Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Running blind

Running is a solitary sport and a lot of the people who do it, like it that way. But if you’re interested in being part of a team – this “Workout of the Week” may be just the thing for you.

From a distance, Don Owens and Dennis Haney look like a couple of friends going for a run. They are – but with a bond that’s different than most. A bungee cord keeps them connected as they cover mile after mile. Dennis is one of several people who runs with Don. “They’ve all evolved into really good friends,” Don says, “I spend a lot of time with them and I do have to trust them.” That’s because they function as Don’s eyes.

“Well, I never ran any races when I had sight - which I did for thirty years,” he explains, “my only experience has been as a blind runner.” Don lost his sight to a degenerative eye disease. “A friend at work talked me into running a marathon – I thought she was crazy because I couldn’t even run a mile!”

He’s covered countless miles since then, including four marathons - thanks to his friends. “It’s really paying attention to all the things that as runners with sight, we take for granted,” explains Dennis. Now he and Don help Mike Boone with Adaptive Sports Iowa’s guide running clinics.

We immediately learn that being a guide isn’t as easy as it might seem. While I’m blindfolded Sonya tries to give me verbal cues about what obstacles are in our path. When we reach a set of stairs, we both feel a sense of panic and she asks, “How do I do this?!?!”

It’s obvious Dennis and Mike are a lot more confident, but they tell us even the experts trip up occasionally. “Certainly learning through experience when I failed,” Dennis says with a bit of a grin, “I may’ve run Don into an orange cone once.” Don starts laughing remembering the incident. “I did a nice shoulder roll and came back up and we kept going. I didn’t even know it was a cone! I said what was that?!?! I’m positive Dennis didn’t do it on purpose. Well, pretty sure.”

And that’s how these runners approach life. If there’s an obstacle they find to get around it, or over it – or through it. “A gentleman came up to me and said his son was blind and that he realized his boy could probably do a lot more than he thought,” says Don, “comments like that make it worthwhile.”

For more information on Adaptive Sports Iowa and guide running clinics visit this website:
http://iowasportsfoundation.org/Sports/AdaptiveSportsIowa.aspx

EEK
Erin.Kiernan@whotv.com

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

It's all about the arms!

Our focus on adaptive sports continues this week as we team up with Mike Boone and Nicholas Bassett to try hand cycling.

The bikes look like recumbent ones you often see on the trail and have the same components as any other bike. They’re just backwards and upside down to allow your arms to do the peddling.

“I think you’ll do just fine,” says Nick. That’s easy for him to say. Nick cycles about 25 miles every Sunday. But that wasn’t always the case.

“I never rode a bike. I never learned how to ride a bike. Bikes hate me and I hate bikes. When I tried to learn, when I was little, I always fell off. I could never get my balance down right and I finally get to ride a bike. And I’m not gonna let my condition slow me down.”

Nick has scoliosis. He was born with it. He typically uses a wheelchair to get around. But when he rolls down the trail on his hand-cycle, he is free as a bird.
“Oh, it’s a thrill. It’s amazing. There’s nothing like it. It’s like people that ride regular bikes. They’re passionate about riding. It’s the same thing. It’s so fun. It’s amazing.”

It’s also amazing – to us – how hard it is to bike without the use of your legs.
“If you haven’t done it before, getting started, it can get pretty tough.”
Nick describes the initial pain as excruciating. The muscles of the arms, chest, back and abs are forced to do the work of the much larger muscles used on a traditional bike.

At one point I said, “I’ve never wanted to get up and walk so badly.” To which Nick responded, "Yeah - it gives you good perspective, doesn't it?"

Maneuvering the bike isn’t easy either. The turning radius is larger, because the wheel base is wider. Nick instructs us to swing out wide, or risk plunging into a ravine. Eventually, we get the hang of it and the ride makes it all worthwhile.
As we tick off the miles, we take in the scenery, the sunshine and feel the exhilaration of a heart-pounding workout.

“I feel ten times healthier, ten times better about myself,” says Nick. “I'm glad I'm finally involved in Adaptive Sports Iowa, because I've never been able to be this active. I’m active all the time now and I love it. It’s given me a whole new outlook on life.”

To get involved with ASI, check out this webpage:
http://iowasportsfoundation.org/Sports/AdaptiveSportsIowa.aspx

Here's to a healthy week!
EEK
Erin.Kiernan@whotv.com

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

When your ears are your eyes

Hello workout fans! This week we continue our focus on adaptive sports. I missed this shoot because I was on vacation, and I am so sorry I did. Sonya had a blast.

A blindfold isn’t your typical baseball accessory, but this isn’t your typical baseball team.

“Okay, first of all you gotta trust me,” says Fran Guerra Jr. as he leads Sonya across the baseball field. “The first thing I’m gonna have you do, I’m gonna put a bat in your hand and I want you to listen for that base.”

You heard him right, listen for the base. In beep baseball, the bases and the ball beep, because the players can’t see either one. Everyone on the field is visually impaired.

Finding the base – even running without the use of your eyes is a challenge, if not downright scary. “Okay, bring it in,” says Frank. “Listen to my clap. Bring it in.” Almost instantly, I have a greater appreciation for my teammates’ courage.
“Just listen for my voice. That’s what everyone else has to do.”

The team includes John Patterson, who has been visually impaired his entire life. He plays beep ball for the same reasons people with sight enjoy sports.
“I think the best part about playing is just the team atmosphere, being able to play with other people, enjoying each other’s company and being able to be active.”
John has no fear when it comes to fielding. He darts toward the ball without hesitation, then crawls on the ground to find it. My fielding skills are non-existent.

There are six players on the field – three in the infield, three in the outfield. A spotter serves as the players’ eyes on the field. “Your spotter will tell you where you are after the play is done,” says Frank. Communication is the key. If you hear a ball coming at you and you think you can get it, you’re supposed to shout “coming.” If you hear it pass by, you’re supposed to shout “by me” and hope your teammate comes to your rescue. “The more you practice the better you get,” says John.

Eventually, Sonya is able to field a ball. But if you think fielding is hard, try hitting the ball. Frank helps Sonya find the base and places a bat in her hand. He watches her take a few practice swings, before delivering a real pitch. She grazes it, which results in a foul ball.

Patience is one of Frank’s strong points. But he knows better than most how difficult it is to connect with a ball you can’t see. “I’m legally blind in my right eye and totally blind in my left eye,” says Frank.

It’s cliché, but in this case it’s true: The blind really are leading the blind.
“Volunteers are not needed for this sport,” says Frank. “If you get six blind people on one team and six blind people on the other team and maybe one or two volunteers that are sighted, that’s all you need.”

“The more people get to know a visually impaired person or a totally blind person, the more they say and think we can do most of the stuff they can do,” says John.
They can do most of the stuff a sighted person can do – maybe more. But then again, these aren’t your typical players.

“I don’t care about winning,” says Frank. “I want them to have fun and I want to give them the opportunity to actually live life to the best that they can by giving them a tool that is available to them, no questions asked.”

The Iowa Reapers will be one of about 20 teams competing in the Beep Ball World Series in Ames next summer. Teams from as far away as Taiwan are expected to participate in the five day tournament.

For more information visit Adaptive Sports Iowa at:
http://iowasportsfoundation.org/Sports/AdaptiveSportsIowa.aspx

Here's to a healthy week!
EEK
Erin.Kiernan@whotv.com

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Welcome to the Workout of the Week blog!

Sports and recreation opportunities for disabled people in Iowa have been few and far between. We want to let you know about a group creating more opportunities so we’re teaming up with Adaptive Sports Iowa for the month of November.



Using a wheelchair while playing basketball isn’t slowing down these athletes one bit.

“We like to say there are wheelchair users and shoe users,” says Mike Boone, the Director of Adaptive Sports Iowa. “But we’re all on the same playing field.”
For us it means being off our feet and out of our comfort zones.
“Go ahead and take a seat,” says Mike as he motions toward a wheelchair.
Mike and John Litzkow have lots of pointers, but there’s really no way to prepare us for wheelchair basketball.

Drills are first. We work on speed, agility and ball handling. It’s simple for the regulars, ugly for us. And we haven’t even started playing yet.
“Think of it this way,” says Mike. “Your wheelchair is an extension of your body. So, you can’t hit anyone when they’re in the process of making a shot. That would be a foul.”

Once the game gets going, things get really interesting. We’re still learning a lot of the rules and our shooting skills leave a lot to be desired.
“You really get a good sense of what life is like living in a chair,” says Mike. You’re using muscles your body has probably never used before and ways they’ve never been used before.”

The workout is tough, even before the pros get serious.
“It’s competitive but it’s also a lot of fun,” says Mike, as several wheelchairs became tangled together. “Where else can these guys go play basketball?”
As the guys sink shot after shot, something else is happening on the court.
“After a while you don’t look at them as someone with a disability. They’re just people out having a good time and that’s what’s at the core of Adaptive Sports Iowa. That’s what we’re trying to do,” says Mike. “Anything that we do, there’s an adaptive version of it. No matter the disability there is a way to adapt to do that activity.”

Adaptive Sports Iowa is trying to create a network of people and programs to serve the entire state. That network is growing, and helping people with and without disabilities shatter stereotypes and overcome challenges.

“These are people who’ve dealt with a lot of different obstacles and overcome a lot of barriers in their life,” says Mike as the players “high-five” on another.
You can see it in their attitudes and their personalities – and it’s infectious.

To get involved, check out this website:
http://www.iowasportsfoundation.org/Sports/AdaptiveSportsIowa.aspx

ASI needs volunteers - and money. The group gets by solely on sponsorships and donations and equipment for adaptive sports is expensive. One sport wheelchair costs around two thousand dollars.

Thanks for dropping by!
EEK
Erin.Kiernan@whotv.com