In Episode 29 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we hit the skatepark to learn all about skateboarding for the blind and visually impaired. Guests Matt Janz and Curtis Ruttle of Calgary, Alberta, Canada spoke about:
- Matt’s background and attending the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) and the University of Calgary to earn journalism and communications degrees
- His volunteer work in teaching skateboarding and how he got into low vision skateboarding
- His visual impairment and how his parents spotted it quickly when he was a youngster since he has an inherited condition
- How Curtis attends a self-directed high school program
- Curtis’ involvement in skiing with Canadian Adaptive Snowsports and playing blind hockey through the Calgary Seeing Ice Dogs and Canadian Blind Hockey
- How they each got into skateboarding, including Matt’s introduction to skateboarding while living in Vancouver and how Curtis was introduced to the sport by Matt
- The unique Skate Bats program Matt started to offer skateboarding lessons to visually impaired kids
- Curtis’ Alt Route program and how he got grant funding through the CNIB Youth Council
- The adaptations Curtis and Matt have come up with to make skate parks more accessible using some very creative techniques for both low vision and totally blind participants
- How blind skateboarders can actually use a white cane to help guide them
Learn more about Skate Bats at www.skatebats.ca and on Instagram at http://instagram.com/skatebats.
Learn more about the Alt Route project at www.altroute.ca and on Instagram at http://instagram.com/altrouteprojects.ca.
The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 113 – Hitting the Water with Katy Boyd of Twin Cities Blind Sailing (TCBS)
The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 112 – Talking Audio Description for Live Sporting Events with MindsEye
The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 111 - Highlighting All-Around Adaptive Athlete Mike Royal of Blind Canine Sports
The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 110 – Taking a Run with Endurance Athlete Francesco Magisano of Achilles International
The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 109 – Taking a Dive Onto the Goalball Court with Paralympian Calahan Young
The Eyes Free Sports Podcast - Ep. 108: Hitting the Track with Roger Oberholzer, a Visually Impaired Runner, Surfer, & Adaptive Athlete
The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 107 - Catching up with Pearl Outlaw on Mental Health and Athletics
The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 106 – Visiting with the Sirens Beep Baseball Club, an All-Female Beep Ball Team
The Eyes Free Sports Podcast – Ep. 105: A Visit with Scott Hudson, a National Beep Baseball Association (NBBA) Hall of Famer and Accomplished Runner
The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 104 – Hitting the Diamond with Ed Plumacher to Discuss Blind Baseball and the U.S. Blind Baseball Association (USBBA)
The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 103 –A Conversation on Envision Blind Sports with Wendy Fagan
The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 102 – Hitting the Skate Park with Brett Devloo, a.k.a. The Blind Kid, a Blind Skateboarder and Musical Artist
The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 101 – Getting Outside with Guiding Eyes Outdoors
The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 100 – Celebrating a Milestone Episode with Michael Stone Turning the Tables to Interview Podcast Host Greg Lindberg
The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 99 – Hitting the Field with Melchion Wee-Ellis, a Beep Baseball Player and Adaptive Athlete
The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 98 - Talking Audio Darts with Sam Jasmine and Rich Koppenjan
The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 97 – Hitting the Broadcast Booth to Chat with 17-Year-Old Allan Wylie
The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 96 - Getting Moving with Donna Brown, a Four-Time Paralympian and Longtime Educator
The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 95 - Recapping the 2023 National Beep Baseball Association World Series
The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 94 – Chatting with Chuck Gottus,a Blind Tennis Player and Bowler
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