PEOPLE NORMALLY SET GOALS WHEN
THEY HIT A BIRTHDAY....FOR 60
YEAR OLD JUY POTTER IT WAS
FINISHING A TRIATHALON...HER
BIRTHDAY WAS IN JANURAY AND
SHE TRAINS AT THE YMCA IN
WESTBROOK...FOR THE UPCOMING
SEPTEMBER RACE...ASTOUNDING
ENOUGH ALREADY...THERE'S
SOMETHING ELSE THAT MAKES THIS
FEAT EVEN MORE IMPRESSIVE.
3
(C-H-U-R-C-H-S-T-R-E-E-TJUDY
POTTER IS LOSING HER SIGHT.
THERE WAS A HAZE IN THE AIR
AND WE WENT BACK TO THE
DOCTORS AND THEY SAID IT WAS
RP AND THAT IT DOES LEAD TO
TOTAL BLINDNESS. SO
IT'S BEEN GOING DOWNHILL FOR
THE PAST 10 YEAR NOW. RP, OR
RETINITIS PIGMENTOSA IS SLOWLY
TAKING JUDY POTTERS VISION.
SHE'S 60 YEARS OLD. POTTER
SAYS SHE WAS LEGALLY BLIND
FROM AGE 8. BUT COULD STILL
RIDE BIKES, HIKE AND SWIM. I
USED TO GO FOR 40 MILE BIKE
RIDES BY MYSELF PEOPLE NEVER
NEW WHERE I WAS GOING THAT WAS
BEFORE CELL PHONES AND JUST
LOVED IT AT 50 WHEN HER
VISION REALLY STARTED GOING,
IT WAS HARD TO TAKE. WAS
REALLY MAD I HATED LOSING MY
COLOR BECAUSE I LOVE COLOR I
USED TO LOVE TO TAKE PICTURES,
SO I GUESS TRYING TO LEARN
NEWS WAYS AND NEW HOBBIES AND
HOW TO ENJOY LIFE WITHOUT THE
THINGS THAT I ALWAYS
CHERISHED. THINGS LIKE BEING
OUTDOORS. OR WORKING WITH
KIDS. áSINGNG THE ITSY BITSY
SPIDERá SHE WAS A SCHOOL
TEACHER FOR OVER 30 YEARS.
AFTER AGE 50, SHE WANTED TO
STAY CLOSE TO WHAT SHE LOVED.
I OFTEN DID THIS THEATRE WITH
THE CHILDREN OVER THE YEARS
AND I THOUGHT WELL MAYBE I CAN
DO THAT WITH MY BUSINESS.
PRESCHOOL THEATRE. SO THATS
WHAT I DO I BRING MY GUITAR WE
TELL A STORY WE ACT IT OUT.
I'M BUILDING A STRONG HOUSE SO
THE WOLF CAN'T GET INTO MY
HOUSE. SHE ALSO WANTED TO GET
OUT AND BE ACTIVE AGAIN. SHE
FOUND ACHILLES AT A CONVENTION
FOR THE BLIND. THEY WERE THE
FIRST ONES THAT SAID THEY
WOULD TAKE ME OUT WALKING AND
HIKING AND SO I DID ABOUT FOUR
OR FIVE 5KS WITH THEM FOR THE
FIRST COUPLE OF YEARS AND THEN
THE GIRL WHO WALKED WITH ME A
LOT ASKED ME IF I'D EVER WANT
TO TRY A TRIATHELON AND I SAID
OH MY GOSH YES. SHE'S BEEN
TRAINING FOR THE TRIATHALON
SINCE SEPTEMBER, SWIMING A
HALF MILE THREE TIMES A WEEK
AND WALKING FOUR MILES A DAY.
WHEN I TURNED 60 I WANTED THAT
TO BE MY THING JUST FINISHED
IT. I'M NOT COMPETING I WOULD
JUST LOVE TO BE ABLE TO FINISH
IT. IT'S NOT EASY, AND JUDY
SAYS IT CAN SOMETIMES BE
FRIGHTENING.IT'S SCARY A LOT
OF THE TIME WHEN I KNOW WHERE
I'M GOING AND IF I DO IT ONCE
WITH SOMEBODY I'M GOOD. BUT
TRYING TO GO TO A NEW PLACE
WITH SOMEBODY IT'S REALLY KIND
OF SCARY THATS PROBABLY THE
SCARIEST THING. BUT JUST LIKE
GETTING BACK TO THE KIDS, SHE
FINDS A WAY. IT'S GOING TO BE
AWESOME I'M GOING TO FEEL LIKE
I'VE HAD A CHANCE TO DO
SOMETHING AGAIN THAT I REALLY
THOUGHT WAS KIND OF LOST. IT'S
GOING TO FEEL AWESOME.)
THE TRIATHALON IS IN MADISON...
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