NEWSWEEK: Have other deaf swimmers won Olympic medals? Bobbie Beth Scoggins: Jeff Float from the United States competed in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles but he won only relay gold medals (4 x 100 freestyle relay and 4 x 200 freestyle relay). And Dave Wharton, also from the U.S., who is hard of hearing but does not have enough hearing loss to qualify him for the Deaf World Games, won a silver medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics in the 400 IM (Individual Medley).
How does Parkin know when to start? Everyone else hears the buzzer. He had two strobe lights set up: one next to his block and one next to the starter. Light travels faster than sound. Most deaf swimmers have quick reflexes, and with that combination, deaf swimmers are normally the first ones off the block…Even if the light flashes at the same time as the starting bell, I often wonder if the deaf athlete recognizes it at the same time. Does the signal flash to the brain through visual stimuli as swiftly as it does through hearing stimuli? A hundredth of second slower? Faster? As far as I know no research has ever been conducted on this phenomenon.
What is being in a race like for someone who is deaf? Most deaf swimmers rely on visual aids, so if they turn their heads to breathe, they can see the fans in the stands rooting them on. But in the case of the breaststroke, the fans are not as visible. A deaf swimmer is sensitive to the energy that fills the air, and at a place like the Olympics, it is hard not to feel the electricity. [Still] for a deaf swimmer, the energy comes from within. When a deaf swimmer swims in a race at a major meet, it requires a lot of mental strength and self-motivation to swim a great race. Since you don’t hear the cheers, you create your own in your mind. Some choose not to, as sometimes it is better not to having the cheering in your head.
What about team sports? Are they more difficult than individual sports? [Team sports] are extremely difficult because of communication access and direct access to processing information while on the field with the other team members. Deaf athletes fare far better in individual sports. As Richard Jacobs [a USA handball team hopeful for the ‘96 Atlanta Olympics, who is deaf] said, ‘…I know in my heart that my skills would be much more advanced if I had a direct and two-way communication with the coach and players.’ Another deaf athlete, Carrie Miller, a swimmer and winner of nine gold medals and one bronze at the 1993 Deaf World Games has said ‘…there is still that feeling on the part of the deaf athletes that he/she is missing something. The only place that communication is no barrier is at the Deaf World Games. Even at Harvard with an interpreter, I still didn’t feel like a part of the team at times. I felt that was a factor in why I was not chosen as the team captain my senior year–whereas at the Deaf World Games I was chosen three times.’
Do you think people in sports are sometimes prejudiced against the deaf? Discrimination is very subtle and at times, obvious, because the lack of ability to sign or provide direct communication always leaves deaf and hard-of-hearing athletes at a disadvantage…Kenny Walker, a pro football athlete was cut off from Denver Broncos because of his inability to communicate directly with the team…It requires a lot of perseverance and determination to become a world-class athlete.
