MWABA Newsletter: goalball, hike, tandem ride, camping trip sign-up , dark room Ballet

January 30, 2024

Hello MWABA,

Come out to Goalball on Saturday, February 3.

Our January 21 hike was canceled due to the snow, but we’re excited to announce that we have a reschedule date! We’ll meet at 8:30am on Sunday, February 4 at the East Falls Church metro station. We’re still planning to travel to Raven Rocks, in Bluemont, VA. This is a challenging 5.1-mile out-and-back hike along the Appalachian Trail. The terrain will be rocky, including some scrambling, and an elevation gain of about 1,500 feet. But hikers will certainly be rewarded with stunning mountain and valley views. There’s also a shorter hike option that some of us can do:
https://www.hikingupward.com/OVH/BearsDenOverlook/

We’ll also need volunteer drivers for the reschedule date. If you’re available to drive, please email Qudsiya at qnaqui, and let her know how many passengers you can accommodate.
If you’re interested in joining us for this next adventure, please sign up using the link below by no later than 11:59 on Tuesday, January 30.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdfvU-TE8oIM4qYhcPXX9G5vX-XduoAA5ehiUFBjPj3OD0Hkg/viewform

Tandem ride February 10: We’ll have another tandem ride on Saturday, Feb. 10, starting at Eastern Market at 12:30 p.m., barring inclement weather. Email mwaba.inc by Feb. 6 to RSVP. We’re considering a distance of about 20-25 miles, with the goal of reaching Lake Artemesia or another destination (suggestions welcome!).


Camping Trip Sign-Up: Thanks to everyone who filled out the camping trip survey. We decided to do a tandem bike camping trip on June 21st-23rd at the Marsden Tract on the C&O Canal near Great Falls, Maryland. Our rain date is August 23rd-25th. We’ll leave, probably from the Bethesda area, around 10 a.m. on Friday. If some people can only come for one night, they’ll leave on Saturday around 10 a.m.Tandem pairs can either do a 15ish mile route or a 30ish mile route to the campsite. Everyone will bike back from the campsite on Sunday. Sign up if you want to join on a tandem or if you can drive with the group’s gear. Family members or friends may be able to join on single bikes if we have space. During the camping trip, participants can hike at Great Falls, bike on the C&O Canal or around Poolesville, and/or do activities at the campground. We’re working on getting funding for the trip, but we may ask participants to contribute up to $20 toward the trip’s costs. Please sign up here: https://forms.gle/M33nnZfCDrjjAovF6 We’ll try to accommodate everyone who signs up by April 15th, and we’ll create a waitlist if the trip is full. Let us know if you have any questions or want to discuss with one of the organizers, or if you’d like us to hold an in-person or virtual information session. We’ll also do a camping and bike maintenance skillshare in May or June. We might organize an additional advanced bike trip in the early fall depending on interest.

Beginning Saturday, March 9th from 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM join dark room, ballet Sponsored by Movement Research, this class is designed specifically for the educational needs of blind and visually impaired adults.

About Saturday Introductory Level Class:

  • This is a FREE class!
  • This class is suitable for people with no prior knowledge of ballet. This repeating series of eight classes introduces students to the most common ballet vocabulary that they would need to know in order to participate in Open Level Dark Room Ballet Class. The class introduces students to necessary anatomical concepts like turnout, torso stability, foot sensitivity and mobility, sightless balancing, and the use of a taped floor for orientation. Classes take place each Saturday online via the Zoom platform; there is also the option to call in via phone.

Please note that Dark Room Ballet Introductory Level Classes now operate as a scholarship program for new blind and low-vision students.If you are a blind or visually impaired individual interested in learning ballet remotely, you MUST contact dark room ballet by no later than March 5th, so you can complete the intake process to register for this class.

Register: The next Intro Level cycle begins on Saturday March 9th, 2024. To register, email info to begin the intake process; you can also call (929) 367-0025.

See you out there!

Metro Washington Association of Blind Athletes
Sports and fun for everyone!
https://gomwaba.org