As part of our athlete spotlight series, we talked to Paralympic skier Chris Orr about his experiences in playing sport with a vision impairment.
Before Chris lost his sight at age 21, he played a variety of sports. He was involved in competitive rugby and cricket, and represented his school in athletics and swimming. He also tried his hand at tennis, pool, darts, and the English sport Fives (similar to squash).
Chris Orr out on the ski field
When he lost his sight, Chris learnt new ways to be active. He started going to the gym and decided to join the jogging craze that was taking the world by storm at the time. Chris’ new interest in jogging quickly turned competitive, and he competed in several marathons including the Rotorua Marathon and the world’s first blind marathon in Canada.
As well as running, Chris developed an interest in skiing and competed at the Atomic-Salomon NZ Disabled Skiers Championships in Mt Hutt in 1983, where he won first place. The next year, Chris went to the Paralympic Winter Games at Innsbruck, Austria and was a part of the first New Zealand team to win a medal at the Paralympic Winter Games. The opening ceremony for the games is still one of Chris’ most memorable sporting moments.
Chris has also been involved in goalball, which is a team sport designed specifically for athletes with a vision impairment. He took part as a player, board member and team manager, and won six titles. Chris found the very physical nature of the game to be similar to the sports which he had played before he lost his sight.
These days, Chris enjoys fishing and is a member of the Kiwi Blind Fishing Club, which has been operating since 1933. When asked what he enjoys most about fishing, Chris said it’s the comradery, the laughs, and the opportunity to socialise with like-minded people.
If you would like to get involved in any of the above sports, check out the Find a Sport page on our website, or get in touch with casey@blindsport.kiwi.