By Ashley Berton
As a pro cyclist with goals to welcome and include marginalized groups into the cycling world, I wanted to let you know that October is Blind Awareness Month. Blind athletes are among those most marginalized in the competitive scene, and it’s time for that to end! Now is the time for the blind and their allies to show some pride! Let’s spread awareness and spread the love for their wonderful community.
Now – If you’re like me, Blind Awareness Month isn’t something you have traditionally celebrated. I certainly supported the people in the blind community and didn’t actively choose not to celebrate, but was simply naive to the depth of what being an ally really meant.
This all changed for me in May (2019) when I was given the opportunity to participate as a tandem pilot for a U. S. Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) Learn to Race Camp. Before the camp, I had never met someone who was blind, but all of a sudden I found myself in the company of 12 blind athletes, 2 coaches, and 11 pilots just like me.
Not going to lie, I was nervous and had no idea what to expect. Many thoughts bounced around in my head about what the experience would be like. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to look past their blindness to see who they were as a person. I wondered if I would be able to interact with them as I do with all my sighted friends. Mostly, I wanted to be able to make real, authentic friendships but wasn’t sure how easy that would be.
In time I found all my nerves were for nothing. In fact, these people were amazing. I found conversations were easy, jokes were numerous, and they all did everything that I could do – maybe a bit differently – but still with grace. My stoker (the person who rides on the back of the tandem bike) was named Kristin. It only took one day, and I knew we were going to be friends for a long time. Not only was she a total slayer on the saddle, but she was also funny, witty, and kind. Plus, her seeing-eye dog Zoe was the best pup.
After a week of skills, drills, and racing I had a bunch of new friends that I was sad to leave. Luckily for me, Kristin asked me to pilot her again for the 2019 Para-track National Championships in July (2019). It almost didn’t work out with my schedule, but at the last minute I flew out to Carson, CA to race with her. It was so great to be back with some of my friends I met at camp and to meet more people in the Para community (who of course welcomed me with open arms). On top of the friendships, the racing with Kristin was exhilarating. There is nothing quite like racing a tandem bike on the track with one of your best pals. As a bonus, we ended up taking home the bronze medal in both the Kilo and 3-kilometer pursuit.
After just 4 short days I had to leave again, but that didn’t end the story for Kristin and me. On October 1st I moved to train with her full time. We have set some big goals for ourselves including the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan. The journey begins now in Terre Haute, IN but it will soon take us to Colorado, California, back to Indiana, and hopefully Minnesota and Ontario. I’m so excited for this new adventure!!
I wanted to share this because I have had nothing but an amazing experience with the blind community. All of the people I have met have changed my life. I want to recognize them during this month and inspire others to become allies and to learn about how awesome the blind community is. Trust me you won’t regret it.
Thanks for what you do for Kristin and the blind community. I met Kristin when she was getting ready to graduate from Vanderbilt University when she was still fully sighted. But as she began to lose vision it did not matter one bit. She is still the same determined, intelligent, brave and funny person she has always been. Heck, she graduated from Harvard Law and passed the bar after losing her vision. That says it all!
Linda