Miss-Delectable
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Wright State's deaf goalkeeper battles more than just opponents - Sports
As many freshman recently discovered, moving to college and can be an exciting, yet scary event in your life. Moving away from family and friends and into a world of strangers. It's only natural to have mixed emotions.
For one freshman on campus those emotions may have been a little hirer.
Jessie Zamichow, a goalkeeper for Wright State's soccer team, went through more changes than the average student because she's almost deaf.
Having hearing problems since she was born, Zamichow wears hearing aids and can hear up to 70 percent of the noises that are around her. But even then she has to heavily rely on lip reading to understand fully what people are telling her. Which makes it extremely difficult when she's on the field
"It's hard communicating with people," Zamichow said. "People talk to each other on the field, so I try to watch them (use their hands) on the field. Somehow I manage to through everything."
Zamichow isn't the only one facing challenges because of her deafness. Coaches and teammates have to adapt to her inability to hear as well.
Where as in the past plays could be shouted out, that isn't possible when Zamichow is on the field. They have to make sure she sees the signals and understand what is going on at all times, especially as a goalkeeper.
But it's a challenge that coach Pat Ferguson has taken on with open arms. He has gone through similar situations in the past.
"There was a teammate who played with me in college,"
Ferguson said. "The hardest part is making sure I am facing her whenever I am explaining things. You can't turnaround and keep talking, otherwise she doesn't know what is going on."
The challenges go beyond the playing field. Socially Zamichow can't just go out like most people. She normally goes with people who know of her hearing problems, making it easier for her to mingle with others.
But Zamichow does not see her deafness as a handicap. She sees it as an opportunity for her to open the doors of deafness to the hearing world.
As a motion picture major, she hopes to someday make films showing the in and outs and what it's like to live in the shoes of someone who can't hear.
"I want to show people what it's like to be different," Zamichow said. "If I was hearing I wouldn't want to make motion pictures. I want people to what it's like not being like everyone else."
By being overcoming all her obstacles, she's clearly already on her way toward accomplishing that goal.
As many freshman recently discovered, moving to college and can be an exciting, yet scary event in your life. Moving away from family and friends and into a world of strangers. It's only natural to have mixed emotions.
For one freshman on campus those emotions may have been a little hirer.
Jessie Zamichow, a goalkeeper for Wright State's soccer team, went through more changes than the average student because she's almost deaf.
Having hearing problems since she was born, Zamichow wears hearing aids and can hear up to 70 percent of the noises that are around her. But even then she has to heavily rely on lip reading to understand fully what people are telling her. Which makes it extremely difficult when she's on the field
"It's hard communicating with people," Zamichow said. "People talk to each other on the field, so I try to watch them (use their hands) on the field. Somehow I manage to through everything."
Zamichow isn't the only one facing challenges because of her deafness. Coaches and teammates have to adapt to her inability to hear as well.
Where as in the past plays could be shouted out, that isn't possible when Zamichow is on the field. They have to make sure she sees the signals and understand what is going on at all times, especially as a goalkeeper.
But it's a challenge that coach Pat Ferguson has taken on with open arms. He has gone through similar situations in the past.
"There was a teammate who played with me in college,"
Ferguson said. "The hardest part is making sure I am facing her whenever I am explaining things. You can't turnaround and keep talking, otherwise she doesn't know what is going on."
The challenges go beyond the playing field. Socially Zamichow can't just go out like most people. She normally goes with people who know of her hearing problems, making it easier for her to mingle with others.
But Zamichow does not see her deafness as a handicap. She sees it as an opportunity for her to open the doors of deafness to the hearing world.
As a motion picture major, she hopes to someday make films showing the in and outs and what it's like to live in the shoes of someone who can't hear.
"I want to show people what it's like to be different," Zamichow said. "If I was hearing I wouldn't want to make motion pictures. I want people to what it's like not being like everyone else."
By being overcoming all her obstacles, she's clearly already on her way toward accomplishing that goal.
