SeeSaw Club

 This year marked my third time volunteering at a Showdown competition for individuals with visual impairments. Although I was already familiar with the event, each experience has taught me something new. Going into the competition, I thought I understood what to expect, but I always leave realizing that there is still so much I can learn from the participants. Throughout the day, I helped organize the competition, guided participants around the venue, and made sure everything ran smoothly. While these tasks may seem simple, they allowed me to interact closely with the athletes and witness their determination firsthand. Their confidence, focus, and resilience were inspiring. Rather than letting their visual impairment define them, they approached every challenge with positivity and independence. What continues to stand out to me is how much perspective I gain every time I volunteer. The participants remind me not to take everyday abilities for granted and to appreciate the opportun...

  On June 28th, I had the opportunity to volunteer at the 2026 Seoul Mayor's Cup National Blind Showdown Tournament, a national competition where visually impaired athletes compete in the sport of showdown. Through this experience, I was able to support athletes, learn more about the sport, and witness the incredible dedication of professional players. During the tournament, my main responsibility was assisting visually impaired athletes by guiding them between different areas, such as the game courts and waiting areas. I helped ensure that participants could move around the venue safely and comfortably. I also helped manage the environment around the courts by keeping doors secured and preventing unnecessary disturbances during matches so that players could stay focused. One of the most memorable parts of this experience was watching professional showdown players compete. Although I had experienced playing showdown myself as an amateur, seeing the game at a professional level was ...

When people think of sports, they imagine sports as something they watch on TV or a huge sports stadium full of cheers and screaming. However, spending an entire day in the Showdown-cup game room will provide a completely different insight, that sports can also be experienced through sound.  The first thing I noticed when I walked into the room was the constant rhythm of balls rattling across the table, bats striking the ball, and teammates quietly communicating with one another. At first, they were just background noises. But as the competition went on, those sounds began to tell a story. Every swing of the bat reflected the athletes' passion, determination, and the countless hours they had spent practicing. My role was to oversee the competition and guide visually impaired athletes throughout the day. Since I stayed in the game room the entire time, I naturally started paying more attention to what I could hear instead of what I could see. Listening to every hit, every roll of th...