Legally Blind North Carolina Woman Inspires Others After Her Bucket List Marathon
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - APRIL 18: A runner makes their way down Boylston street carrying a Ukrainian flag to the finish line during the 126th Boston Marathon on April 18, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)
Completing a marathon is a huge accomplishment for anyone. And, this week a legally blind North Carolina woman completed the Boston Marathon. According to WSOC-TV, Union County’s Alexandra Brown along with the assistance of friend Shannon Houlihan finished one of the most well-known marathons in the country.
About 10 years ago, an eye disease rendered Brown legally blind. And, although the North Carolina woman qualified for the race in years past, this was the first time she actually ran it. She and her friend Shannon Houlihan spent about a year getting ready for race day and the challenges of navigating the course while visually impaired.
Houlihan founded the Charlotte-based non-profit “Para Guide.” The organization helps support athletes like Brown achieve their dreams in running, cycling and swimming. And, although it sometimes costs runners thousands of dollars to take part in the Boston Marathon, the North Carolina woman received enough support from donations to run for free.
I’ve known people who competed in Iron Man competitions. And, I saw how challenging the training was. Plus, it took 100% commitment and dedication from the participant as well as their families. So, I can only imagine the dedication this North Carolina woman has.
And, even though Brown is an inspiration to us all, she actually had inspiration pushing her in her goal. The North Carolina woman ran in memory of her late grandfather. Read more about the inspiring story of this legally blind North Carolina woman and how she achieved her goals. And, thank you to her and anyone who refuses to give up. We appreciate your inspiration.
These Are The 25 Best High Schools For Athletes In North Carolina
Choosing the right school for your child can feel like the most important decision in the world. It’s a factor in where you purchase a home. Should you shell out the big bucks for private school education? How can you set your child up for success? So many parents stress about these decisions for years and years. And when your child is an athlete, regardless of it they are looking to play in college, that makes the decision that much harder. If your child has the potential to be a college athlete and potentially get a scholarship, you want to make sure they are in the best place possible to develop their skills and get noticed. Even if they are in it for fun, you still want them to have good coaches, and facilities and winning is nice too! How do you know the best High Schools for athletes in the state of North Carolina? Of course, you can look at the success of a specific team or program. State championships and players signed to college programs are certainly a reflection.
But we want to help you narrow it down. And Niche.com is here to help with rankings of schools and universities across the country. They recently released their 2023 rankings of schools. This includes K-12 as well as higher education. You can play around with the filters and view the rankings based on a variety of factors. One of those is a listing of the best high schools in for athletes in North Carolina. Which schools topped the list? Let’s find out.
For this list, we are including public, private, and charter schools. And the overwhelming majority are actually public schools! Though the top 2 are private with one being in Charlotte. But where did these rankings come from you may ask? According to Niche:
Explore the best high school sports programs based on rigorous analysis of key statistics and millions of reviews from students and parents using data from the U.S. Department of Education. Ranking based on student and parent reviews of athletics, number of state championships, student participation in athletics, and the number of sports offered at the school. Compare the best high school sports programs in your area. Read more on how this ranking was calculated.
If you’re looking for the best school to send your athlete to hopefully this list will help you narrow it down. These are the 25 best schools in North Carolina for athletes.
Debbie Nance is the afternoon co-host along with her husband on "The Charlie and Debbie Show" at WSOC, Country 1037 in Charlotte, North Carolina. She has been with the station for 18 years. Debbie is a CMA Award winner for Radio Personality of the Year. And, she has worked in radio for 40 years. Before her current afternoon position, Debbie spent more than a decade as co-host on morning shows in several markets across the Southeast. As a content creator for Country 1037, Debbie writes articles about food, new restaurants in the Carolinas and travel experiences.
