With gloves on, eyewear in place, and bat fixed firmly in hand, we welcomed UK Showdown’s Robin and Tom here at Southampton Sight for a taster session of one of the most exhilarating V.I. sports currently on offer.
A fast-paced, exciting sport designed specifically for blind or visually impaired competitors, Showdown is all about skill, focus, and lightning-fast reflexes! Picture a rectangular table with raised edges, a small ball that makes noise, and two players going head-to-head, each trying to bat the ball into the other’s goal. Players rely on sound, not sight, everyone wearing blindfolds to level the playing field.
Showdown is easy to learn but hard to master – after a crash-course in technique, tactics and rules from Tom our little band of warriors took turns in heated 1-on-1 battles, with some having more success than others. Cries of elation and despair filled our hall, as the ball ricocheted across (and, at times, off…) the table, the first to 11 taking the glory.
Winners or losers, all who attended had a great experience and were left wanting more. A massive thank you to UK Showdown for making the journey – we only wished it could have been longer.
