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when eighth grader
austin
dugas bench pressed his way to a state victory at the louisiana high school athletic asso- ciation?s powerlifting tournament in monroe, the crowd was on its feet. ?aus- tin could hear the crowd cheering even though he could not see,?
says
bobby simpson, director of the louisiana school for the visually impaired (
lsvi
) in baton rouge. and for
austin
, the victory was awe- some. athletics is his passion, whether it?s shooting free throws on the bas- ketball court or powerlifting his way through squats, bench presses, and deadlifts. ?i love sports of any kind,?
austin
says
. ?after school, i like to go outside and play football, basketball, soccer, track.?
austin
, who tells us he?ll be turning 16 in may, also loves wres- tling. if there?s a ballfield, gym floor or swimming pool,
austin
can be found there. for jason norris, first year coach at
lsvi
,
austin
?s gold medal was especial- ly sweet. jennifer gaudet, girls coach at
lsvi
, also went to the tournament in monroe. ?it was so exciting to have our athletes compete. i love it here,? gaudet
says
. everyone at
lsvi
does every- thing possible to support the stu- dents who love athletics. ?is year, norris?s wrestling team added a girl to the roster who loves the sport. lsu bas- ketball coach johnny jones visited the school to work with the athletes. ?e school also hosted a state track meet, and its sports facilities are state of the art. director simpson
says
there?s no limit to what the athletes at
lsvi
can do. he
says
, ?
austin
, like many others here, has no concept of vision. he?s never had sight of any kind in his life. ?ese stu- dents have to learn things we take for granted, such as how to orient yourself when responding to things around you. comments like, ?look over here, or look over there,? mean nothing when you have never known sight. but these kids can throw a free throw as well as any- live / e x c e p t i o n a l l i v e s raising the bar of success by r.t. ripley ??ey learn the mechanics without vision, and they?re incredible.? one. ?ey learn they need to put more force or less into the throw, throw more to the left, or more to the right. ?ey learn the mechanics without vi- sion, and they?re incredible.?
austin
?s happiness was obvious with the smile on his face when he talk- ed of his trip to the tournament at ulm along with his medals, upcom- ing birthday, and activities at
lsvi
. and for his birthday, he
says
he wants something really special, and maybe i could get it for him. he?d like a copy of this article in braille. absolutely. ? 52 brparents.com | may 2016
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