Special Olympics Indoor Bias Bowls Championships
The weather didn’t matter to these keen bowlers at the Risdon Vale Community hall for the annual Special Olympics Tasmania (SOTAS) indoor bias bowls championships in August 2009.
Forty five competitors from all regions of the state travelled to Hobart over the weekend of 16 and 16 August.
This program is part of a locally popular sports initiative available under Special Olympics International rules. It enables us to offer opportunities at a local level where there is specific interest in a particular sport. As there is currently no national or international competition pathway for Indoor Bias Bowls, the State Games are the pinnacle event for those athletes who train every week in their chosen sport. As such, we expect a weekend of spirited competition as this event is a great opportunity for athletes not only to reap the benefits of their hard work through competition but also to represent their region, to travel with friends & family, and to meet and interact with other athletes-on and off the "mat".
For SOTAS, this is one of the biggest games of the 2009 calendar, being held over two days of competition with many events running simultaneously. It is one of the most volunteer intensive events requiring 14 officials per day, plus other event staff roles. We will also be holding a dinner dance for athletes, volunteers & supporters on the Saturday night.
Mika Kirk-Williams - Representing Tasmanian Hockey
Mika Kirk -Williams is the latest beneficiary of The Lord Tavernier's Tasmanian Branch.
Mika was chosen to represent Tasmanian in hockey at the Pacific School Games in Canberra in November 2008. Mika participated in the 12 and under tournament. This was the first time that hockey had been included in the Pacific School Games.
Teams from Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory, Singapore, Tasmania, New South Wales, Queensland, Northern Territory, Victoria and Western Australia participated in the full round robin competition. Tasmanian finished in sixth position.
Mika's mother had been sick for an extended period. She had supported Mika's nomination for the team but was overwhelmed by the costs involved when Mika was selected to represent his state. When given the news of the support from The Taverners, her reaction was that she felt like she had won the lottery.
Sadly Mika's mother passed away in early January 2009, however her daughter commented at the funeral how this donation from the Taverners made her mother really happy and removed a large amount of stress from her mind at a difficult time.
Tasmanian Sports Camp 2008
Stars of the future, with Lord’s Taverners Deputy Chairman, Reg White, at Chris Hawkins Tasmanian Sports Camps. The Taverners sponsor young players to cricket and football camps during the year as part of their aim to help young people develop in their sport. With Reg are Dylan Meares, Kamren Westcott, Dylan Ford, James Burnie, Tyler Ford and Billy-Ray Farrow.
Tasmanian Sports Camp 2007
Young Essendon ruckman Paddy Ryder and legendary Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy at Tasmanian Sports Camps football clinic with 6 youngsters sponsored by The Taverners in 2007
Special Olympics 2007
Swimmers and spectators at the 2007 State Special Olympics Swimming Championships at St Patrick’s College pool in Launceston
Riding For The Disabled
This volunteer organisation caters for approximately 100 riders with a disability, both junior and adult, each week. There are currently six fully accredited centres that provide high quality equestrian programs for these riders. Each centre has a coach education and development program that not only seeks to engage more persons with a disability to learn the basics of horse riding, but also develop to competitions. The Tasmanian Taverners provided a grant of $2,000 to help this coach education program.
Yachting For All
For many, disablement and age is often an impediment to experiencing the pleasure of sailing. But thanks to Sailability Tasmania, this is no longer the case. Part of an Australia-wide movement, Sailability has built four Payne 24 yachts specifically to enable the disabled and the aged to join in sailing as a sport or recreational activity.
When two of these yachts were launched in Hobart in May 2004, The Taverners donated two dozen life vests. Since that time, these yachts have participated in competitive racing, with persons with disabilities helming in most races. They also provide casual sailing on most weekends.
Sailability’s motto is “If you can’t sail, we will teach you. If you once sailed, but no longer do so due to age or a disability we help you get back into it as a sport or recreation.
And they are working closely with rehabilitation organizations in Tasmania to ensure as many people as possible can participate.
In the above photo is one person who was delighted to continue his rehabilitation in this way. Ian Crosher (pictured here with wife Jill on one of the yachts while visiting Tassie earlier this year) is recovering from a stroke and treats a return to sailing (both he and Jill were keen yachtees back home in Kerrie, Ireland) as a vital part of his recovery process.
Tennis Tasmania Leads The Way – Josh Potts
When there is a will there is a way, so says Josh Potts, a young man who at 19 years of age found himself in a wheelchair after a motorbike accident. The inaugural winner of The Ron Barassi award in 2003 for a young person who displayed spirit, courage and determination in pursuing a sporting dream, Josh took up tennis and has quickly developed into one of Tassie’s brightest prospects. A winner in his division at the recent Australian championships, Josh is now competing against able-bodied players, thanks to Tennis Tasmania.
As the first Tasmanian club to include wheelchair tennis players in their regular competition, the Domain Tennis Club in Hobart has set the wheels in motion (excuse the pun) and has put out the challenge to other clubs to be more inclusive.
Josh Potts and Anne Wells (pictured together in action), two of Tasmania’s top ranked wheelchair tennis players were in need of further competition.
Whilst regularly participating in wheelchair tennis tournaments and social hitting, the pair were still in need of greater opportunities to play competitive tennis. What better way to do this than to play in their local competition?
David Rose, Participation Coordinator at Tennis Tasmania says “I am happy that both Annie and Josh have embraced this opportunity that Tennis Tasmania initiated to increase their competitive opportunities and I hope that this will open the door for other people with disabilities to enter mainstream competitions and tournaments.
Tennis Australia has been funded via the Australian Sports Commission’s Project CONNECT, a program which aims to break down existing barriers to participation from the grassroots to elite levels and to create pathways in sport for athletes with a disability. This National program has well and truly worked its way down to the state and grass roots levels of tennis.
Tasmanian Sports Camps
Once again, The Taverners sponsored twelve youngsters from less privileged backgrounds to a cricket and football camp run by Chris Hawkins’ Tasmanian Sports Camps in Hobart.
Current Queensland Vice-President, Ian Healy, is seen here with some of the youngsters at this year’s cricket camp.
ABC radio Tasmania’s Giving Tree
Kookaburra Sports generously donated two cricket kits for distribution by the ABC to less privileged families as part of their annual Christmas “Giving Tree” event to raise funds, gifts and Christmas food items for their long-standing charity drive at Christmas.
This photo shows ABC Television newsreader and Barassi debater, Peter Gee showing his style with one of the kits.
Special Olympics
A grant was provide to the Special Olympics Tasmania Southern Region to meet the cost of hiring swimming and athletics venues, and to pay for medals and ribbons for the State Championships in Hobart in February and March. This grant relieved the financial burden on athletes considerably by lessening the levy on each competitor.
These events provide athletes with an opportunity to compete equally under a special classification system that effectively grades their performances against their own times and achieve and feel good about themselves in front of their peers, family, friends and the general public.
A Day At The Cricket For Some Special People
Thirty five special people enjoyed a day at the Test Match between the West Indies and Australia courtesy of tickets provided by the Tasmanian Branch of The Lord’s Taverners.
The tickets were provided to Camp Quality and Oak Enterprises to enable this day to be so enjoyable. Camp Quality was able to treat five families affected by cancer to a happy day at the cricket whilst Oak Enterprises, which provides services and employment opportunities for people with an intellectual or other disability, similarly entertained their employees and families.
Sports Equipment
The Australian Sports Commission has developed an exciting new initiative to provide teachers, support staff, community leaders, coaches and sports leaders working in a physical activity and sport settings with more ways of including people with disabilities in physical activity and sport. To achieve these objectives, The Sports Ability Program has developed a special kit that includes sports equipment, activity cards, instruction video and a boardmaker CD for use in boccia, goalball, sitting volleyball, polybat (table tennis) and table cricket.
A grant was provided to The New Horizons Club in Launceston to enable the purchase of one of these equipment kits. New Horizons Club co-ordinates and organises sport and recreational events for people with intellectual and physical disabilities.
Other sponsorship and donations
The Tasmanian Branch also provided a grant to Tasmanian swimmer with mild cerebral palsy, Christopher Simmonds, to help with some of his costs associated with competing in the World Cerebral Palsy Games in the US in July 2005.
It also provided two full cricket packages for the November Test Match breakfast, ferry travel and tickets to the game, as well as a Qantas air travel voucher, for auctioning at a fundraising event to assist the rehabilitation for a local young yachtsman who injured himself in a ski-boarding accident.
“Have A Go Sports Camp”
The Tasmanian Taverners sponsored the TASRAD “Have a Go” sports camps at Port Sorell in November. Twenty eight children with disabilities came from all over the State to attend the camp with 14 support staff.
The camp provided a wonderful opportunity for the participants, aged from 12 to 18, to try a number of sports and to undergo classification program to help them participate in competitive disability sports.
Paralympic Gold Medallist, Hamish MacDonald, was guest coach and classifier with assistance from many of Tasmania’s sporting bodies. Activities included football, tennis, soccer, basketball, kiteflying and horse riding.
United Athletics Carnival
The spirit of participation shone in July at the annual United Athletics Carnival in Launceston, an event catering for juniors, open class and athletes with a disability. Sponsored for the first time by The Lord’s Taverners the carnival was also used by the Tasmanian Special Olympics track and field team as a time trial for the September nationals.
About 100 athletes from six clubs across the State took part vying for 90 medals. The Perpetual Graeme Milburn award for the most outstanding athlete with a disability was won by 12 year-old Erin Turner, of West Launceston Little Athletics.