Scholarships

Running Blind’s “Run Like Hal” Scholarship Program

Hal Wolfe has been providing scholarships for promising young track & field athletes with visual impairments for many years. In years past the scholarship has been solely for the benefit of recipients to attend a USABA summer camp in Colorado Springs. (That camp may not be an option for these scholarships in the future – that remains to be seen.)

Purpose:

The primary purpose of these scholarship trips is to expose the recipients to the challenge and opportunities that striving to compete at a higher level could offer. This also provides a chance for the USABA staff to evaluate the athletes and make their own evaluation of their potential. The trips area also simply a great travel opportunity for some deserving young men & women to have an exciting time.

Criteria for scholarship consideration:

1. Attend an MBAA Sports Camp (held in early May in Kalamazoo) OR be a current of former member or a Junior High or H.S. track or cross country team and submit a letter of recommendation from the coach. (can be an e-mail)
2. Demonstrate some degree of ability for an event in Track & Field.
3. Have an interest in the sport of Track & Field and in training to compete, and show respect for the sport and for coaching.
4. Possess some degree of heart. (ie guts / toughness / motivation / inner fire)
5. Be a visually impaired youth at least 15 years old who has not yet graduated from High School who demonstrates the maturity to be trusted to behave responsibly while taking a chaperoned trip away from home

What is covered:

this scholarship award generally covers the travel expenses to get to the camp (previously this included airfare to Colorado Springs, but could mean another designated location), the camp activity fee, and possibly providing additional funding to cover the expenses for a 2 day recreational trip after the camp has completed.

What is not covered:

Some expenses for this event need to be covered by the scholarship winner, such as spending money for snacks and souvenirs, and possibly some amount of money to cover for meals during the sight-seeing trip. (Any such amount would need to be provided to the chaperone up front.)

Repeat winners:

to date, no athlete has been awarded this scholarship more than once. While that is not a hard and fast rule, it is more likely that someone that has not previously been awarded a scholarship would be given the chance to participate in this program vs someone that has already had a chance. But given the right set of circumstances, and a repeat winner could certainly be considered. Such a person would most likely have to be considered to have a high level of athletic ability and potential, such as having Paralympic potential.

Funding:

The ability to award scholarships depends entirely on having the funding to provide them. This is not a certainty at the present in 2012. It also depends on having a suitable camp to send the scholarship winners to either in Colorado or elsewhere. This is also not a certainty as they program schedule of the USABA has had a tendency to change over the years. Given that there is a fit between deserving athletes, available funds, a suitable destination and available chaperones – scholarships will be awarded.

Our tradition:

In the years since 2003 when the first scholarships were awarded, 17 scholarships have been awarded to 12 deserving young men, and 5 deserving young women. For a number of reasons it is not certain that the trips to Colorado will continue, but hopefully this tradition will continue in some form for many years to come.