Inspiring athletes are striving to reach their goals in Colorado Springs

“I may be blind but I’m not broken”

Those inspiring words come from Kathy Champion. For her being on a bike is a major achievement.

“About a year and a half (after) being home, the virus I picked up in Iraq started to deteriorate my optic nerves and I lost my vision,” she said.

Now she’s hoping for a spot in the Paralympics.

The U.S. Association of Blind Athletes is hosting a total of six events at the Olympic Training Center. But only one of those sports was uniquely created for the visually impaired and that’s goalball.

Matt Simpson is on the Men’s National Goalball Team.

He said, “we’re teaching them the sport so that they can bring it back to their communities.”

The game takes plenty of co-ordination. And it’s very competitive when played at the highest level. But for the players at the Olympic Training Center on Tuesday, it’s about much more than competition.

“When you lose your sight, you lose so many things that you take for granted…and when you find the sport of goalball it can really help bring back those things in a big way,” said Simpson.

Participating in sports like goalball makes the people who are here feel like champions again.

“I feel whole again,” said Champion.

That’s exactly what they are.

The National Adaptive Sports Conference goes through Thursday.

The other sports that the athletes are taking part in this week are tandem bicycling, track and field, judo, rowing and biathlon.