Romeo, Danielle, 
> LM, and Tina. What a fun crew!
>
> 2. You Like To Move It, Move It! (Kids Judo Events)- On Saturday 
> afternoon, Greg, LM, Christella, Danielle and I hosted two intro to judo 
> (and intro to working out in general) sessions for the kids whose parents 
> were attending the Parents Division events. For the first hour and a half, 
> we had the kids in junior high and high school. Although we met many fun, 
> intelligent teens, I have to admit that it was sobering and disheartening 
> to see how many blind kids make it to the age of 15 or 16 without having 
> learned how to do such basic exercises as sit-ups or trunk twists. We sure 
> do have a lot of work to do in ensuring that blind youth have the same 
> opportunities and high expectations as sighted youth in even the most 
> basic physical fitness activities.
>
> After the teen session, we had another hour and a half session with the 
> kids in kindergarten through fifth grade. We actually got a lot more done 
> with the younger kids. As a group, they seemed to be more cooperative and 
> enthusiastic than the teens. They also seemed to be in slightly better 
> shape and more accustomed to physical exercise. I would like to tell 
> myself that this is because we keep making progress and that things are 
> getting better for each subsequent generation of blind youth. I suspect, 
> however, that this is only because the canyon that separates where the 
> kids are and what is age appropriate is less wide and less pronounced when 
> a kid is 6 than when he or she is 16. (Teaching a kid who is 6 how to do a 
> sit-up is cute and fun. You hope it will stick and lead to more physical 
> activity. Teaching a kid who is 16 how to do a sit-up, however, is kind of 
> sad and feels a little like putting a band-aid on a traumatic brain 
> injury.)
>
> The highlight of the older kids session for me was that one kid, Roman, 
> really got into it and wanted to start judo when he got home. He even 
> showed up at the Sports Extravaganza judo event the next day, so it's nice 
> to know we planted a seed. At the younger kids' session, I enjoyed seeing 
> a little girl who was a blind wheelchair user and in better shape than 
> many of the kids who were only blind. She seemed to be fairly accustomed 
> to standard exercises, was able to do the holds and pins we taught, and 
> was more than willing to get rough and take a few knocks. There was also 
> another little girl who had braces on her legs and who took quite a shine 
> to Greg!! Haha! I think he even got a kiss! Then, of course, at the end of 
> the younger kids' class, LM had the brilliantly evil idea of having all 25 
> kids tag team Greg. Gabby, the girl who used the wheelchair sounded the 
> call, "Come on, everybody! Let's get Greg!" and a pile on ensued. I think 
> one of the fathers who had come in by that point was a little concerned 
> for Greg's safety until Greg emerged victorious from underneath the 
> squirming pile, holding two kids up by the collar and declaring, "I am the 
> veener!"
>
> Looking back, I kind of think that this was Sports and Rec at our best, 
> with everybody pitching in to help and to mentor the next generation of 
> blind youth. This is exactly what we should be doing. We all worked well 
> together and everybody brought his or her strengths, experience, and 
> creativity to the table. I hope we can do it again next year.
>
> 3. Sports and Recreation Division Meeting- Unfortunately, I was only able 
> to make it to the Sports and Rec Division meeting for Tyler, Jordan, and 
> Greg's panel about their experiences at the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing. 
> All three speakers did a fantastic job. I was sorry to have missed the 
> human knot and yoga exercises! Well done, LM and Christella!
>
> 4. Sports Extravaganza Judo Event- Christella organized a hugely 
> successful and fun 3 hour judo clinic on Sunday night. The class was 
> taught by Winfornd Haynes, Greg, Romeo, and Christella. Danielle and I 
> helped with a few of the younger kids, but mainly we just participated and 
> soaked up knowledge. Again, it was nice to see one of the teens from the 
> Parents Division seminar from the day before show up. Danielle and I had a 
> lot of fun working with Romeo and Christella on a few throws we both have 
> trouble with. I'm also pleased to report that Jason Ewell told me this 
> morning that the judo clinic was the highlight of the Convention for a guy 
> named Jacob from Cleveland. I guess Jacob's been talking the event up to a 
> lot of people. Well done, Christella, Greg, and anyone else on this list 
> who helped out or attended!
>
> 5. Sports Extravaganza Rowing Event- By the time I got to the rowing 
> event, things were winding down, but there was still a fair number of 
> people there. Quite a few members of a local rowing club were on hand and 
> there were 6 rowing machines, so everyone got lots of personal attention 
> and feedback. It was also nice chatting with two different blind people 
> who row (one Paralympian and one who has only started racing this year). 
> And it was cool to get one on one instruction on technique and measure 
> myself against others in my age group. Thanks, Ariel, for putting this 
> together!
>
> And, of course, rooming with Greg, Christella, and Joe Hamilton was like 
> being at a Sports and Rec event around the clock! Good times!
>
> All in all, I think that the Sports and Rec Division and sports and 
> recreation activities in general are a bigger, more prominent part of 
> Convention than ever before. I can't wait to see how we raise the bar next 
> year!
>
> Stacy
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