SARASOTA -Two rowers on the Suncoast are breaking barriers not letting their disability hold them back.
“I could just row and he can turn the boat and I didn’t have to worry about where I was. It was just pure freedom,” said Linda Mumford.
Linda & James Mumford have been married for 15 years and share a passion for rowing. They both also suffer from retinitis pigmentosa a rare genetic disorder that causes the loss of cells in the retina.
James says he can see some shadows, but all Linda sees is a gray fog. However that hasn’t stopped them from getting in the water.
“You don’t need to have vision to row, it’s all about feel, you feel it in a boat,” said Bob Berry. “You can blindfold a full crew of eight and they’ll all stay together.”
Berry has been coaching novice rowers for 10 years. He created a remote control coxswain that allows the Mumford’s to row independently and not have the extra weight of a person on board.
The coxswain moves side to side to steers the Mumford’s in the right direction, while Berry, from feet away, steers the boat just like you’d steer a remote controlled car.
“With that we can focus on our technique and working together and with that we’ve improved quite a bit,” said James.
James says they’ve face many obstacles in their everyday life, but having the help of Berry has helped them navigate the seas but also helped them regain confidence in themselves and have a sense of independence again.
“Throughout our lives we always run into a barrier and we have to work around that barrier in order to go forward,” said James.
With the help of Berry the Mumford’s have improved on their technique ahead of their big race on Sunday as part of Nathan Benderson’s Sarasota Invitational. But the Mumford’s have taught him patients and a new style of coaching.
For information on Berry’s innovative invention visit remotecoxswain.com
