GREENVILLE, Michigan — Tyler Merren is a busy man. He's a husband, a father, a business owner, a personal trainer, a motivational speaker, and a four-time Paralympic athlete. But he's added one more thing to his plate - something that means a great deal to him.
Merren, an Allegan County native now living in Greenville, is one of 16 people picked to be sports ambassadors for the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes (USABA).
"I was born with tunnel vision. It was an eye condition called retinitis pigmentosa, and it was a progressive eye condition. So, as I got older, my vision got worse and worse. So I started to learn about the world of being blind - learning to read Braille, and using a cane. I worked with teachers who taught me how to do all of that," Merren said.
"I started getting involved in adaptive sports for the blind and traveling all over the world competing in the sport of goalball."
The USABA calls goalball the most popular team sport for people who are blind or visually impaired. Two teams of three players face across from each other on a court and roll a basketball-sized ball with bells toward their opponent's goal. Opponents listen for the ball and try to block it with their bodies.
Merren calls goalball the "greatest sport you've never heard of." He has played on multiple goalball teams that have medaled in the Paralympics. He's since gotten involved in the USABA and that's how he became an ambassador this year.
"It's a program that is designed to help mentor and reach out to athletes in this community. The mission of the United States Association of Blind Athletes is to empower and improve the quality of life for people who are blind or visually impaired through sport and activity," Merren said.
"Losing your vision doesn't change who you are as a person. You still want to be successful. You want to be competitive. You want to find opportunities to challenge yourself and grow, so sport is a really good medium for doing that."
Merren understands that it makes for an interesting and inspiring story when people overcome the odds to accomplish something through sports. But, he says it's important to understand that athletes with disabilities are people first, and they love being competitive.
"It's a really big deal. It's respectful towards people," he said.
"These are real people. These are real athletes with real elite capabilities, and so it's a pretty cool thing when you get into it and see all the opportunities and stories and the things that the human mind and spirit can accomplish through through sport."
Merren has also been developing a fitness program specifically for people who are blind and visually impaired.
"I developed an app that you can download called Revision Fitness, and it's a totally audio-based fitness app, so it's accessible for people who are blind or sighted. It's full of instruction on different exercises and movements. There's audio workouts, and all of it made to be fully accessible," he said.
Merren says his ultimate goal in being an ambassador is to bring both disabled and able-bodied people a greater awareness of their capabilities.
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