For visually impaired parathletes, sound and touch guide their passions
LA TimesMcClain Hermes knows precisely what it takes to swim, as fast as possible, to the far end of a 50-meter pool. Swimmer McClain Hermes and guide dog Uzo Soccer player Alvaro Mora Arellano Long jumper Lex Gillette Goalball player Calahan Young Swimmers will charge toward an unseen wall. With each long jump attempt, Lex Gillette launches himself down the runway, sprinting more than 100 feet toward the sound of his guide clapping and chanting, “Fly, fly, fly.” If he drifts off course, guide Wes Williams yells “Stop” — if there’s time. “It’s an actual piece of physical feedback you can get to help orientate yourself,” says Calahan Young, who is headed to his second Paralympics with the U.S. team. “Now I get tapped and I flip right away, so that there’s no hesitation and I’m keeping the power throughout the whole 50 meters.” When parathlete swimmer McClain Hermes gets tapped by a long, thin pole, she knows it is time to make a flip-turn or stretch for the finish.
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