{"id":861,"date":"2015-10-19T18:57:17","date_gmt":"2015-10-19T18:57:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/asrab.ab.ca\/?page_id=861"},"modified":"2015-10-19T18:57:17","modified_gmt":"2015-10-19T18:57:17","slug":"we-introduce-you-to-the-sight-night-2015-honorary-chair-paul-mcknight","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/asrab.ab.ca\/?page_id=861","title":{"rendered":"We Introduce you to the Sight Night 2015 Honorary Chair, Paul Mcknight!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0<\/strong>ASRAB is proud to have Paul McKnight take\u00a0on the role this year as Honorary Chair of our annual fundraising event, sight night. As a\u00a0long-time\u00a0active member, Paul has experiences he would like to share about how ASRAB has changed his life. Here is Paul’s story.<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n

\"sight<\/a><\/p>\n

My name is Paul McKnight and I lost my vision due to a cancer called bilateral retinoblastoma at the age of 4. Growing up from childhood, blind was a challenge at times, especially when participating in the sport programs at school. Being like any other boy in my class I wanted nothing more but to rough-house, get dirty and of course have fun. But when it came to actually playing and competing in the gym I found that so many adjustments were made to accommodate my vision loss, it would become aggravating or down right embarrassing. I was never afraid of getting hurt but teachers and even fellow students would be very overprotective and I wasn’t able to get any real experience in \u00a0physical activities. By the time ASRAB (Alberta Sports and Recreation Association for the Blind) came in to my life I had already given up on being active or showing any interest in any form of competition.<\/p>\n

I will never forget that first day I went to an ASRAB activity (and to be completely honest I had low expectations because of the experiences I had in the past), I actually tried begging my mom not to make me go. It was the first time I ever played the Paralympic sport called goalball, and to put it simply I was absolutely and completely shocked! Going that day not only changed my life, but it made my attitude do a complete turn around. It’s where I learned about fitness, team work, competition, winning, losing and general toughness. I had the opportunity to learn both from coaches and trainers, who taught me my strengths and weaknesses, and how to not only improve but to use skills that I performed well to help my teammates. I also challenged them, which is something I hadn’t had a real chance to do before… COMPETITION!<\/p>\n

Ever since that first day I’ve tried everything that ASRAB has to offer. Whether it be playing on the Alberta men’s goalball team year after year or going to a walking club, lawn bowling, yoga, dragon boating, dance, etc… I’ve found a place where I can test my skills and my determination to win and improve against other people who share my experiences.<\/p>\n

ASRAB is an organization that I will happily be apart of as a member and as a volunteer in anything and everything that they provide. Being selected to be honorary chair of 2015 for sight night is a huge privilege and an even bigger responsibility. I’m following in the footsteps of others who have held this position and I only hope that I can successfully represent the organization that has given me all these opportunities. I will never forget my first day walking into ASRAB, wearing a scowl that soon turned in to an enthusiastic smile.<\/p>\n

Help keep a great place going and support ASRAB. Be a part of sight night 2015!<\/p>\n

Sincerely,
\nPaul McKnight<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0ASRAB is proud to have Paul McKnight take\u00a0on the role this year as Honorary Chair of our annual fundraising event, sight night. As a\u00a0long-time\u00a0active member, Paul has experiences he would like to share about how ASRAB has changed his life.…<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more ›<\/a><\/div>\n

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