USABA Paralympians Thank Their Mentors

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Athlete Highlight

Mentors provide advice, encouragement and support. They help us through hard times and celebrate our victories with us. They listen and empathize, teach and counsel. For Paralympians Amanda Dennis (Peachtree, Ga.) and Tucker Dupree (Raleigh, N.C.), mentors also provide a positive outlook and encouragement when training seems overwhelming and when life gets tough. Paralympic swimmer, Tucker Dupree met his mentor, Jeannine Carpenter, in North Carolina when he was 15 years old - before he began losing his sight. "She was my club coach," said Dupree. "She was coaching me when I started going blind." Dupree and Carpenter started their Paralympic journey together with Dupree's… Read More

Racing Kona

At USABA, we encourage athletes to pursue their dreams, to set lofty goals and achieve them but some athletes do not need the external motivation. Steve Walker’s internal drive got him into Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC), through boot camp, and employed as a corporal with the U.S. Marine Corps. But, when a diagnosis from the eye doctor meant Walker would be non-deployable, it was his family and the community around him that helped him realize his childhood dream and cross the finish line at the 2015 Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii on October 10. As a young athlete,… Read More

Dream Come True for Natalie McCarthy, Again

The average person does not experience a dream coming true twice, but Natalie McCarthy is far from average. For the second time, McCarthy will compete at the World Para-Rowing Championships in the legs, trunk and arms (LTA) mixed double skulls. After losing her sight at a young age from a brain tumor, McCarthy focused on excelling in sports as a way of proving she could overcome this challenge. McCarthy attended her first U.S. Association of Blind Athletes Adaptive Rowing Camp in 2013. “[USABA Rowing Adaptive Camps] have helped me become a better athlete in several ways. One of the most… Read More

Distance and Speed: A Winning Combination

Loss of independence is an upsetting and difficult stage for those who become visually impaired. Last year, ultra-runner, Jason Romero, experienced this uncomfortable setback when he lost his job and stopped driving due to rapid deterioration in his eyesight. When faced with this sudden loss of independence, Romero slipped into depression. He struggled to stay motivated in a sport he had been introduced to by his uncle that had become his life, ultra-athletics. In the months following, he gained courage through support and encouragement from the visually impaired community and became resilient in proving anything is possible for those who… Read More

Timed to Perfection

Written by: Ryan Lucas; Special Contributor Track back to last July, when close ties half a world apart led to interrelated moments of joy. The United States Women’s National Goalball Team had just celebrated a gold medal performance at the 2014 International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) Goalball World Championships in Espoo, Finland. Undismayed after three losses in its first four games, the squad rallied to secure its fifth consecutive medal at worlds and first gold medal at the event since 2002, thereby qualifying for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. Goalball is a Paralympic sport played by athletes who are blind and visually… Read More

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