OUT OF SIGHT GOLF EVENT AIDS GUIDE DOGS.SANTA CLARITA Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, - Don Kanallakan stepped up to the tee Monday morning at Valencia Country Club to take on challengers in the competition for the longest drive. They needed a $5 donation and a driver - and they had to wear a blindfold blindfold worn by personification of justice. [Art: Hall, 183] See : Justice . After all, it was the only fair way to compete against a blind man. ``When this (losing his sight) happened to me, I was just swinging at the air,'' Kanallakan said. ``Now, I hit 200 golf balls a day. My goal is to be a bogey golfer. It's just determination.'' Kanallakan outdrove many of the participants in the event that helped kick off the 11th annual Golf Classic fund-raiser for the Los Angeles school The Los Angeles School of Urbanism is an academic movement emerged during the mid-1980s, loosely based at the University of Southern California and UCLA, that poses a challenge to the dominant Chicago School of Urbanism. of the Guide Dogs of America. The nonprofit organization Nonprofit Organization An association that is given tax-free status. Donations to a non-profit organization are often tax deductible as well. Notes: Examples of non-profit organizations are charities, hospitals and schools. provides free guide dogs to men and women who are legally blind. But first the dogs are purchased and trained - an expense of $25,000 for each dog. Rogie Vachon, the organization's co-chairman and former Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California, USA. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). goalie, smacked the ball long and straight during the competition, though Kanallakan's drive was nearly as good. ``It's the weirdest feeling,'' he said about wearing the blindfold. ``You have no sense of the motion. It's pure luck if you hit it.'' Kanallakan, 69, who retired as fire captain of the San Fernando Road San Fernando Road is a major street in the city and county of Los Angeles. It starts off in Castaic as The Old Road, passing through Santa Clarita and the Newhall Pass, where upon its intersection with Sierra Highway near the junction of the Golden State (I-5) and the station in 1987, kept playing golf even after he lost most of his sight three years ago to macular degeneration macular degeneration, eye disorder causing loss of central vision. The affected area, the macula, lies at the back of the retina and is the part that produces the sharpest vision. . Now, he only sees motion. He has learned to live with his disability, but his life changed nearly four months ago when he met his guide dog, Kojak. Instead of walking with his head down, relying on a cane to guide him, Kanallakan holds his head high and takes large strides. A 2 1/2-year-old black Labrador retriever Labrador retriever, breed of large sporting dog whose origins are obscure but whose immediate ancestors were developed in Newfoundland and brought to England in the early 1800s. It stands about 23 in. (58.4 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs between 60 and 75 lb (27. guides him everywhere and can bring his owner to a familiar place when asked. ``The highlight of my life is that dog,'' Kanallakan said. ``He's a constant companion.'' About the only thing Kojak can't do for Kanallakan is tell him whether his golf club is centered at the ball. But learning to play a different golf game from how he played for 15 years has given his swing new meaning. ``It gives me something in life,'' Kanallakan said. ``It gives me a purpose.'' So when teeing up, Kanallakan has one piece of advice for those want to match his sometimes-scarce long, straight shot: Hold your head down. CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Guide dog Kojak waits quietly as legally blind golfer Don Kanallakan practices behind him on the driving range Monday during the Guide Dogs of American Golf Classic in Valencia. (2) Former Los Angeles Kings goalie Rogie Vachon wears a blindfold as he tries to best blind golfer Don Kanallakan in a long-drive contest Monday at the Guide Dogs of American Golf Classic. Shaun Dyer/Special to the Daily News |
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