This month’s player profile is Blind Hockey player Graham Foxcroft from Vancouver, BC.
Graham is not only a dedicated Blind Hockey player, but he is an incredible volunteer who is joining the CBH team as the Vancouver Program Coordinator. Here is his story in his own words:
My vision is congenital night blindness and I was born with my vision this way.
It’s a form of Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) & this is how I’ve seen my whole life so it’s been constant and pretty much the same stable all the way through. My issue is a little bit of blurriness and distance.
I’m from Vancouver and I played with the Vancouver Eclipse Blind hockey team and I’ve been playing with them since 1995. It’s the only hockey I’ve ever played and I always enjoy it. If you play with better players, you’re going to get better, so I just kept at it. I mean I used to fall all over the place when I was out there!
If you’re hesitant to try Blind Hockey, just get out there and do it. You have to practice a lot though, because it takes time to get going. It takes time to get the skating down and your balance and stuff but it’s worth it. We’ve got low vision, we’ve got blind people and we’re still out there skating and playing hockey. I love it!
I’ve been volunteering since the organization really was started. I welcomed Mark when he came into Vancouver on his first skate back when it was Courage Canada. I’ve been part of planning committees, Try Blind Hockey events, the National Tournament and now the Summer Camps.
I traveled to Lake Joe this year for the camp and it was amazing to see all the kids out there having fun playing hockey and then trying other sports. Hockey isn’t all there is, but hockey is for everyone.
I am thrilled to be involved with the new Vancouver Junior Blind Hockey program starting this fall as a program coordinator. We are always looking for new Blind Hockey players so come on out!
When I’m not with my Blind Hockey family, I’m with my family. I like hiking and going boating and hanging out at home with the kids and my partner.
