Sports 315: The Rope Team That Makes Mountains Possible

1) Episode Summary In this final episode of the sports series, host Kim Wardlow is joined by Kelly Liggett from No Barriers and Christine Holmberg, Executive Director of Foresight Adventure Guides, for a conversation about coaching, mentorship, support systems, and the power of trying something new with the right people beside you. Kelly and Christine explore how coaches, guides, mentors, friends, and organizations help people with vision loss move past fear, limiting beliefs, and the lie that “I can’t do this.” The conversation highlights the importance of patience, choice, trust, kindness, encouragement, and practical step-by-step support. Christine shares stories from Foresight Adventure Guides, including a young skier who began the day frustrated and unsure but, through patient support, ended up thriving on the slopes. Kelly shares how No Barriers helps people break goals into manageable steps and build confidence through community, risk-taking, and meaningful support. The episode also looks at the importance of representation, adaptive recreation, access to equipment, organizational collaboration, and the role of community in helping blind and low-vision individuals experience sports and outdoor recreation. The conversation closes with a preview of the upcoming collaborative fundraising hike in Winter Park with Aftersight, No Barriers, and Foresight Adventure Guides. 2) Contact Info Guests / Organizations Kelly Liggett No Barriers Website: No Barriers Christine Holmberg Executive Director, Foresight Adventure Guides Website: Foresight Adventure Guides Aftersight Website: Aftersight.org Phone: (720) 712-8856 Email: feedback@aftersight.org Producer Jonathan Price Podcast and Program Producer, Aftersight 3) Show Credits Host: Kim Wardlow Guests: Kelly Liggett and Christine Holmberg Show: Navigating Life with Vision Loss Series: Sports Series Producer: Jonathan Price Organization: Aftersight  (00:15) - — Welcome and final sports series episode introduction (01:39) - — Coaching, mentorship, and support in sports (02:22) - — Christine on how coaches inspire confidence (04:14) - — Kelly on breaking big goals into small steps (05:13) - — Mentorship beyond formal coaching (07:27) - — A young skier’s breakthrough with Foresight (10:25) - — Limiting beliefs and the power of guided experience (13:08) - — What good coaching looks like (15:47) - — Choice, trust, and knowing when to adjust (19:07) - — Helping people try without forcing the experience (22:15) - — Learning, expectations, and not needing to be great right away (24:28) - — Rope teams, support systems, and calculated risk (27:27) - — How peers and friends encourage courage (30:21) - — Asking for help without shame (32:57) - — Why representation matters in adaptive sports (33:50) - — Eric Weihenmayer and expanding what feels possible (37:56) - — How organizations create access and opportunity (41:02) - — Community building beyond one-time experiences (43:24) - — Gaps in adaptive recreation and accessible sports (46:17) - — Why organizations should collaborate, not compete (47:36) - — Save the date: collaborative Winter Park fundraising hike (49:46) - — Christine’s closing thoughts (50:28) - — Kelly’s closing thoughts (51:16) - — Closing message from Kim