NAVAIR’s Don Balcom is off to a running start on his way to becoming a leader.
Balcom, a mechanical engineer working for the Target Engineering Support Branch, Solomons Detachment, within NAVAIR’s Atlantic Targets and Marine Operations Division, has become an award-winning international Paralympic runner and now, in the last few months, a rower. He’s also a star member of his team at NAVAIR, participating in NAVAIR’s Leadership Development Program (NLDP) since 2013 and the Individuals with Targeted Disabilities Advisory Team.
It hasn’t been easy. While in the Navy, Balcom was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, an eye disease that damages the retinal tissue, causing decreased vision at night or in low light and loss of peripheral vision. He was subsequently discharged from the Navy, and by age 31, he was declared legally blind.
He has only approximately 5 degrees of vision, he said, compared to normal vision, which encompasses approximately 160 degrees. He cannot drive and has assistance from guides when running races and on new terrain.
His motto comes from Olympic figure skater Scott Hamilton: “The only disability in life is a bad attitude.”
Balcom certainly doesn’t have one. A lifelong athlete who loved to coach and play soccer, Balcom said when he lost his ability to drive, it put a “severe damper” on his physical activities. Over the next 10 years, he prioritized his family and career over fitness.
Then, Balcom saw a television show about the 2011 Ironman Triathlon World Championships. It piqued his interest, so he began running to lose weight and also joined the Paralympic Sport Club Southern Maryland Advisory Board.
Now, Balcom competes in Paralympic track and rowing events, recently winning gold in the 2013 Paralympic Track and Field National Championships in the men’s 1500-meter dash and taking first place at the Mid-Atlantic Erg Sprints in Washington, D.C., for rowing. Next up? Training to compete in the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
“Like everything, there needs to be a balance. Wellness needs to be incorporated into every
