Please visit this web site here to find out about the forthcoming 2013 Boccia Americas Cup in August 2013,

BASKETBALLER Steve Devine has dealt with all manner of wisecracks and answered plenty of questions about whether he can dunk.

“I’ve heard it all before,” Devine says.

“They all say how do you slam dunk? How do you reach the ring? Isn’t it a tall man’s sport?

“I have to explain that there’s no slam dunking, we are just good shots, and our strength is the same as average height people.

“The court is the same size as normal basketball, the ring is the same size and height, and we seem to manage fine – a couple of us can even manage three-pointers.

“The only difference is we use a smaller ball.”

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 World Dwarf Games was first held in Chicago in 1993 but Australia did not send a team until 2009 because officials did not know it existed.

This year’s games will feature almost 400 athletes in sports such as basketball, table tennis, swimming, boccia, football and athletics.

via Height no barrier in shooting for gold | Herald Sun.

On the pavement outside where he works at Sand Creek Station golf course, Carson Hayes takes a break from washing carts and practices his boccia.

The game, almost identical to bocce ball, is taking him to Michigan later this summer to compete in an international competition.

Hayes, 25, is 4 feet 3 inches tall. For the first time, he will represent Team USA at the 2013 World Dwarf Games, playing boccia and table tennis.

via Newton man to compete in 2013 World Dwarf Games | Wichita Eagle.

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.

WindReach Bermuda said today [Apr 17] that five of their Adaptive Sports participants will be travelling to Montreal, Canada to represent Bermuda in Boccia at the Defi Sportif Competition from April 25th – 28th.

The Defi Sportif Competition attracts approximately 4000 para athletes from around the world who compete in 13 different sports.

The Bermuda team includes Livingston Tuzo, Jaime Brangman, Yushae Simmons, Jamal Bean and Steve Wilson. They will be accompanied by Troy Farnsworth (WindReach Adaptive Sports Coordinator) and a support team.

via WindReach Boccia Players Represent Bermuda | Bernews.com.

FIONA Lyons, 25, of Cleveland is on her way to a place in the 2016 Paralympic team in Rio, following recent boccia success.

Most recently, she gained a silver plate a the Queensland titles, pipped by a New South Wales player.

Fiona has been the gold plate holder at State and national level for several championships now.

Last year, she was ranked 27th in the world and the Australian team 13th in the world.

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Fiona travelled to Sydney recently to compete at the NSW State championship, in order to have more competition experience.

via Fiona reaches for boccia success | Bayside Bulletin.

Boccia just might be South Floridas newest sport, and its changing lives. Boccia was popularized in Europe and can be played by athletes with varying levels of disability, and was introduced to the CMAA Therapeutic Recreation Center in Lake Worth by Canadian Paralympian Marco Dispaltro while he vacationing in South Florida in 2011. Its been a life changer for Denise DeMello, whos been disabled her whole life, but also very competitive.”I have family members who are involved in sports but I could never do it because I was always in a wheelchair,” said DeMello. “But now I can actually be an athlete.”Charles Brown, who suffered a spinal cord injury as a member of the Marine Corp, wasnt sure what to do with his competitive juices, until Dispaltro introduced him to Boccia.”The adrenaline rush,” recalled Brown as to why he was hooked right away. “The ability to compete and participate. Its really filled in the need where you want to be competitive somewhere.”The sport is a lot like the game Bocci Ball, as players compete to get their colored balls the closet to the white jack ball. The game may sound tame, but dont let the description fool you.”Theres a lot of mind games,” said Dispaldro. “I mean sports theres a lot of mind games going on.”

via WPEC-TV CBS12 News :: Sports – South Floridas newest sport Boccia is a game changer.

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.

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.