National News

British Universities and College Sport

BUCS is currently researching the opportunities and experiences of disabled students in HE sport.

We�re looking for the views and comments from disabled students on a blog site as part of the research.

All blogs are anonymous and comments are moderated before they are visible online.

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Department for Culture, Media and Sport London 2012: an inclusive legacy

Games will transform perception of disabled people, according to report published.

 

With just under 500 days to the go until the beginning of the Paralympic Games, a joint DCMS/Office for Disability Issues (ODI) report has hailed the steps already taken to ensure that everyone can benefit from hosting the 2012 Games. The report, London 2012: a legacy for disabled people, lays out the opportunities and benefits that the Games will deliver for people with disabilities.

These are organised in three main priority themes, chosen by disabled people from Equality 2025, a publicly-appointed advisory body. The priority themes are:

• to transform the perception of disabled people in society, in particularly their economic contribution to society
• to support opportunities for disabled people to participate in sport and physical activity 
• to promote greater participation in the community through the Games

The report shows in the ways that London 2012 is already delivering improvements to the lives of people with disabilities, including offering jobs, training, sport opportunities and an uplift in awareness across the UK.

Once in a lifetime opportunity to make a difference

Sports and Olympics Minister Hugh Robertson, writing alongside Maria Miller, Minister for Disabled People, in the introduction to the report, notes: �Disabled people play a fundamental part in every aspect of the Games, from planning to construction and staging, as employers, employees, volunteers and world class athletes.

�Yet, it was the scale of London�s legacy ambition that set our bid apart and offers us a once in a lifetime opportunity to make a meaningful difference for over 10 million disabled people in this country and the disabled people expected to visit a highly accessible and inclusive Games in 2012.�

The report, which is also available in an easy-read illustrated format, is available on the Office for Disability Issues website.

 

Click here to view website

 

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British Rowing Adaptive Rowing Adaptive Survey

British Rowing is committed to raising the profile of Adaptive events and we are becoming increasingly aware that more rowing clubs would like to offer Adaptive rowing but are not sure how to get started. In response, a short survey has been developed to allow us to help you and your club.

Adaptive Events

If you're one of British Rowing's growing number of Adaptive competitors and you're looking forward to some racing this summer the following Regattas are planning to run Adaptive events during 2011:

• Evesham Regatta - 1 May
• Birmingham Regatta - 7 May
• Bubbly Brunch (Phyllis Court) - 15 May (by invitation only)
• Poplar Regatta - 15 May
• Weybridge Ladies ARC Regatta � 5 June (by invitation only)
• Stratford-upon-Avon Regatta - 18 June
• Henley Women�s Regatta - 19 June (by invitation only)
• British Rowing Championships - 15-17 July
• Tees Primary and Adaptive Regatta - 6 August
• Oxford City Royal Regatta - 20-21 August.

If you would like further information about Adaptive rowing or your Regatta would like to offer adaptive events please contact madeleine.millichap@britishrowing.org

 

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EFDS � Disability Sports Events
Regional Athletics Championships 2011, 7 � 26 May � venues across the country - sponsored by Nationwide

 

Click here to download list of events

 

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Be Your Best with new disability DVD!

 

A new DVD is being launched next week to inspire people with disabilities to get into sport in Suffolk.

 

The Be Your Best DVD contains a snapshot of the many disability sports clubs and opportunities in the county and has been produced by a partnership of Suffolk County Council, Optua and Suffolk Sport.

 

The DVD shows footage from some of the wide variety of fantastic disability sport clubs across the county including the sailing, football, athletics, horseriding, boccia, wheelchair tennis, powerlifting, swimming and cycling.

 

The DVD has been inspired by the Paralympic Games coming to the UK next year and has been narrated by local Paralympian Brian Alldis. It is being launched next week to mark the 500 day countdown to the start of the 2012 Paralympic Games and to highlight a drop in participation levels in sport amongst disabled people.

 

Adam Baker, Suffolk Project Manager for the 2012 Games, said: �I am absolutely sure that the London 2012 Paralympic Games will inspire many more disabled people from Suffolk to try sport and physical activity. This DVD is set to be an invaluable resource for anybody wishing to experience the range and diversity of disability sport opportunities across the county.�

 

David Finn, Optua Leisure Services Manager said: �This DVD showcases some of the fantastic disability sport clubs across Suffolk and watching it makes you realise how much there is going on in our county � and there�s something for everyone! We�ve got some promising young disabled people in Suffolk who we hope will be competing in the Paralympics next year and we hope people will be inspired by this DVD and want to get involved themselves.�

Kevin Filby, Project Manager of Suffolk County Council�s Activities Unlimited Project said, 'We are proud to support this DVD, which will provide a fantastic resource for people in Suffolk. There is so much on offer, and its important that organisations like ourselves, Optua and Suffolk Sport; work together and be proud of our sporting offer in the run up to 2012 and beyond.�

 

The DVD will be distributed to schools, clubs and leisure centres across the county and a short video of highlights can be viewed on You Tube by searching for Optua or via this link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJO5Go4jkFc

The DVD is accompanied by a comprehensive guide to all the disability clubs and opportunities which can be downloaded from Optua�s Disability Sport Academy website at www.beyourbest.org.uk

 

For more information about disability sport in Suffolk or to request a DVD please contact Optua Leisure on 01473 836770.

 

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Playground to Londinium

Athletes from the Playground to Podium programme enjoyed their first taste of road racing at the Virgin London Mini Marathon on Sunday, with barely months of training behind them and using borrowed chairs.

Seven new wheelchair racers took to the packed streets of the Embankment and the Mall in a 3 mile race through the final section of the world famous Marathon course. All had attended Playground to Podium events country-wide in the past year and subsequently joined local athletics clubs. To master the unique pushing technique the athletes also tapped into specialist coaching advice provided by London Marathon and at Aviva UKA Talent Introduction Days.

A number of athletics clubs are now developing opportunities for wheelchair racing following local interest from Playground to Podium. With inside lanes on a track often closed for training nights it has been possible for wheelchair racers to use these and to integrate alongside ambulant athletes. Flying Coach Visits have been used to introduce coaches to the basic pushing technique and chair specifications. Local and regional grants have funded specialist equipment such as training rollers, and a few clubs have also been able to invest in racing chairs for newcomers to use.

For one newcomer, Jamie Carter (P2P Humberside) was fast-tracked to UKA Talent ID sessions in Leeds over the winter. A promising athlete in the T34 cerebral palsy classification group looking forwards to the track season, he finished an incredible third place among more experienced junior athletes. Jamie nearly didn�t make the start after the footplate on his chair snapped off in his final workout the day before. Having used three borrowed chairs already in a short career whilst fundraising for his own, he was unfazed by the prospect of switching to a forth and much different chair to what he had used before!

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day was Cameron McLean (P2P Derby) competing in his first ever race, lopped off 20min from his best training time of 46min to finish in 26min. Cameron is another in the cerebral palsy classification group � a T33 � and since taking up athletics been training with teacher Alan Bradshaw in the gym, swimming pool and on the roads in a chair borrowed from CP Sport every morning before school and with Derby AC.
London-based Joe Tucker-Lawrence (T54), Rebecca Cavanagh, Deborah Adom (T54) and Alazar Legesse have all been training with London Marathon Initiative coaches Steve Petty, Andrew Samuel and Steve Harris in readiness for the event. The athletes are now awaiting custom-made chairs funded through the scheme, so should return next year equipped and prepared for a bash at their new personal bests.

Playground to Podium in Shropshire provided the link for national-standard swimmer Ben Rowlings (T34) to try out wheelchair racing for the first time at the Loughborough Talent Introduction Day in February where he met new friend � and rival � Jamie Carter. The two families will be travelling together with CP Sport to the Dublin Games in July.

The emotional impact of the Virgin London Mini-Marathon was expressed on parent�s Facebook pages; Claire Rowlings �is the proudest mum in the world� and Sandra Carter �I can�t stop smiling about it all. I am so proud of them all for doing and finishing, but Jay getting 3rd place topped the weekend off.

 

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 Sainsbury�s 1 million kids challenge
Sainsbury want to give schools a chance to offer their pupils the opportunity to experience a Paralympic sport. Starter kits are being offered to participating schools who register with them (kits arriving in September 2011) for the following sports: Goalball, Sitting Volleyball and Blind Football.

 

Click here to view website

 

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