Shobie Lee and the team of Partners Hair & Beauty in Sidcup presented a cheque for £900.00 to sponsor the Bocccia Boys of CleevePark School Partners Hair & Beauty have decided to take on several local deserving projects or charities and the Boccia Boys at Cleeve Park just won Shobie and the team over.
Cleeve Park School has a long tradition of excellence in Disability Sport through the hard work and support of the SEN Department Teaching Assistants and Mr Leyton Thompson.
Boccia was introduced to the students in 2011 when the Teaching Assistants used Sainsburys Active Kids vouchers were used to purchase a Boccia set.
Boccia is a disability sport where players aim to propel balls close to a target ball. Two sides compete as individuals, pairs or as a team of three over a set number of ends.
Points are accumulated over the course of a match to find a winner. A ball can be rolled, thrown or kicked. If a player is unable to throw or kick the ball, they can use a ramp. If players are unable to release the ball with their hands, they can use assistive devices.
Despite being a speciality disability sport, children and adults can play against able-bodied competitors who play from a seated position. It is also a very portable sport so disabled and able-bodied students can often be found playing a game in corridors and halls during break times.
We have lost count of how many medals and trophies the student have won over the years – but the boys jingle loudly when they bring them in for assemblies, talks and photos!
The boys are passionate about their sport, dedicated to their training and all have dreams of getting good enough to compete in the Paralympics.
One of our Sixth Form students, Josh Wilkins, now plays for Boccia England and is hoping to qualify for the Tokyo Paralympics in 2020.
As with any sport played at a competitive level, there is a cost involved, but with disability sport this cost is much higher. From the Boccia Balls themselves (which can cost upwards of £900 for a competition set) and specially made ramps, to wearing a Team Tracksuit or simply traveling to the events. The boys have undertaken several fundraising events – including a sponsored swim with our Executive Head Teacher Mrs Jenni Tyler-Maher but there is always something new on the wish list to aid or support them in their playing, and as new students join the school more (and sometimes bespoke) equipment and kit is needed.
The boys in the Boccia Team and other disabled students take part in the Panathalon Challenge.
Over 500 schools across the country take part in ‘mini Paralympic’ multi-sport competitions for secondary or primary school children, along with dedicated football, boccia and swimming programmes. Panathlon has in the last few years trained thousands of young leaders (1,590 in 2016) aged 14-19, who act as sports officials for Panathlon competitions. http://panathlon.com/ On 8th March 2017 the Boccia Team won Gold at the South London Final
Submitted by Shobie Lee
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