A Hollister student participated in the 2012 Northern California Blind and Low Vision Olympics and came home with three gold medals and one silver medal in track and field events. Jayna Navarro, who is low-vision and a fifth grade student at Sunnyslope School, competed with other students in her age group. The annual event, which was held in Sacramento on Oct. 20, gave blind and low-vision students an opportunity to participate in a fun atmosphere, allowing them to enjoy the day with other youth and compete in athletic events.
This 29th annual event was sponsored by the Society for the Blind of Sacramento and featured keynote speaker and Honorary Games Director Christella Garcia, a gold medalist athlete in Judo who represented the U.S. in the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. She gave an inspiring speech about her own life as a blind athlete and how she sometimes competes with athletes who are not blind. She encouraged the young athletes to continue aspiring to meet their challenges no matter how difficult it may seem.
The event coordinator, Dwayne Davis, said that he would like to see increased youth participation next year.
