By: Renny Logan <[email protected]>

Q&A with Colin Ray, a student who can use both his hands equally well

When did you first realize you were ambidextrous?
It was probably in preschool when my parents were trying to figure out if I was left or right-handed. I started doing some things with my left hand and some with my right hand.

Which hand do you prefer to use?
For things like writing, my left hand, but for things like throwing a Frisbee, my right hand.

Are there any advantages to being ambidextrous?
I’m sure there are but none of them are really apparent.

How does being ambidexterous help with playing the guitar?
Well, you need to have good technique with both hands. For a lot of people, it’s really hard to get both left and right hands coordinated together. But since I could already do that, it made it a lot easier.

Is there anything else people should know about ambidexterity?
Well, if people don’t know what the word ambidextrous means, then they probably think it is similar to autism. So, you don’t want to get it confused with that.

Where did you get that idea from?
It’s happened to me before. I’ve told people I’m ambidextrous and they were like, ‘Oh, you don’t seem slow at anything.’