An article of interest that was in our local paper. Regards, Martin Millard, Rouse & Rosebrugh Martin J. Dixon, B. Math. (Hons), C.A. Chartered Accountants Direct Dial: (519) 759-3708 Ext. 231 P.O. Box 367, 96 Nelson Street Private Facsimile: (519) 759-8548 Brantford, Ontario N3T 5N3 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Telephone: (519) 759-3511 Web site: www.millards.com ----- Original Message ----- From: "Judd, David" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, October 19, 2000 4:27 PM Subject: jason By Ed O'Learyexpositor staffBrantfordJason Dunkerley was born blind 23 years ago in Northern Ireland.The six-foot-one, 160-pounder is hoping for success at the Paralympic Games which begin Wednesday in Sydney, Australia.He'll be competing in the 800 and 1,500-metres races for the blind but there's much more to his life than just running around a track.Jason is in his fourth year at the University of Guelph where he's studying international development and Spanish."I'll be taking a fifth year and then, hopefully, graduate," says Jason. "I generally only take four courses instead of five. I normally don't take a full-course workload."My marks are good. They can always be a little better but they haven't kicked me out yet so I'm doing alright."Jason seems to do "alright" in anything he attempts.Jason's mother, Rae Hosford, and her husband, Maurice, brought Jason and his twin brothers, Jon and Chris (who were also born blind), from Ireland to Canada in 1991. The family settled in Hamilton and Jason enrolled at W. Ross Macdonald School about a month later.Jason attended WRM until 1997 when he graduated and moved to Guelph for his university years.Jason was an exceptional student at W. Ross Macdonald where he won an honour award.Jason specialized in track at WRM but he also joined the school's wrestling team."I encouraged him to come for the wrestling program and he did," recalls WRM teacher John Howe. "He's often described wrestling as a great character builder."Jason was also interested in music when he attend WRM and he learned to play the guitar."Now, I just play for fun," says Jason. "I find it to be a good outlet and I find it a good way to meet people."Jason has also written poems and songs."I've dabbled with it more for fun than anything else," says Jason trying to shrug off another of his wide variety of talents. "I haven't done much lately because I'm very busy with school and athletics."Jason's true love away from the books is running."I can tell you that from the very first time I saw him run, he had the most natural, free-flowing running style I'd ever seen of my student-athletes," remembers Howe."He's just a natural runner. You would never know he's a very intense competitor because he has a relaxed, laid-back personality. Nothing bothers him and he always finishes what he starts."Jason is appreciative of that fact that he has Paris native Greg Dailey, an all-Canadian middle-distance runner in university, as his guide runner."Greg and I have been running together for 2 1/2 years," notes Jason. "We've developed a great sense of location, a sense of where the other person is."Dailey guided Jason to victory in the 800 metres and to a fourth-place finish in the 1,500 at the 1998 world championships in Spain. The combination has improved drastically since then."It's Greg's job to direct me and keep me out of trouble and he does a very good job."In the last year, we've really honed our skills. A lot of that is because of the influence of (coach) Doug (Whistance), who is very imaginative and very creative. He really encourages us to give it a try."Greg is unique. Not every runner has the physical capability to be a guide runner. I realize that without Greg's capacity to guide me, it wouldn't be possible for me to be in a position to compete at the Paralympics, certainly not at the same level. A lot of that just goes back to hard-training sessions we've done in Guelph this year."Dunkerley and Dailey are also training with the University of Guelph track and field team this year under the direction of head coach Dave Scott-Thomas."It's really been a contributing factor," says Jason. "Dave's program has enabled me to get a lot stronger. I've also benefitted from being able to train with a team. You get a lot out of training with a group. There's a lot to be said for that."Jason realizes he'll be one of the fasvourites to win a gold medal when he steps on the track in his events in Sydney."I'd like to come close to or break the 1,500 and 800-metre world records for blind runners," says Jason. "I expect to run as fast as I can, reach my potential and hope to come away with a medal. My hope and plan is to come home with a medal."Whistance believes the world records are well within Jason's reach. The world record in the 800 is one minute and 59.9 seconds and the world record in the 1,500 is 4:05.Jason's personal best times in races are 2:01.8 in the 800 and 4:10.8 in the 1,500."He's improved four or five seconds in both events," says Whistance. "They will be aiming to try to get one or two of the world records."Whistance, who coached Kevin Sullivan when the future all-American and Olympian was attending North Park Collegiate, was introduced to Jason in 1992. They worked together for four years before separating for a year."I got a call to say he (Jason) was looking for a guide runner for the 1998 world championships and did I have any runners who would be interested," Whistance recalls. "Greg agreed that he would work with him. He went to Spain with him and that was the start of this team."A year ago, Whistance got Jason and Greg to start training without physical contact so that Jason's left arm would to be free of contact. "I had to retrain him to use his left arm," says Whistance. "It was almost totally useless."Whistance calls the strategy "revolutionary.""There will be a minimum of physical contact and that's what is unique. It's the main reason he's improved so much."By Ed O'Learyexpositor staffBrantfordParis native Greg Dailey spent his high school track career chasing Olympian Kevin Sullivan.Then he went to the University of Toronto where he was named an All-Canadian.Now, Dailey is back in the chaser's role but it's one he prefers.The 27-year-old is the guide runner for blind athlete Jason Dunkerley, who will be competing in the 800 metres and the 1,500 metres at the Paralympic Games which begin Wednesday and run to October 29 in Sydney, Australia."At least Jason is within an arm's reach," laughs Dailey, a freshman teacher at W. Ross Macdonald School. "I always saw Kevin's back, never the side view."Dunkerley, 23, resided in Brantford while he attended WRM from 1991 to 1997. He now lives in Guelph where he's a student at the University of Guelph.Dailey's task isn't an easy one. There's a lot more to his job than meets the eye.First of all, the guide runner has to be a faster runner than the person he's guiding so that he's not exhausted from the running the pace that's required. A tired guide runner would find it difficult to utter all of the commands necessary for the success of the blind athlete.For example, Dailey's best time in the 1,500 metres is about three minutes and 48 seconds. Dunkerley's personal best time is 4:10.8 but he hopes to surpass the current world record for the blind of 4:05 in Sydney."If I was running full tilt just to stay with Jason, I wouldn't be much help to him," says Dailey. "If you look at our personal bests for the 1,500, I'm about 3:48 and he's around 4:08 but it (4:08) feels like a 3:48 for me when I run with him because of all the cues I have to give him."The Dunkerley-Dailey combination will be innovative during the Paralympic races.Generally, in races for the blind, the guide runners "guides" his runner by gently holding the runner's left elbow. That won't be the case for Dunkerley and Dailey in Australia.Since holding the runner's elbow is somewhat restrictive, they've been practising running without physical contact for about a year.Dailey runs beside Dunkerley giving him voice commands so that Dunkerley's arms are allowed a free-flowing motion similar to a sighted-runner's arm motion."We've been working on it so that there's no physical contact, just verbal cures around the track," says Dailey. "That's why I have to stay at a level above where Jason is at as far as running."Dailey, who studied physical education at the U of T, resides in Ancaster. He drives to Brantford to teach and then to Guelph to train with Dunkerley."It's been exhausting," admits Dailey. "I'm actually kind of glad we're going away."Dailey is as excited about the Paralympics as Dunkerley."It's starting to sink in now," he says. "As soon as I hop on that plane, then I'll know I'm going for sure."He expects Dunkerley to have a great deal of success in Australia.Dailey was Dunkerley's guide runner at the 1998 world championships in Spain when Dunkerley won the 800 metres and placed fourth in the 1,500."Two medals are definitely a goal for him," Dailey says. "He's so close to world records in both (800 and 1,500) that I don't see why that wouldn't be a goal for him."Dailey's biggest concern is avoiding traffic jams."It's pretty easy for him to fall or trip or for anyone else to. Typically, we try and leave (sprint to the front of the pack) in most races, give the come-and-catch us if you can attitude."In the last two years, it's like a night-and-day difference in his performances. Two years ago, he was a good blind runner. He's at a stage now where he's a good runner, period."
