Sports camps for visually impaired begin April 29
April 18, 2001
KALAMAZOO -- Blind and visually impaired athletes from across the region will work on their skills at sports camps in Flint, Mich., and at Western Michigan University later this month and in May.
The 14th Annual Sports Education Camps for Students with Visual Impairments will be offered in Flint and Kalamazoo from April 29 to May 5. The two camps attract a total of 80 to 90 students with visual impairments from Michigan and surrounding states.
Athletes ages 10 to 12 years old will attend the Junior SEC held at the Michigan Schools for the Deaf and Blind in Flint from April 29 to May 1, while 13- to 16-year-old athletes will participate in the Senior SEC at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo from May 2 to 5.
The younger group will learn basic running, jumping, throwing, wrestling, swimming, and goalball skills. Their event will conclude with the sixth annual Junior Michigan State Games for Youths with Visual Impairments at 1 p.m. Tuesday, May 1.
At the senior camp, the athletes will be taught competitive sports skills, including wrestling, swimming, gymnastics, goal ball, bowling, and track and field. Clinics will offered from 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 2, to noon Friday, May 4. Athletes will test their newly learned skills at the Michigan State Games for Students with Visual Impairments held from 1 p.m. Friday, May 4, to Noon Saturday, May 5. The camps are sponsored by the Michigan Blind Athletic Association, WMU's Department of Blind Rehabilitation, and the Michigan Schools for the Deaf and Blind.
For more information, or to volunteer to help with the events,
contact:
Jennifer Armbruster, (616) 387-3080, <jennifer.armbruser@wmich.edu>
Paul Ponchillia, (616) 387-3449, <paul.ponchillia@wmich.edu>
Sue Ponchillia, (616) 387-3450, <susan.ponchillia@wmich.edu>.
Media contact: Mark Schwerin, 616 387-8400, mark.schwerin@wmich.edu