Encouraging shouts of “Go! Go! Go!” and “Great job!” rang out around the track and field at the annual track meet at the Washington State School for the Blind on Thursday.
In all, 111 Washington and Oregon students with visual impairments competed in the school’s annual track meet sponsored by the Fort Vancouver Lions Club. About 50 of the student athletes attend WSSB.
Some kids are partially sighted, but others can’t see anything. Students are scored according to their age, gender and vision category. On the track they ran distances from 50 meters to 200 meters, and on the field they competed in shot put, turbo javelin, standing long jump and tennis ball throw.
Principal Sean McCormick announced the next heat of the 50-meter dash.
Standing at the starting line, Lora Woodward, 12, reached out her right hand and grasped a rope delineating the lanes. The horn blasted.
Wearing dark glasses and a Northwest Association of Blind Athletes T-shirt, Lora sped down the track. At the end of the race, she was barely winded and still grinning. She attends Lowell Elementary School in Seattle.
“I’ve been training for a 5K race in June,” she said.
During the 100-meter dash, Angel Miller-Boyko, 8, of Vancouver, ran in the inside lane. As her feet flew, she stayed in her lane by grasping a metal rail encircling the field.
In the field, Dalton Marchand, 13, who attends WSSB, was focused as he sprinted toward the take-off line and then sprang through the air in the running long jump.
The state school has hosted the track meet for about 30 years. What’s the biggest takeaway the students get from the event?
“Opportunity!” said Jennifer Butcher, the school’s P.E. teacher who organizes the track meet. “These kids are always told they can’t do something, but here they can compete on a fair playing field. And they can shine. They don’t have to worry about adaptations to the track. We’ve got it all.”
About 45 volunteers from the Fort Vancouver Lions Club helped out on the track and on the field. Some rolled out tapes to measure distances in the field event. Others led students to the starting line. Everyone — from volunteers, parents, staff and other students — cheered.
Wearing hot pink running shoes, Millie Ortiz, 11, sprinted across the 50-meter finish line in 24 seconds. She attends Washington Elementary School in Centralia. Like many participants, she planned to compete in most or all of the events. She’d already thrown the javelin. But there was no time to stop and chat. Her next event awaited.
