Tim Willis

Tim Willis

Tim Willis

I. I would like to introduce you to Tim Willis.

A. Tim is a long-distance runner…the one on the right in your picture.

1. Tim has won silver & bronze medals in international competition.He's good.

a. But if you watch him run , you'll notice something is slightly different….

b. Tim Willis is legally blind.

2. When Tim was a boy , he contracted a disease which , over a two year period , robbed him of his sight.

a. Undaunted , Tim determined to be an athlete.He decided to become a wrestler.Blind wrestlers do remarkably well on the mat , but the required conditioning can be hard for them.It's hard to run when you can't see.

b. But Tim & a wrestling teammate worked out a unique system.They tie a long shoelace between their ankles.Thus , Tim learned to feel his partner lead him on the long training runs.The leader will yell something like , Ditch coming…1-2-3 jump..

c. Tim averages only about one fall a day , and has never gotten anything worse than skinned knees.

3. Well , the cross-country coach watched this system and began to take note of Tim's times.They were good.
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So good that Tim was invited on the cross-country team….

a. He became one of the better runners in his home state of Georgia….

b. And Tim even made it to an elite meet in Eugene Oregon.He finished last in Eugene , but sportswriter Bob Welch wrote this column after the meet.Read in your notes.

4. What I admired about Tim Willis was that he ran at all.Watching him race…I was reminded that courage isn't measured with a stopwatch , but in one's willingness to risk.And humility to trust.

We often find ourselves alone on that starting line.Unable to see.Blind to whatever lies ahead.
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And , as Tim Willis taught me that summer night , everything to do with the heart..
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c. Hebrews 11 is like Tim Willis – it teaches faith.

d. And Hebrews 11 : 1-3 guides us to the meaning of faith.

5. Read 1-3

II. Before we run any further , we must back up to Hebrews 10 : 35-39 for the context of faith.

They need a policy change so I'm calling for your stories and particular incidents so I can compile them for a lawsuit with Tim Willis of the Disability Law and Policy Center.

is proud to help sponsor Paralympic athlete Tim Willis.

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Consistent with our corporate goals and vision , we are delighted to be a corporate sponsor for Paralympic athlete Tim Willis.As the top ranked blind distance runner in the United States , Tim has proven that he is an extraordinary athlete and an even more extraordinary individual.His accomplishments include a Silver medal and three Bronze medals at the 1996 Paralympics and selection as a finalist for the Sullivan Award for the top amateur athlete in the country for 1996.

By refusing to allow any excuse or disability stand in his way , Tim Willis personifies determination , commitment to goals , and self-reliance.

[ Corporate Training Training Publications Paralympic Sponsor ][ Contact & Ordering Information Career Training Concepts , Inc. ]

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Tim Willis asked the audience during his commencement address in Hanner Fieldhouse on Friday.

"Is it the making of good citizens?Is it the making of good leaders?Is it the making of good teachers?Is it the making of good parents?Is it the making of good professionals?

"It is my contention that it is all of these things linked together that is important."

Despite losing his sight as a child, Willis was both a scholar and an athlete throughout high school and college.At Georgia Southern, he won the President's Award and was named Outstanding Political Science Student.

In addition, Willis was the first totally blind athlete to compete in cross country on the NCAA Division I level.He accompanied President Clinton for a jog before the opening of the 1994 Winter Olympic Games.

After graduating from Georgia Southern with a degree in political science in1994, Willis enrolled in Mercer University's law school.He won the Dean's Distinguished Student Award and earned his law degree in 2000.

Today, Willis is a practicing lawyer and a contract attorney for the Disability Law and Policy Center of Georgia.He is also a member of the Governor's Statewide Rehabilitation Council and the U.S. Disabled Athlete's Fund Advisory Board.

"At this stage of your life, it is important to understand what people have done before you, and what is expected for you to do in the future," Willis told the graduates and their families and friends during his commencement address.