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Oklahoma League for the Blind: Rowing is no handicap

 
DAVID ZIZZO | Modified: May 31, 2009 at 9:34 am | Published: June 1, 2009    Comment on this article Leave a comment


When Tanya Stewart-Skelly ran sprint races for her high school track team, a teammate would follow behind or beside her.

photo - Gary Mayo from the Chesapeake Boathouse works with Patricia Rock on her rowing technique at the Oklahoma League for the Blind offices. The goal is to launch a team of blind and low-vision rowers on the Oklahoma River this July at the tenth annual OWL (Oklahomans Without Limitations) camp, a week-long event for blind and low-vision children. Photo BY PAUL HELLSTERN, THE OKLAHOMAN
Gary Mayo from the Chesapeake Boathouse works with Patricia Rock on her rowing technique at the Oklahoma League for the Blind offices. The goal is to launch a team of blind and low-vision rowers on the Oklahoma River this July at the tenth annual OWL (Oklahomans Without Limitations) camp, a week-long event for blind and low-vision children. Photo BY PAUL HELLSTERN, THE OKLAHOMAN

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"When I veered, they’d tell me ‘left’ or ‘right,’” she said.

Because of a genetic disorder, Stewart-Skelly could see only colors and vague shapes. Today, Stewart-Skelly, 31, is totally blind and is looking forward to a new athletic challenge — becoming part of a rowing team. She’ll focus only on the form of her strokes and the rhythm of her teammates, leaving the steering to the coxswain.

"You don’t have to worry about any of that,” she said.

Stewart-Skelly is one of several vision-impaired people taking advantage of a program for clients and employees of the Oklahoma League for the Blind, where Stewart-Skelly is coordinator of education services. The Chesapeake Boathouse donated three adaptive rowing machines, and experienced rowers Guyla and Gary Mayo of Oklahoma City are providing training expertise.

Guyla Mayo recalled watching boats on the river by Lake Overholser and thinking, "I’ve got to do that.” Today, the couple owns single sculls. "It’s very rhythmic, very calming and relaxing,” she said. "You get a full-body workout.”

The plan is to provide blind and low-vision rowers who will serve as mentors on the Oklahoma River in July as part of the tenth annual Oklahomans Without Limits camp, a week-long event for blind and low-vision children.

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Related Topics: Sports, Health and Fitness, Eyesight and Eye Health, Rowing



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