13-Year-Old Lola Walters Impresses On Gymnastics Floor, Even Though She's Legally Blind

Most athletes have the benefit of seeing what's ahead of them -- an opponent, the bars, a vault.

But for 13-year-old Lola Walters, she usually has no idea what's coming until she's literally five feet away from it.

Walters, a Washington resident, is legally blind, and suffers from a disease called nystagmus which causes her eyes to shift constantly, leaving her with double vision and no depth perception, the Daily Mail reports.

"Most people I compete with don't know I am any different to them," Walters told the news source. "And as far as I'm concerned it can stay that way. If they don't know, they don't need to score me differently."

The teen impressed audiences at the American Gymnastics Academy Long Beach Open earlier this year.

Lola's mother, Beth, says that her daughter has been a gymnast since she was three -- climbing across the monkey bars with ease. It wasn't until she was already enrolled in gymnastics that Beth realized the extent of Lola's vision problems, and by that point, Lola was already a good gymnast, King5.com reports.

"I don't know what it would be like to do gymnastics with perfect vision," Walters told King5.com, "so really, I don't see a difference."

Lola's disability does cause her to fall more than others during a performance, ABC reports.

But that just means she gets back up more often, and tries again.

"She works twice as hard as everybody else," Jackie Crooker, Lola's gymnastics coach, told ABC, "and I've seen her fall harder than anybody, and she'll get up and go again, every single time.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article stated that Lola Walters is a resident of California.

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Comments

[modelaford]

04:24 AM on 02/25/2012

What a great story. You have to go to one of the links to see a video on her.
What an inspirational young girl. Kudos to her for her perseverance.

[jedisabre]

12:41 AM on 02/25/2012

Marvelous form and gymnastic abilities. I am now inspired to try to get back my teenage body..aw, if it would only work...lol

[llisa]

11:42 PM on 02/24/2012

What a girl! And what a team! Her teammates' support of her is also inspiring.

If I were her mother, I don't know if I could be so calm watching her. Kudos to her mom as well.

[Ossit]

07:06 PM on 02/24/2012

name calling job60 is the kind of attention people give when they're unable to have a civil conversation, and since you're unable to be civil, you'll be ignored so you can't rant to yourself and others who think name calling is appropriate behavior of adults. Toodles.

[Ossit]

05:15 PM on 02/24/2012

WOW! It's absolutely breathtaking the verbal abuse I've taken from so-called 'normal' people when someone whom is supposed to be limited says hey folks, stop treating us as 'special' for doing what you can. I'm absolutely floored.

Wonder whose got the "impediment" now? Me, or you who can't have a decent conversation without being verbally abusive? Excuse me, I have to put on Dr. Phil. Better put your ear plugs on while I do the normal activity of watching tv just like everyone else. Now you shine up that medal for me and make sure you have the microphones turned up high so I can hear that brass band as I flip on my remote. I don't want to miss a beat. Snicker, snicker.

[Ossit]

04:27 PM on 02/24/2012

"Impediment"? "Lack in life"? a poster wrote to me. Excuse me? Is this girl's sight an "impediment"? Not to her, but to everyone else. People who go about life in a different way "lack in life"? Excuse me, but that sounds quite arrogant.

There was an article a few days ago here about a girl who was told that she couldn't go on a ride because she had no hands. But there was a picture of her holding what was it a cell? A little notebook? I couldn't tell. She didn't consider it an "impediment". She held whatever she had quite well and her picture was ignored by the majority. No ooo's or ahh's. What did posters say?She had no hands she shouldn't have gone on the ride that didn't have any sign that said no hands, no ride. That girl was 17. This girl is 13. Now, I'd like to know why everyone ooo's and ahh's this girl, but posters told that 17-year-old without hands, you have to stay home. You can't go on rides despite the fact that she was showing holding something. They were cruel in their comments.

[kattach00]

03:41 PM on 02/24/2012

amazing!!!

[Ossit]

02:53 PM on 02/24/2012

When someone with a disability speaks up it's taken, like those two nasty poster replies I got as "attention" seeking. It's because I don't feel sorry for my hearing problem that I speak out. I won't let anyone treat me different. I'm sure this gymnast doesn't want to be treated differently. The only gold medal this kid should have IS for being a gymnast, NOT because she can do something with limited sight and all people see of her IS her sight. Tough if someone like me dares to draw attention over that. They've got everything. They've never been treated as different.
Perhaps now she loves the attention because of her sight. But I guarantee you, when she gets older, she'll get awful tired of being seen as the legally blind gymnast NOT the gymnast who can do whatever she wants to do. Does she really "impress" or is she just an object of semi pity? Able bodied people, fully sighted people, fully hearing people, don't get that. They don't know what it's like to constantly have to measure up to your standards in order to be recognized and I'm tired of some able bodied people thinking they're 'experts' at this too.

[Joebudgie]

03:52 PM on 02/24/2012

And I'm getting a little tired of self appointed psychologists explaining the obvious. Will it make any dirrerence? I doubt it.

[Ossit]

09:54 PM on 02/24/2012

Hey Joe, baby, don't read me then. I don't know what a dirrerence(chuckle)is, but if you mean a difference, I'm just here to opinionate. Take from it what you want or not. I'll sleep well either way.

[me2me]

02:14 PM on 02/24/2012

that girl is amazing. nice story.

[Ossit]

02:08 PM on 02/24/2012

What is this attention nonsense I've been getting from a couple posters because I won't ooo and ahh this kid?The only attention I'm bringing to this issue as that some of us with physical stuff are tired of people acting like we're amazing or "impresses" people for doing what everyone takes for granted.

This kid is good at gymnastics because she works hard for it, just like any other gymnast.I'm sure after a while this kid is going to get tired of in the future of questions over "well how can you do this with such limited sight" instead of being recognized beyond it.

Why is it so darn "impressive" when someone with a sight problem can do what anyone else can? Because we think they can't measure up. Is the ego stroking more for the kid, or for you.

[Joebudgie]

03:58 PM on 02/24/2012

Jealous much? Does Ossit wish somebody would write about Ossit?

[Ossit]

09:50 PM on 02/24/2012

Jealous? LOL! Hardly! But if you want, I'll try really really hard to get depressed that no one writes about me. Yeah right! You wish, Joebudgie.

[gooftigg05]

01:59 PM on 02/24/2012

Great story during such crappy times...Good for her! Made me teary eyed....True inspiration...

[Lucie55]

01:55 PM on 02/24/2012

She must have amazing parents that really encourage her! What an inspiration:-)

[yakcms]

01:47 PM on 02/24/2012

I toyed with not going on a run today because I was "tired"...yeaa. Getting my jogging shoes on now. This girl is awesome!!

[justsayingtoobad]

01:39 PM on 02/24/2012

Precious...love her tenacity.! Thank you Lola....love your name by the way :)

[GRANDMAPATRIOT]

01:34 PM on 02/24/2012

Amazing!!!