| Abington Athletics |
Abington athletic trainer volunteers with blind athletes in Summer 2009
Head Athletic Trainer Julie McNulty returned to Wisconsin to work in the annual Wisconsin Association of Blind Athletes Sports Education Camps in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The camps took place June 19-28. It was her ninth year of volunteering at the camp where she was the recipient of the Volunteer of the Year Award. Volunteering alongside Julie in his first year was current Penn State student Mike Lutz. Also volunteering for their second year were two former soccer players for Penn State Abington, Kevin Hofmann and John Madara.
“It’s one of those camps you go to and you work extremely hard (lots of days and long hours),” says Julie McNulty. “To see the campers receive their medals at the end with a huge smile is the true reason why I do it.”
The camp is an opportunity for those kids that are legally blind and have an array of visual impairments to participate in sports and physical activity. The sports included are: Swimming, Judo, Wrestling, Track and Field, Goalball, Karate, Team Building, Body Mechanics, Body Movement, Aquathon (1 mile run, long distance swim, 1 mile run), Weight Training, Power Lifting and Power Showdown (a game for the visually impaired that resembles air hockey). The age of the campers ranged from 5 years to 18 years old.
Madara, a recent graduate of Penn State Abington had this to say about the camp. “Seeing the kids smile and hearing them talk about next year is what the camp is about. While doing the post-camp assessments, I really got to see what a difference this camp makes in their lives. Listening to them talk about how they are not allowed to participate in certain activities in their regular gym classes is a bit depressing. I hope that I played a part in their lives making their summers just a little bit better because they could participate fully in all of the activities at camp without restrictions.”
Julie, John, Mike and Kevin all look forward to next years’ camp.
