Sports - Community Sports

POSTED: Wednesday, Jun. 24, 2009

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT: Deaf twins don't back down from challenge

Britt and Lonnie Lindsay have stressed to their children the philosophy "it's not OK to be a victim," so they weren't too shocked to see their 14-year old deaf daughters Sarah and Amanda become junior black belts in karate.

The distinction, however, is rare indeed for a deaf athlete.

"I don't know of any other deaf junior black belts," said Shayne Simpson, owner of the Pacific Northwest Karate Center in Bellingham, where the girls train. "The only deaf athletes they've ever competed with have been each other."

But what was even more exciting - especially from the standpoint of a man who says he lives to help kids grow - was to see Sarah and Amanda become certified instructors a few weeks before being awarded junior black belts.

"Their parents have been instrumental in helping them, but they couldn't be in Vancouver (Wash.) last February for three very tough days of instruction leading to the certification by Black Belt Schools International," Simpson said.

"To see those girls fight through everything to become certified to work as assistants was just huge growth," he said. "They just wouldn't give up and showed great perseverance."

Both girls have been playing team sports all through school and plan to turn out for multiple sports as freshmen next school year at Mount Baker High School, including wrestling. They live in Glenhaven near the south end of Lake Whatcom.

"We're really excited about that," said Sarah, who has some hearing with a hearing aid, as does Amanda. Both girls read lips well and communicate both verbally and by signing.

"We both want to wrestle," Sarah said. "But we'll do karate as long as we can."

"I want to do karate as long as I live," said Amanda, who likes point sparring including the excitement of karate kicking and punching. Sarah is on the center's "Rock Solid" competitive team.

The entire family is involved in karate, including both parents along with Ashley, 17; Jessica, 15; Isaac, 8; and even 3-year-old Kiana, who loves to show the kicks she has already developed.

Simpson opened his karate center six years ago and now has 270 youngsters enrolled. He had never had a deaf karate student until Sarah and Amanda saw the sport for the first time and instantly fell in love with it in the fall of their sixth-grade year. Jessica, who is also deaf, quickly followed.

Britt Lindsay said he and his wife didn't realize for a while that Jessica was born deaf. Sarah and Amanda, who are 10 months younger, made the family a medical rarity.

"It's very rare," said the girls' father. "The University of Washington wanted to do a study, but nothing came of it."

Inspired by their parents, the girls say they have never backed down.

"We just took it as another challenge in life," Britt said. "We've taught our kids that's it's not OK to be a victim. They have a challenge to overcome, but they still can do whatever they want."

The twins, who received their junior black belts in March, are already instructing kids 4, 5 and 6 in karate. They typically train 24 hours a week during summer, with Sarah putting in 11 hours per week and Amanda nine during the school year.

"We love it," said Amanda, who is considering becoming a teacher. Sarah wants to be a registered nurse like her mother, who recently was hired by Providence Hospital in Everett.

For now, though, the twins' goal is to earn adult black belt status by the time they graduate from high school.

When the three deaf Lindsay girls enrolled at Pacific Northwest Karate Center, Simpson said it brought back good memories of learning signing when he was 15 so he could help a deaf friend become a fellow scuba diver.

"I remember how we could sign underwater and it became an advantage," he said. "It was strictly a coincidence that I knew signing when the twins enrolled, but I'm not that great at it. We couldn't have accomplished all this without the parents' help. They're the cornerstone of the effort."

The twins said Ashley, who will be a Mount Baker senior and is a soccer standout, also has been vital in their progress.

The girls enjoy watching their parents play on adult soccer teams. Being deaf doesn't stop them from cheering. But then, it doesn't seem to stop them from doing much else, either.