A Hit and Miss Affair
As some of you may know, the Paralympics are going on in Vancouver right now and a man who has been mentioned here before is in the news again. Brian McKeever, the blind cross-country skier, is now being asked questions about his upcoming event, the 12.5 kilometer biathlon. “Blind Biathlon is kind of an oxymoron, isn’t it?” said McKeever when asked. He reportedly laughed the first time he was asked to consider competing in the event that requires a lot of cross-country skiing, but also a steady aim as they shoot rifles at targets as well.
While this may not seem possible for a blind person to accomplish, equipment has been developed to aid blind shooters. When they arrive at their shooting station, they put on a headset that’s connected to a computer system. Their rifle is equipped with an infrared sight. As the infrared beam gets closer to the target, they hear a beeping noise in their headphones that increases in both frequency and pitch as their aim nears the center of the target. If they’re aiming too far right, the beeping will come through their left headphone, instructing them to adjust in that direction. McKeever says that regular hand eye coordination is a must for rifle shooting. But being blind, he must rely on ear hand coordination, something that people just aren’t used to doing.
With plenty of practice and his ability to make up any loss of time or points with his incredible skiing prowess, McKeever should do well in the event. He’s already won a gold medal for Canada in the 20 kilometer cross-country skiing race.
To read the original article, please go to http://www.teamusa.org/news/2010/03/17/athletes-find-humor-in-visually-impaired-biathlon/34674