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Students Awarded 2017 USABA Scholarships

Each year, thanks to the generosity of the I C You Foundation and Arthur & Helen Copeland, USABA offers scholarships to members who exhibit exceptional drive in athletic achievement and educational endeavors. We are proud to present the I C You Foundation Valor Achievement Award to Charles “Chaz” Davis (Grafton, Mass.) and the Arthur E. & Helen Copeland scholarship to Vanessa Coleman (Lakeland, Fla.). Charles “Chaz” Davis (Grafton, Mass.) lost his vision suddenly to Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON) at 19 years old. He was a freshman at the University of Hartford. “I thought my life as I knew it was… Read More

U.S. Army Veterans to Compete in Powerlifting at 2017 Rocky Mountain State Games

The United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) is sending three powerlifters to compete in the 16th Annual Rocky Mountain State Games; Charles King (Philadelphia, Penn.), local athlete, Thomas Monroe (Pueblo, Colo.) and Tony Taliani (Columbus, Ohio). King, a post-Vietnam war veteran who was honorably discharged from the Army for health reasons has overcome depression, homelessness and cancer since losing his sight to hereditary acute glaucoma. King competed in his first powerlifting competition at 60 years old in 2010 and has competed in multiple international competitions since, including the 2015 International Blind Sports Association (IBSA) World Games in Seoul where… Read More

USABA Competitive and Recreational Community Sports Integration Project for Veterans

A key component of military service regardless of the era challenges one’s physical abilities. Remember all of those long ruck marches, unit fun runs, and PT tests? Yes, like many of you I try not to as well, but one cannot argue against the amount of research and information about the benefits of exercise to combat adverse health and mental health conditions. More importantly, organizations like USABA; Team Red, White, and Blue; Achilles, and your local sporting groups built tremendous communities with a vested interest in the wellbeing of those who elect to participate. USABA just rolled out a new… Read More

Father Shares His Love for Running with 10-Year-Old Son

U.S. Navy Veteran Don Balcom runs marathons, works as a mechanical engineer for the U.S. Navy and recently started training in downhill skiing. But his most important job and hobby is being a father to his two children – Austin and Alaina. Balcom’s eldest child, his son Austin, recently expressed an interest in running with his father. Having watched his father complete in various marathons, including finishing first in the visual impairment category at the 2015 Boston Marathon, Austin has witnessed his father’s passion for the sport since Balcom started running in 2012. “It came after my wife and I… Read More

Parents’ Support Leads to A Paralympic Dream Come True

With the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue looking down on them with arms outstretched, Jaclyn Smith and her boat mates stepped onto the deck prepared to row one of the biggest races of their athletic careers. At the sounds of the start signal, Smith and her boat mates worked to push past Great Britain and take the lead. The race was making her reflect on her humble beginnings as a rower, the hard work she and her teammates had put in the last four years to prepare, and the two people who had supported and encouraged her from day one… Read More