Blown off court by a master of the leather balls
Paralympic gold medallist Dan Bentley is trying not to laugh. I have joined the GB boccia player in training at his gym in Great Dunmow, Essex, and have just rolled my third blue ball miles wide of the jack. He knows he is about to clean up, and with three swift shots he knocks my paltry efforts off the court and creates a circle of red balls around the jack, leaving me with nothing.
Anyone channel-hopping through the Paralympic coverage this morning may stumble across a sport which at first glance looks not very sporty at all. At 9am, a line of three Britons and three Argentinians will be sitting stationary in electric wheelchairs occasionally rolling red and blue leather balls along the floor of the ExCel centre.
Don’t let appearances deceive you. This is boccia (pronounced to rhyme with “gotcha”), a game as strategic as chess and as tricky as snooker. It is an adapted version of boules or pétanque, played by those with disabilities that affect their motor skills, such as cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy.
via Blown off court by a master of the leather balls – Paralympics – Olympics – The Independent.
Canadian Boccia team train in Sheffield
Canada’s nine-strong team which includes Paul Gauthier, from Vancouver, who is looking to regain the Paralympic gold he won in 2004, and Adam Dukovich, who scooped gold at the 2011 ParaPanamerican Games, is holding its training at Ponds Forge International Sports Centre to prepare for the 2012 Games.
Boccia is played on a rectangular court and, similar to boules, athletes aim to land balls close to a target. It is specially designed for athletes with a severe degree of physical disability.
Mario Delisle, head coach of the Canadian Boccia team, said: “Upon invitation from the city I visited Sheffield last year when I was in England with the Canadian Paralympic Committee.
“After visiting Ponds Forge and the hotel I knew that it would be a good place for my team to be before going to the big show.”
Ponds Forge has also recently welcomed the Vietnamese Paralympic swimming team, who are using the venue’s Olympic-sized pool for their pre-Games training before heading to London to compete at the Aquatics Centre.
via Paralympic boccia and swimming teams train in Sheffield – Sheffield – Local News – Postcode Gazette.
Boccia commences at Olympics 2012
The London 2012 Paralympic boccia got under way on Sunday, a sport for disabled athletes that players say combines the tactics of chess and the precision of snooker.
Similar to boules, boccia is one of the few Paralympic sports with no Olympic equivalent, and the crowd at the ExCeL exhibition centre’s South Arena 1 were soon getting into the action despite many having no prior knowledge of the game.
“Boccia is a tactical sport like chess, snooker and boxing rolled into one,” said Ireland’s Padraic Moran, following a 17-3 defeat in the team event to world number one South Korea.
“So you don’t really play boccia, you play a mixture of other games. That’s why it’s a difficult game and such a good sport,” he told AFP.
“And this is the best job in the world to have,” he added.
Boccia players throw, kick or use a ramp to propel a ball from a seated position so that it lands as close as possible to the “jack” target ball.
The leather balls containing plastic granules are designed to roll, although skilful players can make them bounce.
In each “end” in the match, the winning side scores one point for each ball they got closer to the jack than their opponents.
All seven medal events are mixed gender and feature individuals, pairs or teams.
Boccia makes its bow at London Games
The scene that greets spectators as they enter the boccia hall is initially a confusing one. Six matches are taking place at once, in a variety of events. Some are being contested by pairs, others between teams of three. In one corner, Great Britain are taking on Slovakia. In another, Great Britain are taking on Greece. Meanwhile, Canada appear simultaneously to be taking on Thailand and South Korea. It is all most baffling.
via Paralympics 2012: Boccia makes its bow at London Games – Telegraph.
Ireland lose to Korea and Brazil in Boccia
The Irish boccia BC1-2 team has lost to Korea and Brazil, ending their participation in the event.
Ireland lost their first match to Korea on a scoreline of 14-3.
The team, consisting of Padraic Moran, Gabriel Shelly, Roberta Connolly and Tom Leahy, then looked to bounce back against Brazil, but went down 11-2, meaning they fail to reach the quarter-finals of the competition.
A graphic description of Boccia
The Press Association graphics team have designed a series of graphics explaining the format and rules of Paralympic sports – Boccia (see graphic No. 3)
via Press Associations Paralympic sport graphics
Supporting Boccia – the Technical Officials
County Hall sports development officer Pete Edwards and equality officer Maggie Else will be National Technical Officials for Boccia at London 2012 and will take part in activities such as line judging and timing.
Boccia has been a Paralympic sport since 1984, and can be played at an elite level by people with some of the most testing disabilities.
Boccia players, who compete individually or in teams, throw leather balls (either red or blue) as close as they can to a white jack target ball to get as close to the jack as possible to win the game. Players with severe disabilities use a ramp as an assistive device.
Pete (57), said: “We are looking forward to it and so proud that Boccia will be on the world stage as we take part in officiating at these games. It is the icing on the cake for us to be taking part in officiating and helps promote the sport widely to others.”
Pete, coaches Boccia at Rainworth Leisure Centre each week and volunteers many hours to the sport which he first got involved in more than 25 years ago.
Maggie, works in equality at County Hall, and is a Director of Boccia England, a national charity and the governing body of the sport whose headquarters are in Nottingham. She said: “It will be an honour to be involved in officiating at the Paralympics and I am looking forward to it.”
Meet Boccia playing Topekan Austin Hanson
Tom & Hillary visit paralympian on his way to London
Going for the gold. As athletes all over the world gear up for the Paralympics in London in a few weeks, a local athlete is getting in some last minute practice before he heads across the pond. Earlier this week, Tom and Hillary had the chance to meet Topekan Austin Hanson. He’s a paralympic boccia ball player, and he’s no stranger to the pressure of tough competition or the paralympic games.
Austin leaves for London Saturday morning to represent the USA in boccia ball. He’s currently ranked 21st in the world in his sport, and he represented the USA at the paralympic games in Atlanta in 1996 and in 2004 in Athens. This year he’s representing the USA in the individual competition and is the only U.S. boccia ball player in the games.
Austin said one of this favorite parts about going to the games are the patriotic feelings he gets during the opening ceremonies.
Boccia ball is originally an Italian game. He says he spends about three to five hours a day practicing for London. Austin’s father is also involved in the gaming process. Austin is a quadriplegic with spastic cerebral palsy. He non-verbally and communicates with his father, who helps him line up the ramps right where and how Austin wants them.
via Tom & Hillary visit paralympian on his way to London – KSNT.com – 27 NBC – Topeka, Kansas.
Good Luck, Padraic
Good luck to DCU athlete, Padraic Moran who will be competing in the 2012 Paralympic Games which begin on Wednesday 29th August in London.
Competing in the Boccia team event, Padraic has previously won Gold as an individual BC1 player in the World Boccia Championships in Lisbon in 2010 and has since been reclassified as a BC2 athlete, meaning he does not have an assistant on court. Padraic has cerebral palsy and balances his training with studying Communications at DCU and working as a producer in East Coast FM. Speaking about the Paralympic Games Padraic says, “The next generation of athletes that come through, they’re going to see what we go through, they’re going to see the emotion and it will inspire people.”
via News – headlines.
Richardson ready for Paralympics Boccia event
He is a seasoned competitor but Brock Richardson is still the youngest player on the Canadian boccia team that is competing at the London Paralympics, which begin Wednesday.Just 21 years old Richardson competed four years ago on the Canadian team at the Beijing Paralympics. He has also been to three World Cups, a World Championship and the 2011 Parapan American Games.And while many international boccia players can be much older, Richardson has shown that at a young age he belongs with the best. In 2008 in Beijing he finished in the top half of the individual competition, finishing 10th, in just his second international tournament, while the Canadian team was ninth.Last year he had his best international tournament ever reaching the quarterfinals and finishing fifth individually at the Parapan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. There is no doubt that Richardson feels he and the team are ready for London.“I have confidence in my team,” he said. “I know if I play the way I can, I can win a medal.”
via BramptonGuardian Article: Richardson ready for Paralympics boccia competition.
news from the world of Boccia 