‘You have to keep working.’ The veteran Stark, 79, embraces curling and skiing
Lake TWP. − John Albrecht doesn’t let his disability stop him from staying active.
Being legally blind doesn’t stop him from surfing the slopes of Northeast Ohio. Losing his central vision also presented challenges when he bent over for the first time recently. But he still got into the snow and accepted the job and enjoyed learning the rules.
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And the 79-year-old military veteran and Stark County resident has advice for other disabled people who might be hesitant to try something new: “If you want to stay healthy, you have to stay active.”
Albrecht participated in the recent National Paralympic Winter Sports Clinic in Snowmass Village, Colorado, for the fourth year. He represented the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, where he is in the outpatient program at the center’s center for treating the blind.
Albrecht participated in cross country skiing, cross country and skiing.
“It was very fun because the instructors explained the game,” he said with a smile at the Winter Sports Clinic.
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Instructors held each of Albrecht’s arms while he wore the hat.
Curling is a team sport played on ice, where two teams take turns sliding a granite stone toward a target, according to the World Curling Federation. Based on points, the sport gained popularity in the Winter Olympics.
“Because I’m disabled, we didn’t go down and slide the stone,” said Albrecht, noting that he was in a group of four. “We attached a stick to a stone and guided it… we started walking, they told us where to go.
“Because of my disability… all I could do was push the stone down,” he said. “We weren’t doing that sweeping.”
Macular degeneration
Albrecht, who lives in Lake Township, served in the U.S. Army from 1966 to 1968 during the Vietnam War.
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About eight years ago, he was diagnosed with macular degeneration, an age-related retinal condition, which often causes loss of central vision but not all vision, according to the Cleveland Clinic. There are cures but there are none.
“I am lucky that I can see 100%,” said Albrecht, who is also hearing impaired.
Albrecht, who started skiing as a child, now skis with the help of instructors at Brandywine Ski Resort in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, where he said he developed his skills on the slopes.
Colorado had a lot of climbing in the area, although the snow was light and the area was limited during the Winter Sports Clinic from April 4th to the 11th. Guides help him at Snowmass.
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“I can see the waist of the mountains, but I can’t see a certain area,” said Albrecht, who used to work in airplanes and trucks. “But I can see enough to look down the hill. It’s really fun.”
Stark County resident John Albrecht participates in downhill skiing at the recent National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic in Colorado for disabled veterans.
Gung ho about Golden Age Games
Albrecht expressed appreciation for the ski instructors at the local resort and those at the Winter Sports Clinic.
He also praised the staff at the vision rehabilitation center and Patty Whitecotton, a recreation physician at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center.
“Part of my job is to train and clarify what events are safe for them to do and what are appropriate for them to do,” Whitecotton said of disabled veterans. “It depends on the balance and things like that. But there’s a complete divide that doesn’t look right.”
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He said Albrecht would like to participate in the National Veteran Golden Age Games in 2027.
“John heard about it, and he came right up to me and said, ‘Patty, I heard about this,’ and he said, ‘I want to go,’ and I said, ‘Okay,'” Whitecotton recalled.
Possible events for Albrecht at next year’s Golden Age Games include power walking, cornhole and shuffleboard.
“He’s not afraid to try new things,” Whitecotton said. “You’re on top of everything.”
Albrecht’s other projects include the Cleveland Clinic/Akron General Challenge Golf Course in Lakemore.
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“That’s for anyone with a disability,” he said of Challenge Golf. “They don’t need to be veterans, but they have the guidance of veterans.
“There are all kinds of opportunities that come to veterans when they investigate and join the VA,” said Albrecht. “And if you’re a veteran and you don’t join the VA, you’re missing out on a lot.”
John Albrecht of Stark County is a disabled veteran who recently joined the Winter Sports Clinic in Colorado. Albrecht participated in downhill and cross-country skiing, as well as in skiing.
Overcoming perceived limitations
Also called “Mountainside Miracles,” the Winter Sports Clinic helps veterans overcome perceived limitations through challenging, therapeutic outdoor activities. Disabilities include traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, amputation, blindness, visual impairment and other serious medical conditions.
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Hundreds of volunteers work with approximately 400 volunteers each year at the clinic, which began in 1987. Activities include sledge hockey, scuba diving and rock climbing.
Albrecht has also participated in fly fishing and skiing at the clinic in the past.
Benefits include improved physical health, mental well-being and self-confidence.
Albrecht said the skiing at the Winter Sports Clinic, which takes place in the Aspen area, is not competitive.
“It’s just a race against the clock to see if you’re improving,” he said.
John Albrecht, a Stark County resident, is shown at the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic in Colorado earlier this past winter. The clinic is among the ways Albrecht overcame blindness to stay active and participate in activities such as skiing, cross-country skiing and curling.
‘Get up and go attitude’
Working with Albrecht and other veterans is “more than rewarding,” Whitecotton said.
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“He’s the type of person who just has that get-up-and-go attitude,” she said. “He’s going to do it no matter what his obstacles are, and I think people might see that and go, ‘Maybe I want to be like him.’
“John has a more positive influence on people than he knows. People watch other people, and they see him dancing, they see him skating and they see him smile.”
Reach Ed at ebalint@gannett.com. Follow on Instagram at ed_balint and on TikTok @edwardbalint.
This article first appeared in The Repository: Blind Stark County veteran promotes skiing, curling at Sports Clinic
