Mass. School For the Blind Fencing Program

This is really a great story about a pair of school’s in Massachussetts who have  fencing programs for blind students.   The story has been an amazing viral success as well starting with a twitter post!

Here are some excerpts from the Associated Press Article:

Kadlik duels Monday in what’s being billed as a first-of-its kind match between students at schools for the blind – Perkins and The Carroll Center for the Blind in nearby Newton.

The match was the brainchild of Perkins fencing instructor Cesar Morales, founder of the International Fencing Club in suburban Boston and also a teacher at the Newton school. Morales said the students got bored fencing against the same people week after week and needed outside challenges.

And how does blind fencing work?

There are no special rules and no greater risk of injury for the blind students, Morales said. They wear the same protective jackets and headgear as sighted fencers. They start with their weapons touching, then fence on command from the officials, just like a fencing bout for the sighted. There are no verbal cues from coaches, and they use the same electronic scoring devices that buzz and light up when a fencer touches the tip of their weapon to their opponent’s torso or head.

To keep the blind fencers oriented, Morales uses a rectangular carpet much like the “strip” sighted fencers use.

Read more: http://www.thestate.com/2010/03/28/1220015/mass-schools-for-blind-gear-up.html#ixzz0jc2Dr6r2

Very cool stuff and go Cesar Morales who is a friend of mine and former assistant coach at Brandeis University when I was a student.