Kristen Cox 'just plain does it'

Baltimore Sun ^ | July 15, 2006 | By Stephen Kiehl

[sitetest]

SALT LAKE CITY // With the game tied after one period of overtime, Kristen Cox was given the ball. She was in junior high school, playing on a youth league soccer team despite an advancing vision loss that limited her sight to just a few feet.

During games, she relied on her teammates to get in place. "The ball's on your right, Kris!" they'd shout to her. "It's two feet away!" But now, she was out there by herself, with one shot on a goal she couldn't see to win the game.

Cox lined up, ran toward the ball and took the penalty shot. It sailed past the goalie's hands and into the net. Cox's team had won.

"She had all the confidence in the world," said Connie Merrill, Cox's mother, in an interview in her suburban Salt Lake City home last week. It's why Merrill isn't surprised that her legally blind daughter agreed to run for lieutenant governor with Republican Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. She said Cox never let her disability keep her from her goals - or, on a soccer field, the goal.

Cox, 36, says she has a great life now, but it wasn't always easy.

[sitetest]

For the edification of Marylanders and those interested in the Maryland gubernatorial election.

Written from a liberal perspective, but provides a little more background about Mr. Ehrlich's new running mate.

[sitetest]

Pinging a few folks who've shown interest in the upcoming Maryland elections.

[NicknamedBob]

Thanks for the ping. I never would have seen it, since it's in the Sun.

[Bigg Red]

I never would have seen it, since it's in the Sun.

&&&
Same here. I was also quite amazed that a story praising Ehrlich's choice for Lt. Gov would be in the Sun. But then I read the article, where I noticed that they jumped at a chance to also slam Ehrlich. Figures.

[Admin Moderator]

The Activism sidebar is reserved for Activism, protests, news and business of Free Republic Chapters.

Not this.

Please read the following for FR's posting rules for further guidelines.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1611173/posts

Thanks,

[Bigg Red]

Thanks for the ping.

(It's good to know that you don't hold a grudge for when I got grumpy with you.)

[sitetest]

Dear Admin Moderator,

My apologies. I didn't realize that I'd clicked on something to put it on the Activism Sidebar. That wasn't my intention.


sitetest

[sitetest]

Dear NicknamedBob,

You're welcome.

I only saw it because the Ehrlich campaign e-mailed it to me.

If there's interest, I have another article I can post on Ms. Cox, as well.

Let me know folks.

By the way, is there a Maryland ping list, and a keeper of such a list?

Thanks,


sitetest

[sitetest]

Dear Bigg Red,

No problem.


sitetest

[jimtorr]

Please add me to your ping list. I live in this strange state, too. It's too hot, too flat, and too liberal.

I'm from Olde Oregon, before the hippies from Berkely and San Franfreako took over. Oregon, where the mountains were taller that the trees, and the Lumberjacks had red necks from working in the sun, cutting down the trees that spotted owls nested in.

[sitetest]

Dear jimtorr,

I don't have a Maryland ping list. I was hoping someone else did.

If we discover there isn't one, I'm willing to try to assemble one.

Thanks,


sitetest

[NicknamedBob]

"If there's interest, I have another article I can post on Ms. Cox, as well"

No need to bother. We all have our mind-numbed-robot marching instructions.

[sitetest]

Dear NicknamedBob,

Not sure what point you're trying to make.


sitetest

[NicknamedBob]

"... and the Lumberjacks had red necks from working in the sun, cutting down the trees that spotted owls nested in."

It could have been worse. They could have had spotted necks ...

By the way, does spotted owl taste like chicken?

[NicknamedBob]

Hey, you mean you didn't get your mind-numbed-robot marching orders?

Man, that is the problem with having no smoking areas anymore. We can't figure out who doesn't belong to the group by the funny way he holds his cigarette.

Of course, if they start asking about sports, I'm in trouble ...

[sitetest]

Dear NicknamedBob,

Sorry, I never smoked.




;-)

sitetest

[NicknamedBob]

Neither did I.

I'd make a lousy World War Two soldier. I like the old movies though.

[sitetest]

Dear NicknamedBob,

LOL!

I don't know. My father served in WWII, but never took up smoking.

I like the old movies, too. At least the ones I've seen.

;-)


sitetest

[incredulous joe]

thnx

i did see it in the sun, but couldn't muster the enthusiasm to shell out the money for it and also snagged the story on line.

i've heard cox on bal and she sounds good.

it'll get interesting when the libs take the gloves off. i can't possibly imagine how the fringe will come after her, though that initial bigoted sun piece about her faith as a Mormon may provide a foretaste of what's to come.

at least they probably won't throw oreo cookies?

[beezdotcom]

My wife has a very similar visual field defect - in fact, she was originally diagnosed with Stargardt's, until the doctor's realized that she was born with her defect. In some ways, that may have helped her cope more readily - the image processing portion of her brain developed coping mechanisms at a very early age, so that the net effect for her is merely "low res vision". Her eyeballs "aim down" to look straight ahead, thereby using her lower peripheral vision as her "straight on" view, to compensate for the lack of a central field. Therefore, she has no problems seeing objects and shapes while walking, or even driving - she merely needs glasses fitted with tiny scopes for the purpose of reading signs (needed for legal driving). I don't think she would function as easily if her defect had been acquired later in life.