Visually-impaired Okanagan skier training for Canada Winter Games | 24CA News
Athletes from throughout the nation are heading to P.E.I. and New Brunswick for the Canada Winter Games.
For B.C.’s Matthew Leach, 15, will probably be the primary time he races with different visually-impaired skiers.
“It will definitely be a new experience and I’m excited for it,” stated Leach.
“The races are going to be a bit more fair.”
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The Okanagan teen lives with a genetic situation that’s impacted his eyesight.
“I have Stargardt’s so it takes the centre of your vision away. It is kind of like just walking around with your fist about a couple of inches away from your face right in the centre of your eyes,” defined Leach.
But regardless of the imaginative and prescient challenges, Leach continues to pursue his love of snowboarding, with the help of a fellow 15-year-old who’s working as Leach’s information.
“I think it is really neat because you get to experience a different view of skiing,” stated information Chase Ferguson.
“When I ski raced it was just me and being able to guide Matthew is something I find really cool.”
The pair makes use of radio headsets as they ski.
“We just communicate through there with quick one-word questions and answers, so I’ll tell him when I’m going around a gate and he will tell me if there is a flush or a hairpin or a delay,” defined Leach.
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Leach and Ferguson are actually trying ahead to placing all their coaching to the check within the para big slalom and para slalom occasions in early March.
“It’s been a really cool time to be able to work with him and train with him and go through the steps and the struggles to improve,” stated Ferguson.
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As they prepare to go away for the Canada Winter Games, Leach has a easy purpose in thoughts — to “have fun and enjoy the experience.”
In his Canada Winter Games biography, Leach stated his private position mannequin is his older brother, Paralympian Logan Leach, who additionally lives with Stargardt’s illness
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