Penn State Trainer Set For Paralympic Competition

3-22-96
University Park, Pa.--Penn State will be represented in the upcoming Paralympic summer games in Atlanta this year, to be held 10 days after the Olympic games, thanks to the abilities of a blind strength and conditioning coach at the University Park campus.

Kevin Szott, a Clifton, N.J. native who is an assistant coach and designs strength training programs for all of the University's varsity teams except football, will represent the United States Association of Blind Athletes in the judo competition. He has resided in State College for about eight years.

Szott, who was born with perfect vision, began as an adolescent to have difficulty seeing the blackboard in school. Told at first that he only had astigmatism, his vision continued to deteriorate. Fifteen doctors and one and one-half years later, Szott finally learned that a genetic recessive trait was actually responsible for his loss in vision.

Although Szott is now considered legally blind, with less than 2 percent normal vision, he can still carry out many everyday activities, such as walking unaided on crowded sidewalks.

But Szott said the condition often makes it difficult to learn people's names because his vision is completely peripheral, eliminating the possibility of identifying people by their faces. "I can't associate a name to a face, so that makes it hard," he said.

Instead of depending on vision to recognize people, Szott concentrates on their voices. "Usually after a few seconds I can recognize someone's voice," he said. "So when I'm saying 'hi' to a friend, I'm actually scanning through my voice Rolodex until I find the name."

In addition to his upcoming Paralympic competitions, Szott will also attend an Olympic dinner May 1 in Washington, D.C. The dinner brings some of the nation's best athletes together with the country's highest elected officials in order to raise money to support Olympic athletes. This year President Bill Clinton and Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich will speak at the event, along with several senators.

While in Washington, Szott will also take part in the "Champions in Life" program, a volunteer effort in which both Olympians and Paralympians travel to some of the city's schools and give inspirational talks to at-risk youths. He said participating in such events is an important part of what he does.

"I like to do things like that for the community," Szott said. "It can often be a source of hope for people who desperately need it."

Although Szott has been involved in national and international competitions since 1984, this is the first time he has been invited to attend the dinner. Along with 30 Olympians with no disabilities, a total of 16 athletes with five different disabilities among them will be in attendance. Szott will be one of only three blind athletes at the event.

Szott said receiving the invitation was an honor. "It's nice to get the recognition," he said. "It's nice that your peers acknowledge your athletic achievements."

Yet even though the Olympic dinner will be Szott's first, the upcoming summer games certainly are not. In fact, if he medals in judo this year, Szott would be one of only two people to win Olympic medals in four different events. He has already been awarded medals for wrestling, track and field, and goalball -- a game similar to volleyball and the only team-sport in which blind athletes compete.

In addition to his extensive background in world competition, Szott has also played an important role locally for both State College and Penn State. He not only started his own strength training business in town, called PHIT (Personal Health Instruction and Training), but he currently designs training programs for 28 varsity and 40 club sports at the University as well.

Szott said he has always been very enthusiastic about what he does. "I always tell people to let me know if they hear me refer to what I do as 'work,'" he said. "I love what I do, and I don't ever want to call it that."

**jmp**

Contacts:
Christy Rambeau
(814) 865-7517 (office)
(814 237-9046 (home)
cmr7@psu.edu

Alan Janesch
(814) 865-7517 (office)
(814 867-3621 (home)
axj12@psu.edu