On October 10, 2009, the Middle Atlantic Blind Golf Association (MABGA) held a junior golf clinic for blind and partially-sighted children at Philadelphia’s Overbrook School. The twice-yearly clinics are coordinated by University of the Sciences alumnus Norman Kritz P’51and typically draw more than 70 participants, ages five to 21, from Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, and Indiana. When Kritz anticipated having more children than coaches, he called upon his alma mater and 12 University of the Sciences students stepped-up.
The students joined several MABGA members and friends of the program at Overbrook School to help coach the visually-impaired children. On a specially designed and modified course, Brittany Heller PharmD’13, Brittany Maulen PharmD’12, Lauren Frascella PharmD’13, Jade Kozuch PharmD’13, Justine Campo Undec’12, Kerri Bossert DPT’14, Dorothy Zissler PharmD’14, Alyssa Cybulski PharmD’14, Amanda Jayne Brown DPT’13, Melanie Narbut PharmD’14, Kristin Capece PharmD’13, and Sherri So PharmD’13 spent hours teaching the students the basics of golf, such as proper stance and club grip. The children competed in closest-to-the-pin pitching and putting contests, and the day wrapped up with a pizza party and trophies for the winners.
Since it began in 1948, the MABGA has been a non-profit corporation dedicated to providing blind and visually impaired men and women an opportunity to enjoy the challenges and rewards of the game of golf. Today, MABGA has 35 active members, including both totally and legally blind - visually impaired golfers, more than 60 junior golf members, and more than 75 full-time and part-time coaches. To learn more about how you can help the MABGA, please contact Norman Kritz at (856) 428-1420 or
jerrynorman2@verizon.net, and Gil Kayson at (215) 884-6589 or
sasgil@verizon.net. (www.mabga.org)