Hello MWABA,

Join us for tandem biking, goalball, kayaking, a mushroom walk, yoga, beep baseball, and more! Congratulations to the eight tandem teams that did the DC Bike Ride yesterday!

Tandem Biking

· Sign up by September 15th if you’re interested in doing the Pumpkin Ride on October 25th: https://forms.gle/HePrczM1kWYK2udv5.

· We’re joining DC Bike Party on Wednesday, September 10th (instead of riding from Eastern Market on Thursday) and riding from Bethesda on Friday night this week. Sign up here by Monday at 8 p.m. for the ride on Wednesday, and by Tuesday at 8 p.m. for the ride on Friday: https://forms.gle/a3fC438hzv9aH8m89 Also, Bike Party Wednesday night will end at City State (705 Edgewood St. NE, DC), and they’ve generously agreed to donate 10% of proceeds to MWABA! Even if you aren’t doing the ride, you can come to City State to support MWABA and hang out with Bike Party folks! Bike Party will probably get to City State between 9:30 and 10 pm and City State will stay open late.

Goalball

· Come to Goalball on September 13th from 10 AM to 1 PM at 1480 Girard St. NW, DC.

Come Kayak with MWABA!

· Whether it’s your first time or you’ve paddled before, come enjoy a day on water. We’ll have tandem kayaks at The Wharf on September 14th from 1:00 to 5:00 pm. MWABA will be providing snacks, water bottles and Gatorade. There are public tables available at this venue. Feel free to bring a snack to share or games to play.

· The address is: 710 Wharf St. SW

· For those wishing to ride metro, take the green line to Waterfront Station. Amanda will be there at 12:45 to walk with anyone who would like to walk together to the dock. It is an easy 10 minute walk.

· Sign up here: https://forms.gle/RHtF7J7wXVKsWZ487

· All participants are required to sign a waiver for The Wharf Boathouse: Wharf – Boat Rental Waiver

Mushroom Walk

· MWABA announces our first Mushroom Foray and Nature Walk. Our guide will be April Thompson, a DC based writer and educator who is a gardener, naturalist, food forager and mushroom lover. We will touch, smell and use our imaginations to understand how dynamic the forest, plants and soil can be. For inspiration listen to the April 2024 issue of the National Geographic https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/issue/april-2024

· Sign up here: https://forms.gle/S7ZoJYRjhkcFAx4P6

· Sign up limited to 15 participants.

· Date: Sunday September 21st at 9:00 AM.

· Place: Peirce Mill in Rock Creek Park, 2401 Tilden St. NW, DC.

Yoga

· Our next yoga session is on Saturday, September 27th from 11:45-12:45 at Circle Yoga, 3838 Northampton St. NW, DC. Sign up here: RSVP for Yoga!

Mason Neck Hike on 10/5

· Mason Neck State Park is hosting MWABA and the public for a guided walk on October 5th designed for guests who are blind or visually impaired. Sign up here: Mason Neck Sign-Up Form

· Nature’s true story is not just seen, but felt, heard, and smelled. This guided walk will begin at the High Point Trailhead with a brief introduction to our senses. We will learn to identify some trees by their bark texture and leaf shapes using plastic-molded leaves. We will also listen to birds and try to recognize some familiar calls. Our Ranger will have a tablet with Live Transcribe for deaf and hard-of-hearing guests. During our walk, the Park Ranger will discuss the history of the park and the land we now call Mason Neck State Park. The High Point Trail is paved, with some areas of root exposure along the way. We will travel approximately 0.25 miles on the High Point Trail to the Wilson Springs/Dogue Trail junction point. Then we will take Dogue Trail, which is a loop of about .85 miles of hard-packed dirt suitable for both strollers and wheelchairs. We will return to the group picnic area parking lot via High Point Trail. This guided walk is appropriate for participants of all abilities.

· We’ll meet at the Franconia-Springfield Metro at 9:15 a.m.

Other Activities

· Beep Baseball All-Star Weekend at George Mason University October 3rd and 4th. There will be a learn to play clinic on Friday night, and the All-Star Tournament on Saturday. Event details and registration links can be found here: Beep Baseball All-Star Weekend Event Website.

· Ski for Light Guide and Visually Impaired Participant Applications Now Open! The 2026 Ski for Light International week will be February 1 through February 8, 2026, at Snow Mountain Ranch in Granby, Colorado, near Winter Park. First- and second-year guides will need to arrive one day early, by Saturday evening January 31, for guide orientation and training. Cross country skiing is the official Ski for Light activity, but other options are available during leisure hours. The more guides the better even if they do not yet know how to guide or cross-country ski. They can learn what they need to know before the actual event (during guide training.) Financial assistance is available for blind skiers and sighted guides who need it. We encourage everyone to apply as soon as possible since the waitlist gets very long. Here’s the main event link: https://www.sfl.org/events/next/

Thanks and see you out there!

Metro Washington Association of Blind Athletes (MWABA)

Sports and fun for everyone! https://gomwaba.org