| UC |  |
| Wyant’s wife, Jane Feldman, was the UC grad's coach and guide at the World Blind Golf Competition, 2000. |
Have
a good sense of direction.
I have some peripheral vision, but it's total darkness straight ahead.
I've been to all 50 states and probably as many foreign countries by myself
for my work. When I take groups on tours, I always get them back to where
we started because I have a good sense of direction.
Be willing
to change. It helps to be good at the sport before you lose
your vision. I had always been a good water skier, so it didn't seem that
difficult for me to continue. But when I started getting older and getting
more injuries, my wife, Jane, encouraged me to switch to golf. I find
it a harder sport, but I am enjoying it.
Find
a coach. You
have to have a coach to line you up at the tee and tell you where the
ball went. If your coach is a better golfer than you are, he can also
help by telling you what you're doing wrong. In golf, it's not usually
your sight -- or lack of it -- that gets in the way. It's a lack of coordination,
of getting everything together.
Follow the
leaders. The way I was introduced to competitions is that I
discovered other people doing it. When the Blinded Veterans Association
had a golf tournament, we found other guys trying it, and some were fairly
decent players. We figured that if they could do it, we could, too. It
was the same in water skiing. The American Water Ski Association has a
disabled skiers division with a very nice network.
Know where to draw the line. I ran in my first marathon last
year -- and probably my last. Unfortunately, I was really sick with a
sinus and lung infection at the time. For the last six miles, I was gasping
for breath, but I was determined to finish. It turned out that my practice
times in our neighborhood were better than my time in the real race.
A former Navy pilot, Wyant holds a black belt
in karate, SCUBA certification and six USA Water Ski national championships
among men with visual handicaps. He is one of two U.S. Blind Golf Team
members selected to compete in this summer's World Blind Golf Championship,
where he placed 12th in 2000 (and third in the British Blind Open that
year). After losing his sight, Wyant earned his doctorate at UC under
the GI Bill. He later served as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs'
national director of the GI Bill program, as well as veterans vocational
rehabilitation and counseling services. In '99, he retired as the U.S.
Department of Labor's deputy assistant secretary of labor for veterans
employment.
Links:
Wyant co-founded the Blinded American Veterans Foundation and has written articles about the U.S. Blind Golfers Association.
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