Being legally blind won’t stop 26-year-old Jeremy Poincenot from enjoying life.
Poincenot, a blind golfing champion and inspirational speaker, presented life lessons to a group of college students at Saint Leo University on Jan. 13.
Throughout his hour-long speech, Poincenot reinforced positive thinking and the importance of displaying kindness and being selfless.
The speech was well received from several attendees, who noted they weren’t sure how they would manage to go through life if they were legally blind.
“I thought it was a really good story,” said Leo Jurcak, a freshman at Saint Leo. “It was really inspiring.”
Poincenot’s advice was thought-provoking for Liam O’ Brien, another freshman at the university.
(Courtesy of Jeremy Poincenot)
“I think it opens a perspective that most people don’t see on a regular basis,” O’ Brien said. “What stood out was the idea…that someone may look perfectly fine, but you have no idea what’s going on in a person’s head. I learned to not take anything for granted and to not take life too seriously sometimes.”
Poincenot lost his central vision in 2008, then a 19-year-old college student at San Diego State University. The cause of blindness was a result of a rare genetic disorder called Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy, which affects only about 100 people per year.
The disease is mostly prevalent among young males. It has no treatment or cure. It caused Poincenot to gradually lose his vision over a period of two months.
“I was on campus one day, and noticed I had to squint to read a sign and never had to do that before, so I was like, ‘All right, I just need glasses. Whatever. It is what it is,’” he detailed. “Then, all of a sudden it kept getting progressively worse and worse. … It started in my right eye, and then in two months went to my left eye…now I’m legally blind with no central vision.”
It was a shock for Poincenot, who was initially unsure of what he would do or how he would cope for the rest of his life.
“I had no idea what I could do,” he said. “I thought I was going to have to start playing the piano and be like Ray Charles or Stevie Wonder.
“Everything was an adjustment. It was a total adjustment to a new way of life.”
As he deliberated his next move in life, his mother Lissa, told him about the United States Blind Golf Association. The idea seemed far-fetched to Poincenot, who spent three years on his high school’s varsity golf team.
“Golf is a very visual sport, so I didn’t think golf could ever be a possibility,” said Poincenot, adding that he thought his mom was kidding when she told him. “I didn’t like slow players (in high school), so the idea to blind golf was the epitome of slow play. I was like, ‘There’s no way; even if I could play, I don’t want to slow people up.’”
After going through a period of grief and hopelessness, Poincenot opted to try the sport again after receiving support from his family and friends.
For Poincenot, the toughest part about getting back into the game he loved so much was managing his expectations.
“The first time I went out, I shot a 99, and I was happy to break 100, but was like: ‘That’s so bad.’ I would’ve curled up in a ball in high school if I shot that number,” said Poincenot, who consistently shot in the 70s in high school.
“Now that I’ve lost my sight…you’ve got to realize it’s not that bad, and just try to get better from there.”
With the help of his father, Lionel, who serves as his caddie, Poincenot regularly shoots in the low 80s, with career lows of 74 and 77. His game improved so much that he became the 2013 U.S. National Blind Golf Champion in the B-2 (visually impaired golfers, but not fully blind) category.
“My dad is my eyes, my guide, my caddie on the course,” said Poincenot, deflecting the credit for his accomplishments. “He does all the work, and I just execute the shots.”
While golf is a “glorified hobby” for Poincenot, he consistently uses it as a frame of reference for his speaking engagements, which he does in front of both university and corporate audiences across the country.
“He’s turned his adversity into something that can help people change their perspective whenever they face whatever trials or tribulations that they have,” said Patrick Gallagher, a college friend of Poincenot’s since they were both in the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity at San Diego State University. “I think he really spends a lot of time to intentionally care about people and get to know them. It’s a lot easier to pick up life lessons when you have somebody that puts in the effort to build a relationship.”
For those going through personal struggles, Poincenot said the key to overcoming those problems is to be surrounded by people who are “dreamers and believers.”
“Surround yourself with good people,” Poincenot said. “Like, I didn’t think I could play golf, but my mom, dad and family pushed me into it. …It’s about just getting out and trying things and being resourceful, because I really do think we set our own limitations. I didn’t let anyone else tell me what I could or could not do for a living.
“If a blind guy can go out and play golf, and get his way out to Florida on his own, anybody can do whatever they put their mind to for sure,” he said.
Published January 20, 2016
