Topeka’s 24-time national boccia champ mulling future
There comes a time in every competitive athlete’s career when a decision has to be made on when to call it quits, hang up the gear and move on to other passions.
For boccia aficionado Austin Hanson, that decision could be coming soon.
Hanson, currently participating in the Americas Cup just about an hour southeast of Topeka in Gardner, has spent the better portion of his adult life playing boccia.
But at age 39, and after more than 20 years in the sport, the expenses of traveling both nationally and internationally have become a factor for the Topekan in his decision on whether to continue with boccia.
Hanson has competed in Argentina, New Zealand, Brazil, Canada, Greece, England, Ireland and Portugal, among other places.
via Topeka’s 24-time national boccia champ mulling future | CJOnline.com.
Blackburn school encourages boccia playing
A SCHOOL is continuing to influence others with its Olympic legacy.
Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School have developed an outreach programme designed to engage QEGS pupils with other pupils from the local community, An Olympic legacy day saw pupils get together with Blackburn pupils from Longshaw Primary School.
Together the children participated in a total of 16 Olympic and Paralympic events including cycling, mountain biking, weight lifting, hockey and badminton.
Paul Oliver at QEGS said: “In addition we encouraged pupils to participate in Paralympic events such as seated volleyball, boccia and blind football. The highlight was undoubtedly the boccia and the blind football.
via Blackburn school continues Olympic legacy (From This Is Lancashire).
Boccia experience at the World Dwarf Gamer
I had a quick turnaround after the table tennis tournament; the next day was the boccia ball tournament. Boccia ball is essentially lawn bowling, where there’s a target ball and the two players try to throw their six balls as close to the target ball as possible.
As I said before, I didn’t practice much for boccia ball, and as a result, did not have extremely high expectations for the 40-player tournament.
The tourney was set up just like table tennis, where I had to win my pool to reach the single-elimination round.
As luck would have it, my first opponent in my four-person pool didn’t show up, so I won by forfeit. I was able to revel in my 1-0 pool-play record for about 10 minutes before I had to play my next match, which just so happened to be against my best LP friend, who is from Kansas.
Countdown to 2015 Parapan Am Games in Whitby
Boccia at the Parapan Am Games • Made its official Paralympic Games debut in 1992 in Barcelona. • This sport is strategically similar to lawn bowling. • Open to athletes with severe locomotor disabilities of a cerebral or non-cerebral origin, including individuals with cerebral palsy, stroke, traumatic brain injury, high-level spinal cord injuries, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, ALS and arthrogryposis. • Objective is to throw, kick or use an assistive device to propel leather balls as close as possible to a white target ball on a long, narrow field of play. • Canada led all nations with five boccia medals at the 2011 Parapan Am Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Gardner teen competing at Americas Cup boccia tournament
“You don’t not know her,” said Americas Cup Competition Director Cathy Drobny, who coached Flora-Swick early in her career.
Flora-Swick, a 19-year-old sophomore at John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Ark., is reaching for international success at the Americas Cup held Aug. 3-9 at the New Century Fieldhouse in Gardner.
Flora-Swick has already established herself as one of the best boccia players in the state and nation in her nine-year career.
via Gardner teen competing at Americas Cup boccia tournament in her hometown – KansasCity.com.
Boccia athletes from 9 countries in 2013 Americas Cup
A total of 78 competitors from nine different countries are set to compete at the 2013 Boccia Americas Cup tournament which is taking place in Kansas City starting tomorrow.
The line-up includes medallists from the London 2012 Paralympic Games and the Parapan Amercian Games.
The United States will have the biggest squad at the event, with 13 athletes competing across the four classes of BC1, BC2, BC3 and BC4.
The home squad is relatively inexperienced however on the international stage, with only one competitor from London 2012 taking part in Kansas, Austin Hanson, who competes in the BC3 category.
Ballina students to represent North Coast in NSW boccia comp
THREE students from the Southern Cross K-12 School Support Unit in Ballina will represent the North Coast in the NSW State CHS Boccia Championships next month.
Similar to bowls, boccia is a Paralympic sport designed for people with disabilities, including cerebral palsy.
Head teacher, Support, Kellie Gough said that Anthony “Anno” Pitt (Year 9), Jayden Watson (Year 11) and Liam Hourigan (Year 10) played well in defeating Lismore High 2-0.
via Ballina students to represent North Coast in NSW boccia comp | Coffs Coast Advocate.
Biddle makes Boccia national team
Devine, who stands a mere 137cm, will represent Australia in basketball at the World Dwarf Games in East Lansing, Michigan next month.
It will be his second Games, after Northern Ireland four years ago, but his first with boccia-playing partner Alyssa Biddle, 22, also in the national team.
The Hallett Cove couple are the only South Australians to make the 32-strong squad. Australia’s basketballers lost the gold-medal game to the US in 2009.
Worksop: Olympic legacy lives on at SAND sports club
Worksop’s Olympic legacy is still going strong a year on from the 2012 London Games.
While the world’s elite athletes recover from competing at the Olympic Stadium in the London Anniversary Games, grassroots sport in Bassetlaw is being boosted by free disability sports taster sessions.
The events at Worksop College and Outwood Academy Valley were part of a series which gives young people to chance to get active and try new sports.
The first session introduced Wheelchair Basketball and the skills involved, while on 6th August children had the opportunity to hone their precision with target sports Boccia and New Age Kurling.
Boccia is a game similar to bowls. Great Britain’s won one individual silver medal and a team bronze at London 2012.
via Worksop: Olympic legacy lives on at SAND sports club – Local news – Worksop Guardian.
Boccia helps provide respite for Chernobyl children
T
he 11 youngsters from Belarus visited Ponds Forge International Sports Centre as part of a four-week holiday in Sheffield, away from the fallout of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
The children, aged nine to 12, played games of boccia – a ball sport related to bowls – with the Ponds Forge-based Smashers Club, and were also treated to free swimming at the venue’s leisure pool.
via Games provide respite for Chernobyl children – Local Health – The Star.
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