Boccia: Dijkstra to compete in Asia-Pacific champs
Dunedin’s Henk Dijkstra will return to the international stage at the Asia-Oceania championships in Sydney in October.
He will be competing in the BC3 ramp in his first major international event since competing at the Beijing Paralympics in 2008.
Dijkstra (52) first competed internationally at the world championships in Sydney in 1995 and his highlight was to finish fourth in the pairs with Greig Jackson at the Athens Paralympics in 2004.
His first Paralympics was in Atlanta in 1996. A top performance in Sydney would help his selection chances for the Rio de Janeiro Paralympics in 2016.
Dijkstra was born with cerebral palsy and has severe physical disabilities. Simple things that most people take for granted create difficulties for him. Travelling outside his home is a big ordeal for him.
This makes the fact he has done the hours of training to be able to amass 90 caps for New Zealand even more remarkable.
GEHS student Elizabeth Flora-Swick wins 2013 Boccia National
USA Boccia Nationals were held at Michigan State University May 15-19. This year’s competition had higher stakes as the selection for TEAM USA would be made based on the results.
Elizabeth Flora-Swick, Gardner, was seeded 4th coming into tournament based on national ranking points. There were 10 athletes in two pools of competition with top finishers in each going to semi-finals.
via GEHS student Elizabeth Flora-Swick wins 2013 Boccia National.
Rolph impresses on national Boccia stage
Jason Rolph produced a fine performance to reach the final of the National Boccia Championships held at Ponds Forge, Sheffield.
Up against Great Britain gold and bronze medallists and top playersfrom across the country, the 14-year-old Impington Village College student (above) was far from overawed by the occasion.
Daniel is a national champion
SIXTEEN-year-old boccia player Daniel Wilson was crowned Disability Sport England’s boccia national champion in emphatic style.
The Cheshire Academy of
Integrated Sport and Arts representative whitewashed his opponent 6-0 in the final of the competition, which was won by a Cheshire Academy athlete for the second successive year.
Wilson’s impressive win also helped his Academy team of north west regional champion Ian Poole and last year’s national champion Adam Bloor scoop the Best Team Trophy.
Boccia in Huntingdonshire, UK
Hunts Boccia has just released its summer sessions.
The sessions will run throughout the summer holidays so if you want to try a new sport and play a variety of target based games then come along.
What is it?:
Boccia is for anyone with a disability. It is a tactical game where two teams compete against each other to get their coloured balls closest to the jack.
Dates:
Summer Sessions will start 1st June 2013 12-1pm and run every other week until 19th October 2013
Herne Bay team gains place in Kent Panathlon contest
HERNE Bay snapped up the last Kent Panathlon place on offer to join Dartford, Ashford, Malling and Sevenoaks in the final on June 28.
The Herne Bay team, made up of St Anselms and Canterbury schools, qualified strongly, winning table cricket, kurling and both athletics field events, while Shepway came second, Dover third and Thanet fourth. In total, 85 disabled children from seven schools took part.
Kelly Bowyer, Herne Bay co-ordinator, said: “It was a fantastic day. We can’t wait for the final.”
Sophie Kettyles, Ursuline College boccia official, added: “It was a great experience.”
via Herne Bay team gains place in Kent Panathlon contest | This is Kent.
Another national victory for Cheshire Academy in Crewe
Boccia is a game, similar to French boules, suitable for children and adults with physical, sensory or learning disabilities.
The national championships were held in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, for the first time and competitors from across the UK were in action.
Adam defended his title and current regional champion Ian was also in action.
But Daniel trumped them all and is now preparing for the National Special Olympics in Bath at the end of August where he will play singles as well as joining forces with Adam and Ian in the team event.
The Academy’s boccia coach Jane Whetnall added: “This is the first national title since our move to our new premises on Broad Street. It couldn’t have happened to a nicer lad.”
For details on the work of the Cheshire Academy call 01270 255355 or visit http://www.disabilitysport.com.
via Sport for all: Another national victory for Cheshire Academy in Crewe – Crewe Chronicle.
Jackson key figure in NZ boccia team at Sydney
Palmerston Norths Greig Jackson has been selected in the New Zealand High Performance squad to compete at the Asia and Oceania Boccia Championships in Sydney in October.He will compete against the best in the world, many of whom won medals at last years London 2012 Paralympic Games.Boccia is a precision Paralympic sport that is played by individuals with high levels of physical impairment such as cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and other related locomotor deficiencies.
The sport combines the accuracy needed in petanque with the tactics of traditional bowls.Boccia is played competitively in more than 50 countries and New Zealand has been on the world boccia scene since the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games.The pinnacle achievements so far include a team silver medal at the 2004 Athens Paralympics followed two years later by a team world title at the 2006 world championships in Rio, Brazil.During this time, Jackson has been a key figure in helping New Zealand to become a power on the international stage.
via Jackson key figure in NZ boccia team at Sydney | Stuff.co.nz.
Town gets its first multi-sports club for the disabled
THE town of Northallerton is to get its own multi-sports club for young people and adults with special needs and disabilities.
Hambleton District Council’s leisure apprentice, Joe McKechnie ,who plays football for the England Cerebral Palsy Senior Squad, has secured nearly £700 in funding from North Yorkshire Sport to set up the new club.
It will kick off with an eight-week course offering coaching in recognised disabled sports – including boccia, goal ball, Kwik Cricket, dance, dodge ball, skill based sessions in football and football for the visually impaired.
Tait targets Paralympics
AFTER a series of wins at the National Senior Boccia Titles, Tait Jenkins has his sights firmly set on competing in the Paralympics in Brazil in 2016.
Tait, who only took up the sport about 18 months ago, took out the overall best and fairest award and finished second in the pairs competition at the national titles staged at the Academy of Sport and Recreation in Sydney recently.
He was also a member of the Australian team that won the Trans-Tasman Cup against New Zealand.
ON TARGET: Paralympics hopeful Tait Jenkins works on his game with exercise physiologist Mark Roberts after starring in the Trans-Tasman Cup.
Mireille Merlet-Shaw
Tait is already a member of the Australian Paralympic boccia team but his next challenge is to be at the top of his game for the Australian Oceanic Games to be played at Sydney’s Olympic Park in October.
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