Disabled children playing boccia thanks to Operation Santa Claus
Billy Lam Kei-yau, 18, has been playing for eight years. His cerebral palsy makes it too hard to throw a ball with his hand.
Instead, from his wheelchair, he pushes the ball down a ramp with a pointer extending from his helmet – aiming to hit a white ball several feet away. The aim of the game is to get your ball as close as possible to the white one.
“I like playing boccia because I was able to master the skill easily,” Lam said. He attends two practice sessions a week and has represented his school, Hong Kong Red Cross Princess Alexandra School, in competitions.
via Disabled children playing boccia thanks to Operation Santa Claus | South China Morning Post.
Special Olympics boccia athletes receive medals
The Mayor of St Albans has presented Special Olympic medals to winning boccia athletes.
Councillor Eileen Harris, mayor of the city, presented the Boccia athletes – the target ball sport that has become better known in the London 2012 Paralympic game – with medals on Sunday, November 18.
Around 30 athletes gave supporters an exciting day as they competed to qualify for the Eastern Region boccia tournament at De Havilland Sports Centre in Hatfield.
Participants came to compete from across the eastern region of England, Greater London, Kingston upon Thames, Brighton and Hove.
via Special Olympics boccia athletes receive medals from mayor (From St Albans & Harpenden Review).
Boccia Champion Tomas doesn’t let his wheelchair hold him back
Tomas Martin has never let the fact he’s confined to a wheelchair get the better of him. Mum Deb tells Rachel Mainwaring how he’s always lived life to the full
DEB and Phil Martin have nothing but respect for their “remarkable” young son Tomas. Despite spending his childhood in and out of hospital with a debilitating condition which causes constant muscle spasms, he has become an independent young man with huge interest in sport.
The 18-year-old, from Rhiwbina, Cardiff, is already a Welsh National Boccia Champion, a wheelchair version of bowls, and he has high hopes of taking part in the 2016 Paralympics.
via Teenager Tomas doesn’t let his wheelchair hold him back – Real Life – Life & Style – WalesOnline.
Boccia for over 50s in Maltby
New exciting and gentle activities are coming to Maltby for the over 50s.
New Age Kurling is a form of the original curling game adapted so it can be played indoors on any smooth, flat surface. Boccia is similar to Bowls but played on a smaller surface.
The sessions are taking place at Maltby Leisure Centre every Tuesday from 11am to noon at a cost of £2.85 per session.
The Rotherham Active Always programme has been running for more than four years with the aim of providing a range of activity in local community settings to help improve the health and wellbeing of adults and older people.
For more information about what is on offer call 01709 797100.
via New activities for over 50s – Local news – Retford Trader and Guardian.
Sheffield Boccia sports team’s first birthday
DISABLED children in Sheffield celebrated a sports club’s first birthday.
The Sheffield Smashers, who play Paralympic game boccia, marked their one-year anniversary with a party at Don Valley Stadium.
Karen Codling, chairwoman of the Sheffield Smashers Boccia Club, said: “Boccia provides the perfect opportunity for people of all ages and abilities to become involved in a sport
via Sheffield sports team’s first birthday – Community – The Star.
Boccia medallist helps switch on airport’s Christmas lights
Pupils at Edith Borthwick School in Bocking joined Olympian race walker Dominic King and Paralympic Boccia bronze medallist Dan Bentley to switch on Stansted Airport’s decorations.
The airport, together with the charity Panathlon Challenge, presented the children with disability sporting equipment.
Airport staff collected more than 5,000 supermarket vouchers to buy the kurling kit so the children can play and compete in the up and coming Paralympic sport.
After the event, the Olympians and youngsters were given a behind the scenes tour of the airport’s fire station, including the new fire engines.
Kansas City Area named Host for 2013 Boccia Americas Cup
Blazesports America is proud to announce that Kansas will host the 2013 Boccia Americas Cup, August 2-9 2013. Boccia (a precision sport similar to Bocce ball, petanque or lawn bowls) is the sole sport for athletes with severe physical disabilities in the Paralympic games.
Last week, Koos Engelbrecht, president of the Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (CPISRA), announced that Kansas City will host this important international event. Jeff Jones, Director of Sports and Community Programs for BlazeSports America, congratulated the organizing committee for securing the event. BlazeSports America is the national governing body for the sport of boccia in the United States.
via Kansas City Area named Host for 2013 Boccia Americas Cup | Gardneredge.com.
Boccia Paralympian challenges minister
A Paralympian has challenged health minister James Reilly to spend a day in a wheelchair before any more cuts are made to home care services.
Student Padraic Moran, who has cerebral palsy, said targeting Ireland’s most vulnerable would send the country back to the Dark Ages.
The 28-year-old, from Bray, Co Wicklow, who represented Ireland in Boccia in London 2012, has 10 hours of personal care a week to help him in the mornings and with his evening meal.
He said: “I want the health minister to put himself in a wheelchair for a day and see if he can function and do the most simple tasks, like getting himself dressed or travelling on public transport. By cutting these services, they are hitting the most vulnerable in society. It has to stop.”
The DCU student, who is studying communications, and works weekends at East Coast FM, said he would not be able to live on campus in Ballymun without the care funded by the state
via Paralympian challenges minister – National News, Breaking News – Independent.ie.
Boccia pair demonstrate their dominance
IAN Poole edged Cheshire Academy team-mate Adam Bloor to glory in the regional boccia finals.
The pair, who train at the Crewe centre for people with learning disabilities, took part in the English Federation of Disability Sport Championships in Liverpool.
The were joined by seven other Academy team-mates up against the best from across the north west.
But great friends Ian and Adam made all the way through to the final and Ian nicked it 4-2.
He said: “It was a brilliant match and Adam played some great shots. Now I am looking forward to travelling through to Sheffield for the national finals next spring.”
Adam added: “Ian and I have played boccia together at the Cheshire Academy club for many years and we have played some brilliant contests.
“Ian played really well and I have to admit that at the end of the day he played the better game.”
Boccia is similar to French boules. Competitors aim to throw their balls nearest to the target jack.
The Academy’s boccia club meets every Friday (6.30pm) at Malbank School, Nantwich.
via Sport for all: Cheshire Academy, Crewe, pair demonstrate their dominance – Crewe Chronicle.
Boccia tournament ‘a great success’
CRANEBROOK High School took out the Boccia NSW school knockout competition at Sydney Olympic Park recently.
Sixteen teams contested the grand final, with Cranebrook High winning.
The school was led by team captain and junior and open boccia state champion Connor Hamlin.
Boccia is a cross between Italian bocce and lawn bowls, played by people with cerebral palsy and other disabilities. Head of the Cerebral Palsy Alliance’s boccia program and Boccia NSW president Peter King said the competition was a great success.
“It has shown us how a Paralympic sport can deliver valuable social benefits to young athletes with disabilities,” he said.
“We also identified some strong up-and-coming new talent, which bodes well as we look towards the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio.”
via Boccia tournament ‘a great success’ – Education – News – Penrith Press.
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