Hello MWABA,
See below for information about tandem biking, goalball, outreach events, and more!
Tandem Biking
· Sign up by tonight for our final bike maintenance class on Tuesday, April 1, which will cover shifting gears. The class will be led by Leah Fantle of the Upshift Workshop, and will start at 6:30 PM at R.E.I. in D.C., at 201 M Street Northeast. Spots are filling up fast, but if you’re interested, please sign up ASAP. Sign up here: https://forms.gle/hWozkHaNv6E3UUZW7
· Sign up by tomorrow for our tandem bike camping trip from May 30th-June 1st at Lake Fairfax off the W&OD trail in Reston: https://forms.gle/Js2sSp2hQW8o1FyJ7
· Sign up by Tuesday night for our Thursday night ride from Eastern Market, and our Friday night ride from Bethesda: https://forms.gle/a3fC438hzv9aH8m89 Also, welcome to the new tandem captains who came to the training last week! If you’re an interested new captain and haven’t been trained yet, feel free to sign up for any of our tandem bike rides and we’ll train you at the beginning of the ride. Additionally, we’re doing a training from 9-10 a.m. on April 26th, before our April weekend ride.
Goalball
· No goalball on Saturday, April 5th.
· MWABA is excited to announce a series of upcoming Youth Goalball events. We will be hosting 2 “Try Goalball” practices culminating with a Youth Goalball Tournament. The practices will take place on Saturday, April 12 and Saturday, May 10. The Youth Goalball Tournament will be on Saturday, June 7. All events will be from 10:00-1:00 at the Columbia Heights Community Center in Washington, DC. These events are open to blind and visually impaired youth ages 10-18 in DC, MD, and VA. Participants will have the opportunity to learn the game from adult players on the DC men’s and women’s goalball teams during the two practices. At the May 10 practice, we will form teams for the tournament. This will be a great opportunity for blind and visually impaired youth in the area to participate on a team in a fun and exciting sport designed for them. Please find more information and sign-up here by April 9th: clairep03
Outreach Events
Sign up here for events on April 5th and 9th: https://forms.gle/
- MWABA is participating in the George Washington University bike club Bikepalooza event on Saturday, April 5th from 10 AM – 2 PM at Potomac Square. Reach out to Tajuan Farmer at 202-255-2416 or via email at tajuan.farmer@gmail.com if you can help table or if you have any questions.
- Come take part in Love My Largo on Saturday, April 5th from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm in Largo, MD. This is a mini–Open streets event where lanes will be closed for pedestrians and cyclists to visit 3 activity hubs along McCormick Drive. MWABA will have a table with information and will offer tandem demonstrations. Come help us table, or just come out and enjoy this event.
- The April 9th event is at the University of Maryland Bike Week from 3:30-5:30 p.m.
Additional Announcements
· Mary Flood is writing a book which will be called The Truth About Blindness and Visual Impairment. Mary is including sections in the book on the human eye itself, myths and truths about blindness/visual impairment/blind/visually impaired people, “Do’s and Don’ts” (etiquette and about not making assumptions), famous/well-known people who are/were blind/visually impaired, eye conditions and what causes them, the psychological and spiritual aspects of blindness/visual impairment and vision loss, and stories of not-so-famous people out in our communities who are blind or visually impaired. Mary is looking for help/input from MWABA members. You can share as much as you feel comfortable about your life as a blind/visually impaired person and your vision loss journey (this doesn’t necessarily mean you are losing or have lost your sight over time). She will share the sections on Myths and Truths and Do’s and Don’ts to see if there is anything anyone else wants to add to the lists. She’s asking for your stories by email to camflood1 ASAP.
· Check out information on the Wilderness Inquiry Apostle Islands Base Camp and Kayak Tour for people with disabilities in August. https://www.wildernessinquiry.org/itinerary/apostle-islands-base-camp-sea-kayak-tour/
Thanks and see you out there!
Metro Washington Association of Blind Athletes (MWABA)
Sports and fun for everyone! https://gomwaba.org