Rogue Lemmings go to Blind Worlds!
Donation protected
How did the Rogue Lemmings, Boston's blind sailing team that doesn't follow the pack, get started??
Pauline Dowell has been losing her sight since she was born, but she has never been the type to let any obstacle slow her down. When she met Grace Olsen and Kay Vanvalkenburgh, two seasoned sailors, last year, she had just ventured into a brand new world: sailing as a blind person. At the end of the season, she attended Blind Sailing Nationals with Kay and Grace as her sighted guides. It was their first regatta together, and they walked away with second place, behind the first place boat by just 3 points. It was that day that the team's new goal was born: to race at the Blind World Championships.
Blind Worlds is held approximately every 3-4 years, and the next one is coming right up in September of 2015, in Chicago. Pauline, Kay, and Grace knew that they would need a lot of teamwork and practice to be ready for this much more challenging competition in time. But first, they needed to find a fourth teammate - and that's when they met Christian Thaxton. "Thax" had just arrived in Boston from Oklahoma, where he had lived his entire life without sailing. He began losing his vision a couple of years ago, and chose to leave home in order to live in a more blind-accessible city. Thax, a natural athlete, quickly picked up the skills necessary to sail with the team - and thus, the Rogue Lemmings were born!
This summer, we have practiced over 100 hours together and sailed in dozens of races, not to mention all of the sailing we've done apart to cross-train. In the few short weeks that remain, we will be training harder than ever. We are so close to reaching our goal of attending the Worlds together! However, we could use a little help from our friends, family, and fellow sailors to get there. If you can, please consider donating to our cause!
Your donation would go towards the following: plane tickets, lodging, a rental car, registration, food to get us through the day, and maybe a minor boat repair :) In addition, you'll be promoting sailing accessibility to the blind community, which is growing. Every little bit counts - and to show our appreciation, every donation above $25 will be reciprocated with an awesome Rogue Lemmings t-shirt. We thank you in advance for your kindness and support!
To keep up with our progress, check out our Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/roguelemmings
And remember, don't follow the pack - unless you're going to click Donate!
Pauline Dowell has been losing her sight since she was born, but she has never been the type to let any obstacle slow her down. When she met Grace Olsen and Kay Vanvalkenburgh, two seasoned sailors, last year, she had just ventured into a brand new world: sailing as a blind person. At the end of the season, she attended Blind Sailing Nationals with Kay and Grace as her sighted guides. It was their first regatta together, and they walked away with second place, behind the first place boat by just 3 points. It was that day that the team's new goal was born: to race at the Blind World Championships.
Blind Worlds is held approximately every 3-4 years, and the next one is coming right up in September of 2015, in Chicago. Pauline, Kay, and Grace knew that they would need a lot of teamwork and practice to be ready for this much more challenging competition in time. But first, they needed to find a fourth teammate - and that's when they met Christian Thaxton. "Thax" had just arrived in Boston from Oklahoma, where he had lived his entire life without sailing. He began losing his vision a couple of years ago, and chose to leave home in order to live in a more blind-accessible city. Thax, a natural athlete, quickly picked up the skills necessary to sail with the team - and thus, the Rogue Lemmings were born!
This summer, we have practiced over 100 hours together and sailed in dozens of races, not to mention all of the sailing we've done apart to cross-train. In the few short weeks that remain, we will be training harder than ever. We are so close to reaching our goal of attending the Worlds together! However, we could use a little help from our friends, family, and fellow sailors to get there. If you can, please consider donating to our cause!
Your donation would go towards the following: plane tickets, lodging, a rental car, registration, food to get us through the day, and maybe a minor boat repair :) In addition, you'll be promoting sailing accessibility to the blind community, which is growing. Every little bit counts - and to show our appreciation, every donation above $25 will be reciprocated with an awesome Rogue Lemmings t-shirt. We thank you in advance for your kindness and support!
To keep up with our progress, check out our Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/roguelemmings
And remember, don't follow the pack - unless you're going to click Donate!
Organizer
Grace Olsen
Organizer
Somerville, MA