Trials and Tribulations - The Marvelous Spectacle of Showdown

 



The past week, the SEESAW Committee was given the wonderful opportunity to partner with the WILL organization, in what would be a friendly round-robin style tournament of the famed sport Showdown. Personally, I am relatively a somewhat experienced member of this sport, which works to captivate those exposed to it not through simple means but rather a variegated lineup of aspects. Underneath the seeming disadvantage of the sight-blocking glasses lies the gift of utilizing one's auditory and physical senses.

The game consists of two players, each with a paddle to try and hit the ball into the other's goal; the ball is fitted with seeds in the interior, so that one with sufficiently honed ears could perceptively maneuver the location, orientation, and mobility of their craft. Such a game may seem like a slow listening procedure, but the reality features a far more rapid, physical, and hardcore experience; as certain visually impaired professionals of the game sport special techniques such as the wall-riding technique, pushing the ball so that it rolls across the sides of the table to eventually glut the maw of the opposing goal. Furthermore, techniques such as the immediate serve, which was expertly wielded by my visually impaired partner within this tournament, act as defense boosters to catch the opponent off guard; while they recalibrate, the ball had already been shot by my teammate through his split-second omnidirectional decision making. 

Ultimately, showdown itself is a beautiful sport that teaches us how taking away preconceived necessities may just amplify the trite and lesser used aspects of our arsenal. Through my experience with this Showdown tournament, I have come to develop not only a profound appreciation for the art of Showdown but also a resounding respect for the visually impaired in their endeavors to exercise their abilities to the fullest extent.

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