ISSUE #1 AUG 2012
GB Boccia Team... Paralympic Boccia... Inspirational Stories... and much more inside...
Editor’s Thoughts A big welcome to Boccia Inclusive, an online publication dedicated to the unique sport. Boccia is one of the most inclusive of sports, catering for any degree of disability. The aim of the e-zine was to pool together a collection of experiences from across Boccia; not just focusing on the elite few of the sport, but also aspiring players along with coaches, referees, clubs and other Boccia initiatives. Although it is hard to ignore the pinnacle of this sport’s calendar: the Paralympic Boccia. For the first time ever it will take place on British soil; Boccia has only been part of the Paralympic Games since 1984 New York and the last time the Olympics was in Britain in 1948 the Paralympics as we know it was yet to be invented. The weeklong Boccia spectacle kicks off on Sunday 2nd September. Boccia Inclusive takes at look at the GB Paralympians in Boccia. We wish all of them the best of luck. I hope you enjoy this very first issue that will feature inspirational tales from rising Boccia stars; the incredible amount of work that goes into creating a Boccia club; and Boccia England’s involvement in the Playground 2 Podium iniative.
“I have been playing Boccia for eight years, but 2012 have been my best so far. I have won the Czech Open for the second year running and DSE Open for third year running. I’ve grabbed silver in the Nationals and British Championships this year too.” David Hill Boccia Inclusive
Before you begin flicking through the pages of this e-zine I would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who has contributed towards this publication. Without their involvement this project would only have me ranting on for 50 odd pages, which would have been less than ideal. These different voices provide new and interesting perspectives of Boccia. ENJOY
Contents Boccia: An Overview of the Unique Sport
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Sandra King on Delivering London 2012 Paralympic Boccia
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Evie Edwards: From Swimming Star to Boccia Star
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The Bees Knees: Creating Boccia Epsom and Ewell
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Caroline Robinson: A Rising Star in English Boccia
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Matt Kendrick: England Coach & Boccia Projects Officer
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Harry Thompson: National BC4 Boccia Champion
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Beth Moulam: National Youth Coaching Academy
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London 2012 Boccia Paralympics: The GB Paralympian Medal Hopefuls
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London 2012 Paralympics Boccia Schedule
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Boccia: An Overview of the Unique Sport Boccia is a difficult sport to explain; many people just describe it as bowls played in wheelchair – which certainly doesn’t do it justice. People that play boccia knows it has a lot more going for it. Boccia is a sport driven by skill and accuracy and requires good focus and decision-making. Not to mention an internationally recognised sport played in over 50 countries and also a feature Paralympic sport since 1984. A game of accuracy and tactics where a set of six colours balls (red and blue) are thrown, rolled, ramped or kicked towards a white ball known as ‘the jack ball’. The match always begins with red propelling the jack ball; after the jack is thrown the same players propels a red ball. It is then the turn of the blue to try and get closer. If blue succeeds the play switches back to red, but if not blue continues to play. The end, as this is known, continues in this fashion until all balls have been played. The Referee then tallies up the score (one point per ball that is nearer to the jack then the opponent’s ball); a maximum of six points are up for grabs barring any penalty balls. There are three types of Boccia matches: Individual, Pairs and Teams. In individual matches each player propels the jack twice in alternate fashion; there are therefore four ends to a match. Pair games are similar with four ends, although each player has control of the jack once (alternate colours starting from left
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with red and moving along the row). In team games there are three players on each team and six ends; each athlete plays the jack once in alternate colours from left to right. If the match is tied after all ends have been played a tie end is initiated. A coin is tossed and the winner can decide who goes first. A jack ball is then positioned on the jack cross, which is located at the centre of the court. The winner of the match is the colour that gets closest to the jack. A tie end is the same as a penalty shootout in Football, the points don’t count on the final score. There are many different ways to play Boccia: throwing, rolling, kicking or ramping. There are four paralympic classifications BC1, BC2, BC3 and BC4. BC1, 2 and 4 are made up of throwers or rollers; kickers are placed into BC1. BC3s are completely different, they require assisted devices in order to play: ramps, headgear and an assistant. This means that even a person with severe disabilities can play Boccia. It truly is an inclusive sport.
This was just a very basic look at Boccia for more information on how to play and the rules visit these helpful websites: http://www.cpisra.org.za/index7cff.html?id=191 http://www.bocciainternational.com/boccia.html http://www.bocciaengland.org.uk/ http://www.bocciaengland.org.uk/resources.php I myself learnt the rules by playing rather than reading. There is a great online Boccia game that will help anyone get the gist of Boccia: http://paralympics.channel4.com/boccia/ Watching Boccia is another way to learn the sport. Here are same great videos, including GB’s Gold medal win in Beijing 2008: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNeHV3jVXOc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_OJ2yIrTt0 http://paralympics.channel4.com/video/sixty-secondguides/videoid=1229522/index.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzJWSG3xS6A A lot more videos available on Youtube.
Boccia: In Overview of the Unique Sport
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Sandra King on Delivering London 2012 Paralympic Boccia Boccia Inclusive have been luckily enough to get a rare insight into the inner workings on delivering a Paralympic Event from Sandra King, the Boccia Competition Manager. Sandra talks through her unique perspective of the forthcoming Games.
Before we get on to the Paralympics and your immense involvement I would like to talk about your roots in Boccia. Where did it all begin? I started teaching at Patcham House (Day Special) School in Brighton and the headmaster had spent the entire PE budget for the year on a set of Boccia balls, so I thought I better find out about the sport so that we could use them! You have had many roles in Boccia before working with LOCOG: ramp assistant, England Squad Manager and England Squad Head Coach. Can you talk us through some of these roles? I started as Head of PE at Treloar School and College in September 1997, and was surprised that they weren’t playing Boccia as so many of the students would be classified as BC1, 2 or 3 (we didn’t have BC4 in this country at that time). I started a Boccia club after school so my first role was as coach.
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In order to learn more about the rules I did a refereeing course, so I suppose that was my second role. In the spring of 2000 we got our first National Champion – Amy Bishop in the BC3 class – and she was invited to join the National Squad. As there weren’t any other training courses I could do to improve my coaching, I decided to volunteer with the England and Wales Squad (as it was then), and, to start, with was just a ‘general dogsbody’! Over the years I was BC1 assistant to David Morgan and BC3 ramp assistant for Cecilia Turk, as well as helping athletes off the court. C.P.Sport nominated me to sit on the International Boccia Committee (now CBC) and I was an International Delegate between 2000 and 2006. By 2005 I was England Team Manager and Head Coach, also heading up the Selection committee. Whilst doing this I started up the Cheshire International with Brian Allen, adding Competition Organiser to the list of roles I’ve had!
Wow, that is an impressive resume. Now we know a bit about your background in Boccia it is time to talk more on your role at LOCOG for the Paralympics. What is your role? How did you come to get the job? I applied for the role of Boccia Competition Manager as far back as 2007, and was appointed after a year-long interview process. I think I was appointed because of my extensive experience in the sport, and perhaps also because I worked hard to convince LOCOG that they needed someone who knew the sport from every angle, rather than someone who understood event organisation on the scale of the Paralympics. Organising an event of this scale must take an unimaginable amount of planning. Where do you begin? Actually that’s an easy question to answer! An ‘OCOG’ (Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games) is a delivery agent. We have to deliver the competition that the International Federation want and the
Sandra King on Delivering London 2012 Paralympic Boccia
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“‘Sport’ is just one of 92 Functional Areas within LOCOG so we have to remember at all times that sport is, and should be, at the heart of the Games.” Sandra King
International Paralympic Committee approve. By the time I started at LOCOG in September 2010, most of the important factors had already been decided (like how many Boccia competitors there would be and what shape the competitions would take). I was handed the details and told to organise it, but in addition to that the LOCOG chiefs have guided us through all the processes in order to put on this magnificent event. Can you tell us a few of the numerous things that go into organising a Paralympic event such as Boccia? I think it’s fair to say that what I know about Boccia has been quite a small part of what I’ve needed to do to organise this competition. ‘Sport’ is just one of 92 Functional Areas within LOCOG so we have to remember at all times that Sport is, and should be, at the heart of the Games. I have worked with Anti-Doping, Brand and Marketing, Catering, Cleaning and Waste, Diversity and Inclusion, Logistics, Transport and Venue Management, to name just a few!
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What has been the most challenging part of your role? Without a doubt the most difficult thing has been to explain to people who’ve never heard of Boccia or met a Boccia player, just what it is that Boccia players need and want...... and then get them to deliver it. I know there are one or two things that I would have liked to provide in a different way, but because we are organising the whole Paralympics and not just a Boccia event, we sometimes have to find compromises that won’t entirely meet all the needs of all the athletes. Common sense and budgetary demands mean that we have to accept this at times, whereas if we were only organising a Boccia competition, we would of course be aiming for 100% perfection. Any great anecdotes you can share with us about your time at LOCOG? Well, there was the time when I asked the team that run the Paralympic Village if they were providing hoists, and they said I’d need to talk to Logistics as they had different machinery depending on how heavy the object
was that we needed to hoist. I didn’t have the heart to tell them that the Logistics team might not be expecting to be involved in the hoisting scenarios that Boccia players would be engaging in! During the May bank holiday the Olympic Park hosted a number of test events including Boccia. How did the Boccia event go? Were there any major hiccoughs that needed ironing out before the real thing? The London Prepares Boccia Invitational went very well thank you, although as the name ‘Test Event’ suggests we did learn some important lessons. We weren’t entirely happy with the court surface so we’ve changed that going in to the Paralympics, and we realised there were one or two gaps in our plans that needed bringing together, so we’ve been working hard on linking all the processes and people. As I write this we are just about to start transitioning the South Arena One at ExCeL from Taekwondo to Boccia, and the Boccia team are ready and raring to go! After 7 years of hard work and planning
Right: Sandra shadowed the Competition Manager at Beijing Paralympics 2008 in preparation for her role at London 2012 Below: Sandra King with the England Boccia Squad 2011 just before her departure from the team after 11 years
Sandra King on Delivering London 2012 Paralympic Boccia
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“I’m confident that there will be time for all of us [at LOCOG] to sit back for a few minutes here and there, to observe and recognise what we’ve achieved. In fact, we’ve planned for it!” Sandra King
the Paralympics are finally in London. What are your feelings about seeing the 7-day Boccia event come to life? I can’t wait! I know I have a superb team working with me and I know that we’ve done everything we can to provide an environment that will allow the athletes to concentrate on giving the performances of their lives. We’ve prepared, planned and practised; we know we’re ready and we’re feeling confident but definitely not complacent. In the next few days we’ll start making those plans come to fruition. In eleven days time, on August 22nd, Boccia athletes will start to arrive in the Paralympic Village....bring it on! ☺ Will you be too busy to enjoy it? Not this time! At the Test Event I was rushing around so much at the beginning, and looking so hard for everything that we could do to improve our service, that I forget to stop and appreciate how much we’d achieved (and as we moved from the Basketball Arena to the half-built warm-up courts just 10 days before, we had achieved a great deal!). Now
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we have the next four weeks to get through, with the competition at the end; we have to pace ourselves. However, we’re also in a much better position – we’ve double-checked everything, we’ve planned our responses to all sorts of scenarios, we’ve dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s. I’m confident that there will be time for all of us to sit back for a few minutes here and there, to observe and recognise what we’ve achieved. In fact, we’ve planned for it! A little birdie said that you are hanging up your Boccia shoes after London 2012. What prompted this life changing decision? Why now? Apart from my job at LOCOG I have never been successful in securing a paid job in Boccia, and like most people I do have to pay the mortgage! If anything was to come up in the future then I suspect I might apply; there’s something in me that can’t bear to waste the enormous amount of knowledge that I now have, and that I feel could be of great use to the Boccia community in general. After September the 8th the Boccia will
be finished. What is next in store for Sandra King? I’ve bought tickets for the Closing Ceremony on September 9th, and in many respects that will bring ‘closure’ to this phase of my career. However, I am employed with LOCOG until September 22nd – time to complete our ‘Transfer of Knowledge’ to Rio and finish the practical arrangements of donating the Boccia equipment to the Home Nations in legacy. Then I move back in to my house in Fleet and start work for the Tennis Foundation on October 1st! My new post as Competition and Events Manager for Disability Tennis is just a maternity cover to start with, so I still don’t know what I’ll be doing after May 2013. Perhaps I might get my ‘Beginner’s Boccia’ book published at long last!
A very big thank you Sandra for giving up your time for Boccia Inclusive. I’m sure the Home Games will be magical and the Boccia competition spectacular. Thank you; the tremendous success of the Olympics, the deafening support of the crowds and the record-beating Paralympic ticket sales lead me to think that this could be an event to remember for a very long time to come. Like any Competition Manager, I want this to be the best experience ever for all our clients; athletes, spectators and officials alike.
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Evie Edwards: From Swimming Star to Boccia Star “I like that boccia involves problem solving, team work and skill and I also really enjoy meeting a lot of people and socialising with people through the sport.” Evie Edwards
Evie made her England debut at the Cheshire International Friendly in Wigan along with Michael Meech and fellow debutee Harry Thompson. Finishing a very respectable 6th, especially when there were some of the top teams in the world competing. Top: Harry Thompson and Evie Edwards take on the Number 7 BC4 Pair in the world: Slovakia. Left: Evie Edwards pose for photographs after Cheshire competition. Right: Evie Edwards and Harry Thompson go out on court for a look at the position of the balls Photographs Courtsey of Sue Edwards and Michelle Thompson
I have known about boccia from a young age and played it occasionally at local disability sports events but I didn’t really get fully involved in it until I was about fifteen. I had been a competitive swimmer for many years and swam in a couple of international competitions but my legs had started to deteriorate rapidly. I was looking to get involved in a sport where I didn’t need to use my legs and this is why I have found that boccia suits me. I like that boccia involves problem solving, team work and skill and I also really enjoy meeting a lot of people and socialising with people through the sport. I joined two local boccia clubs and in 2011 I qualified for the nationals this was much more intense than at the regionals and as a player reasonably new to the sport it was great to watch some great players in action as well as to play some of them. In June 2012 I was invited to my first England training camp to try out for the squad. I found this a different environment from my normal training because everyone who was at the camp was very focused on the sport and had a passion for trying to achieve great things within the sport.
I learned a lot in this camp including a better throwing technique and after playing some England players for the first time I also learned a lot about game play at a higher level. Being selected for the England squad gave me an amazing sense of achievement. After being so disappointed at having to give up swimming after years of hard work I was on cloud nine to have reached this level in another sport. In July I took part in my first international competition competing for England this was a great experience as I got to represent my country for the first time. Competing against some of the best teams in the world was a great experience and as a team we all brought our game up to another level to try and match their level of play. I really enjoyed being with the other members of the BC4 squad throughout the weekend. My advice to aspiring players would be to keep working hard, try and aim to always improve on past performance and enjoy your sport
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The Bees Knees: Creating Boccia Epsom and Ewell “... I love to see young people, whatever their ability, taking control of their lives, making decisions, laughing and joking, growing in confidence and celebrating success. Boccia is an amazing sport and a great leveller...� Liz Moulam
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8 years ago I had no idea my daughter was fiercely competitive, she had never played any sport. Then B O C C I A arrived in our lives. After 2 short training sessions Beth had played for our local borough team in the county youth games and I was introduced to a completely different girl. For the first time ever she was revelling in success, enjoying a team game and like any other parent I was on the sidelines cheering (actually, before her hands were big enough to hold a ball I was holding the ramp!).
We started with only 4 members, building the numbers has been a long slow journey. Many people came and tried it, some came once, others a few times and some have stayed. Our founder members still attend and the club now thrives. My advice, don’t expect to be overrun with players when you start, it takes time and effort, and despite lots of advertising, posters, newspaper articles, radio slots and other stuff 99% of our members have come along through word of mouth.
Somehow loving the game led to setting up a club. Along with another Mum and with the support of our local council Sports Development Officer we began putting in place a constitution, frameworks for player and parent codes of conduct and much more. There was a lot of paper but we were helped by having templates provided. The council also paid for us to have basic boccia coaching and referees courses and the obligatory safeguarding, first aid and inclusion courses. As soon as these were done we applied for a National Lottery Awards for All grant and got funding to get Boccia Epsom and Ewell, known as The BEEs, up and running.
Initially we met weekly on a Friday night at 5pm, but as our core players got older and moved into residential placements in special schools or out of county educational provision the journey home made it impossible to meet so early. The young people were tired after a long week so we changed to meeting once a month on a Sunday from 10am to 2.30pm, with a day in most school holidays. This format has stuck as it seems to suit the members who now travel from all over the south east of England to join us.
LEFT Beth Moulam’s first taste of competitive boccia in the Youth Games 8 years ago. Seeing the change boccia brought to her daughter was the inspiration for Liz to set up her own boccia club.
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“...we dream the Paralympics will put the sport before many more young people and continue to welcome new members...” The Sunday format hasn’t radically altered since we started, we seek regular feedback from members and parents/assistants and people appear happy. We arrive to mark courts, then do introductions and a warm up followed by skills practice before playing games. These can vary dependent on numbers with some people playing singles, others in pairs and teams, we continue coaching throughout the games including making sure the parents and assistants understand the rules and their roles as we go. We always have lunch as a group, pizza is ordered in for those who want it, and others bring a packed lunch. We took a decision early on to try and always be fully funded, this means there is no charge for club and tea/coffee and squash are provided (and biscuits). We also provide all equipment although as players progress they often acquire their own balls and equipment. It’s not always been easy but we apply for grants and awards and somehow have always managed. I would hate for someone to feel they can’t come or play because of cost. The club would not be here today without
the tenacity of the founder members, the support of amazing parents and assistants, the dedication of our remarkable coaches and volunteers, and never forgetting the determination and enthusiasm of the young people who come on a regular basis. Eight years on I get out of boccia what I got from that very first day. I love to see young people, whatever their ability, taking control of their lives…making decisions…laughing and joking…growing in confidence…celebrating success. Boccia is an amazing sport and a great leveller, we dream the Paralympics will put the sport before many more young people and continue to welcome new members.
TOP LEFT A mixed pairs match with rampers and throwers. This is a good platform for the more experienced players to help develop the younger players and give them guidance. By discussing shots and who has the best line teaches players the technical side of Boccia. BOTTOM LEFt All equipment used by players who don’t have their own are provided by BEEs, this includes ramps and balls. A set of 13 balls can cost up to £400 and the Nova ramps used by BC3 players can cost up to £876. All paid for by funding secured by BEEs.
Liz continues to volunteer, besides running The BEE’s has gone on to be a national referee, an accredited tutor for the Boccia England Leader’s Award, a Classifier and has recently been asked to Lead the Boccia England Talent Squad. For more information about The BEEs visit www.bocciaepsomandewell.org.uk or email liz on bocciaee@aol.com
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Caroline Robinson: A Rising Star in English Boccia “I love everything about it, the game, the competitions, and all the people I’ve got to meet. Boccia filled a really big gap in my life and since 2008 I have never looked back.” Caroline Robinson
I first discovered Boccia in 2007 when I saw ‘Stockport Boccia Club’ featured on a local news program; and thought, ooo, I’d like a go at that. After that initial introduction I then visited a couple of clubs, but decided that Stockport had the right mixture of people and competitive edge that I was looking for; so in 2008 I joined the club. The players at Stockport were great with me, teaching me the rules and tactics. club mates explained various things to me, such as how strict the rules are, it surprised me that absolutely nothing can be outside of your box, i.e. shoe laces or footplate straps. As I began to understand the game more, it reminded me of chess, due to having to be forward thinking with each shot. I liked learning to place balls to set a shot up, or getting a ball to ricochet to achieve an aim. I loved my first competition (the Liverpool open) and from that day I knew that I was hungry for more and set my mind on getting better. 2011 was the year of my first Boccia Nationals, which was when I first realised how big Boccia was around the country. In
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2012 I was invited to attend a Boccia England training weekend; I couldn’t believe it, I was so happy and thought to myself, well, all the early mornings of training has paid off! I really enjoyed the weekend, and learned so much in such a short time. I feel that I learned so much at my first England training as the coaches spent time and showed me how to get the best out of my throwing ability, which enabled me in turn to become a better team player as well as individual. Compared to my club level, where there is generally more game play rather than skill practice or a focus on individual improvement. After the first day I feel that I came away with higher self-esteem in general and a greater determination to succeed. All the established players that I interacted with were really welcoming to me and I knew I had to be part of this bigger Boccia family. I was told at the end of the weekend that I had been accepted on to the squad and would also be playing on a team at the Cheshire internationals; I think at the time I was doing cartwheels in my head. The overwhelming
Top Right: Caroline Robinson and Evie Edwards show off their patriotic St. George’s flag nails. Bottom Right: Caroline Robinson celebrates after receiving a cup for achieving 2nd place at this year’s DSE Open competition in April.
feeling that I had was pride that I would have an opportunity to represent my country, and disbelief (who, me? really? Ha ha). I was excited about being part of a team at the Cheshire; the occasion felt huge to me when I really thought about where I was and the level of players from all over the world that we (I) was competing against. I loved the day, being part of a national team, the camaraderie; seeing how other nations play. My overall aim was to win (of course), but I used it as a learning experience and go on from there. I practice 10-12 hours a week; Boccia gives me something to focus on and a chance to excel in. I love everything about it, the game, the competitions, and all the people I’ve got to meet. Boccia filled a really big gap in my life and since 2008 I have never looked back.
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Matt Kendrick: England Coach & Boccia Projects Officer “I started working at Boccia England in January 2011 on a 6 month Internship. Since then my role has spiraled as a Boccia Projects Officer and I now lead on a variety of programmes.” Matt Kendrick
My main areas of work are around the talent pathway including talent identification and talent squads, managing and tutoring the Young Boccia Coaches’ Academy, club development and developing the visually impaired Boccia pathway. Somewhere in there I also find time to be the England BC4 national squad coach! My summer has been mostly taken up with traveling around the country (to 34 counties!) running talent identification sessions to try and find the best up and coming Boccia players in England. This initiative is called Playground 2 Podium (P2P) and is now in its fourth and final year. Each county that I visit for P2P puts on a County Athlete Assessment Day or CAAD. Some of these events see hundreds of young people attending to participate in all of the P2P sports (Boccia, Wheelchair Basketball, Table Tennis, Athletics and Swimming). Some of the CAAD’s are sport specific so I will have a smaller group of young people there just to do Boccia.
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Once I have identified a player I have to categorise them into one of three levels: Participation, Club or Fast track. The main purpose of P2P from my perspective is to increase participation at club level, increase the number of BC1-4 players competing at our Championships and increase the number of players starting their journey on the talent pathway. This year so far I have identified sixtynine new BC1–4’s which we hope to see this coming season. In each county I invite coaches from local clubs to come along and help with the sessions. It is a big jump for young players to take that leap and attend a club sessions; I generally find that players are more likely to continue onto club level if there is a familiar face running the session. It is important to build this coachathlete relationship early as it might be the partnership that creates the next Paralympic Boccia player!
Right: Harry Thompson and Evie Edwards pose for photographs with BC4 England coach Matt Kendrick. Photographs Courtsey of Michelle Thompson and Sue Edwards
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Harry Thompson: National BC4 Boccia Champion “I am happy with what I have achieved so far but my aim is to improve further, my dream would be to get onto the GB squad and become a top BC4 player like Stephen Mcguire, who I admire so much.” Harry Thompson
I first tried Boccia about 4 years ago because I started to play Powerchair football, and there was a Boccia club at the sports academy where I trained. I didn’t enjoy my 1st Boccia session at all and decided it wasn’t really for me, I carried on playing football and got involved in some local and National athletics, mainly throwing, and I discovered I could throw well and quite accurately, so decided to try Boccia again, 3 months later I won the BC4 DSE National championship in 2009.
for and competing at the GB Championships in Stirling; and Captaining England’s BC4s at the Cheshire International where we finished 6th.
I started to get a lot more serious about my training, as I realised I would have to work hard to improve, I trained weekly with the elite squad at Percy Hedley Sports Academy. In 2011 I won bronze at the Boccia England Nationals, qualifying me for the Great Britain Championships in Cardiff. In October of the same year I was invited to trial for the England Boccia Squad at their training camp in Leeds, where I was selected onto the squad. This was something I had been working towards so I was very pleased with this achievement, I hadn’t expected to be selected there and then, so it was a surprise too.
My experience in Prague was amazing, my chair survived the flight and I played the best Boccia I have ever played. I hope I get the chance to compete there again.
This year has been my best year so far in boccia. My greatest achievements have been getting selected and competing in my first International competition in Prague, loosing only by a couple of points to 2 World seeded players; winning the BC4 English National title; qualifying
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I have enjoyed the challenge of playing top players and the experience I am starting to gain, I really like the social aspect of Boccia, getting to know the other players on my squad and other players from other squads that I have played against.
The English Nationals was a very good competition, one I was aiming to win, I had played very well on the Saturday winning the four games that I played, but I lost my first match on the Sunday morning putting myself under a lot of pressure, but I went on to win it and I was really happy as it showed that I had made an improvement from the last year. It definitely feels good to be BC4 English Champion. At the training camp before Cheshire I had set myself the goal of being selected as BC4 Captain; I worked very hard with Evie and Michael during training and was very happy to be made captain; I like the decision making and felt confident in my role, it was an honour to captain the BC4’s for England.
I am happy with what I have achieved so far but my aim is to improve further, my dream would be to get onto the GB squad and become a top BC4 player like Stephen McGuire, who I admire so much. I am now training locally up to 3 times a week, once a week with Boccia Durham and I attend England training camps throughout the Country, but I still find time to play powerchair football at National level. My advice to aspiring players would be train as often as you can; the more you dedicate yourself to boccia, the more you will improve and achieve.
Yop: Harry Thompson captaining the BC4 England Pair at Cheshire International Friendly 2012 Bottom: Harry Thompson with his shield after becoming the English National Champion 2012 Photographs courtesy of Michelle Thompson and Sue Edwards
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Beth Moulam: National Youth Coaching Academy “I can definitely recommend this it to anyone age 14 to 19. Whilst my first love is playing boccia the course has definitely helped me; I know now just what a good coach can do for my game and me.” Beth Moulam
In February 2012 I was invited to take part in the Youth Sports Trust first ever National Young Coaching Academy. It was a residential weekend at Loughborough University for about 150 young coaches age 14 to 19 from 8 sports, including Boccia, tennis and swimming. When we arrived on the Friday afternoon we were put into mixed teams from across all sports. The first thing we were asked was about our concerns for the course, mine was, would people understand me and give me time to speak. I need not to have worried, although at times I did get talked over when everyone got enthusiastic. The course had lots of plenary sessions with big name sports people talking about coaching, from sailing, rugby and cycling to name but a few. These were really inspiring, one was about how people are like animals and the importance of understanding how they learn and work; so some of us are monkeys, lions, dolphins or elephants. The important message was about working hard, listening to coaches and believing in yourself as a sports person. Then there were the sessions in our groups
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with some theory and some practical activities to help us understand about coaching and ourselves. From Saturday teatime onwards we were in sport specific groups. Matt Kendrick from Boccia England was there to guide the 15 boccia coaches. We had to plan a coaching session and then deliver it using the techniques we had learned. In my group we decided on 2 role-plays, a ‘bad coach’ and a ‘good coach’; so how not to do it and how to try to do it. I was selected as the good coach and had to programme my Lightwriter (speech device) with the activity. This went down well (although did involve some late night programming for me) as people had to listen really hard so they did exactly what I asked of them, my team was really supportive. The food and hotel was great, the days were very long. One ‘highlight’ was late Saturday night when we were going for dinner in the pouring rain. I got stuck in the back of my van when the wheelchair restraints failed to open. After ages trying to get it sorted a paramedic
Top: Beth Moulam and David Pittman training hard on jack/first ball at the BEES Bottom Beth Moulam at the National Youth Coaching Academy at Loughborough University
gave us special scissors for cutting people’s seatbelts off after car crashes and I was cut out so I could get some food! We came away from the weekend with work to do: we were all expected to run practical sessions in clubs or schools and plan sessions for our next workshop weekend. I was lucky enough to be able to do several short sessions at my local club to achieve what was needed. Following our practicals we were invited back to a Boccia England Talent weekend, 10 of us attended. We got to do more theory work and then help the classification coaches working with the players in their Saturday and Sunday training camp. I have made some lovely friends and it was a great opportunity. I can definitely recommend this it to anyone age 14 to 19. Whilst my first love is playing boccia the course has definitely helped me; I know now just what a good coach can do for my game and me. But I hope next year to help with the Junior Boccia Squad at school, so this will be putting my training into regular practice.
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London 2012 Boccia Paralympics: The GB Paralympian Medal Hopefuls For the first time ever GB Boccia will be entering a full team of nine athletes to the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Form has been good and medal hopes are high for the young squad who, with the backing of a home crowd, will be looking to top the medal table. Incredible scenes from the Beijing Paralympics as the GB BC1/BC2 Team clinch Gold. A feat we would all love to see them repeat in the Home Games. Top: David Smith, Nigel Murray, Dan Bentley and Zoe Robinson celebrate their 8 – 4 victory over Portugal on the Winners Podium after receiving their Gold medals. Left: Nigel Murray captains Team GB to Paralympic Gold. Right: Dan Bentley celebrates the team victory with his very pound parents. For more information on the athletes involved in London 2012 visit: www.gb-boccia.org/ http://www.paralympics.org.uk/gb/ athletes/Boccia Photographs Courtsey of GB Boccia Article composed by Duncan Tunbridge Profiles based on GB Paralympics Blog
The athletes had a flavour of competing in front of a home crowd at the 2011 World Cup in Belfast and at the Test Event but the enormity of the event will only hit home when they parade at the Opening Ceremony on 29th August in front of 80,000 people. However the coaches will be reminding the athletes that it is still just a game of Boccia, six red balls against six blue balls, and if they do what they have done a million times in the last four years they will have every chance of victory. In the BC1/BC2 Team event the reigning Paralympic champions David Smith (BC1), Nigel Murray (BC2), Dan Bentley (BC2) and Zoe Robinson (BC2) return to defend their title with the strongest threat a strong Korean outfit. All four will go in their respective individual competitions. Smith and Murray won their events at the Test Event and will be the ones to beat. With Murray vowing to bow out after the Games he will be keen to add to his Individual Gold from Sydney and Silver from Beijing.
The BC3 pair of Jacob Thomas, Jess Hunter and Scott McCowan have come from nowhere to be genuine medal contenders. With Jacob and Jess part of the successful Fast Track Programme they burst onto the scene at the World Cup in Belfast in 2011, finishing in 6th. They have since won the Test Event beating the top three ranked nations in the World along the way. Thomas won bronze in the Individual competition at the Test Event and he and McCowan will be the dark horses in the Paralympic Individual event. Brothers Stephen and Peter McGuire missed out on Beijing by the narrowest of Margins but as European Gold medallists in 2009 and World Silver Medallists in 2010 they were in no danger of missing out on London. Ranked number two in the World behind the dominant Brazilians they will be confident of making good progress. In the Individual event Stephen won Silver and Peter bronze at the 2011 Europa Cup while world number 2 Stephen took Silver at the 2010 World Championships.
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NIGEL MURRAY Events: Individual World Ranking: BC1/BC2 Team World Ranking: Home Town: Date Of Birth: Previous Games Attended:
BC2 Individual, BC1/BC2 Team 1 3 Leamington Spa 22/05/64 Beijing 08, Athens 04, Sydney 00
Nigel Murray is Britain’s most successful Boccia player, having won two golds and one silver medal across two Games. He is the 5th most successful player of all time. London will be his fourth Games. Nigel most enjoys the competitive element of Boccia and his proudest moment to date was captaining the team that won the gold medal in Beijing. Sporting Achievements Individual BC2 Paralympics: Gold Medallist, Sydney 2000; Silver Medallist, Beijing 2008 European Championships Silver Medallist, Czech Republic 2001; Bronze Medallist, Portugal 2009 World Championships: Gold Medallist, Portugal 2002; Silver Medallist, Portugal 2010 World Cup: Bronze Medallist, Vancouver 2007; Silver Medallist, Belfast 2011 London Boccia Invitational (Test Event): Gold Medallist, London 2012 Twelve time English National Champion Seven time British Champion
“London will be my fourth and final Paralympic Games as an athlete, so this will be a special Games. I am sure competing in front of a home crowd will be an amazing feeling.” Nigel Murray
BC1/BC2 Team Paralympics: Gold Medallist, Beijing 2008 European Championships: Silver Medallist, Portugal 2005; Silver Medallist, Portugal 2009 World Championships Gold Medallist, Portugal 2002; Bronze Medallist, Brazil 2006 World Cup: Gold Medallist, Vancouver 2007; Bronze Medallist, Belfast 2011 London Boccia Invitational (Test Event): Bronze Medallist, London 2012
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DAN BENTLEY Events: Individual World Ranking: BC1/BC2 Team World Ranking: Home Town: Date Of Birth: Previous Games Attended:
BC2 Individual, BC1/BC2 Team 15 3 Great Dunmow 15/08/84 Beijing 08
Dan is one of the more experienced members of the British team. Career highlights include being crowned British Champion in 2008 at the British Championships in Cardiff, Great Britain and winning the BC2 Individual gold medal at the 2011 Europa Cup, Hamar, Norway. His proudest moment in competition was winning the gold medal in Beijing in 2008. This year saw him reclaim the British Title in a thrilling final against Nigel Murray, which ended 3-2. Sporting Achievements Individual BC2
“It will be a great honour to play in front of a home crowd and hopefully that will give us a boost when we compete in London.� Dan Bentley
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Paralympics: 13th place, Beijing 2008 Europa Cup: Gold Medallist, Norway 2011 British Champion: 2008, 2012 BC1/BC2 Team Paralympics: Gold Medallist, Beijing 2008 European Championships: Silver Medallist, Portugal 2005; Silver Medallist, Portugal 2009 World Cup: Bronze Medallist, Belfast 2011 London Boccia Invitational (Test Event): Bronze Medallist, London 2012
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DAVID SMITH Events: Individual World Ranking: BC1/BC2 Team World Ranking: Home Town: Date Of Birth: Previous Games Attended:
BC1 Individual, BC1/BC2 Team 2 3 Eastleigh 02/03/89 Beijing 08
David is currently ranked as the world no. 2 and was part of the gold medal winning BC1/BC2 Team at his first Paralympic Games in Beijing 2008. Aged 14, he became the youngest ever player to secure the title of British Champion and he was crowned World Champion at the age of 18. He describes his proudest moment as winning the gold medal in the Team event in Beijing and being surrounded by his teammates on the podium. Sporting Achievements Individual BC1 European Championships Gold Medallist, Portugal 2009 World Cup: Gold Medallist, Vancouver 2007; 4th, Belfast 2011 Europa Cup: Gold Medallist, Norway 2011 London Boccia Invitational (Test Event): Gold Medallist, London 2012 Unbeaten in eight years at English Nationals and GB Champs BC1/BC2 Team Paralympics: Gold Medallist, Beijing 2008 European Championships: Silver Medallist, Portugal 2005; Silver Medallist, Portugal 2009 World Championships Bronze Medallist, Brazil 2006 World Cup: Gold Medallist, Vancouver 2007; Bronze Medallist, Belfast 2011 London Boccia Invitational (Test Event): Bronze Medallist, London 2012
“I have evolved as a player and changed everything to a varying degree. I’m really excited to see whether these changes work and I can complete my unfinished business from Beijing.” David Smith
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ZOE ROBINSON Events: Individual World Ranking: BC1/BC2 Team World Ranking: Home Town: Date Of Birth: Previous Games Attended:
BC2 Individual, BC1/BC2 Team 49 3 Bury 30/11/89 Beijing 08
Selection to ParalympicsGB to compete at the London 2012 Games fulfils Zoe’s greatest sporting ambition. It will be her second Paralympic Games, after she competed as part of the team that won the gold medal in Beijing. In Individual competition, Zoe won the BC2 silver medal at the 2009 British Championships, Nottingham, Great Britain and the BC2 silver medal at the 2008 English Nationals, Sheffield, Great Britain. Sporting Achievements Individual BC2
“I have trained long and hard for this and I will continue to do so to give my best performance in London.” Zoe Robinson
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English Nationals Silver Medallist, 2008 British Championships: Silver Medalist, 2009 BC1/BC2 Team Paralympics: Gold Medallist, Beijing 2008 European Championships: Silver Medallist, Portugal 2009 World Cup: Gold Medallist, Vancouver 2007; Bronze Medallist, Belfast 2011 London Boccia Invitational (Test Event): Bronze Medallist, London 2012
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JACOB THOMAS Events: BC3 Individual World Ranking: BC3 Pair World Ranking: Home Town: Date Of Birth: Previous Games Attended:
BC3 Individual, BC3 Pair 17 9 Narberth 17/10/94 None
Jacob started playing Boccia aged nine whilst still at primary school. After becoming Welsh and British Champion in 2010 he is set to become part of the first British team to compete in the BC3 event since 1996. Jacob finished 5th in the world in his first Individual competition at a major event, the 2011 World Cup in Belfast, Northern Ireland. In this competition, he also finished 6th in the BC3 Pair competition with Scott McCowan and Jess Hunter and is now ranked 9th in the world. Sporting Achievements Individual BC3 London Boccia Invitational (Test Event): Bronze Medallist, London 2012 World Cup: 5th place, Belfast 2011 Europa Cup: 4th place, Norway 2011 Welsh Champion: 2010 British Champion: 2010, 2011, 2012
“I enjoy the competitiveness and tactics of Boccia and to be competing in a home Games, playing a sport that I love, is just amazing.� Jacob Thomas
BC3 Pair London Boccia Invitational (Test Event) Gold Medallist, London 2012 World Cup: 6th place, Belfast 2011
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SCOTT McCOWAN Events: Individual World Ranking: BC3 Pair World Ranking: Home Town: Date Of Birth: Previous Games Attended:
BC3 Individual, BC3 Pair 25 9 Dundonald 17/07/91 None
Scott made his international debut at the 2009 European Championships in Porto, Portugal, where he finished in 17th place. His proudest achievement to date was winning the Cheshire Open, beating three world top 10 sides in the process, including the world no. 2 BC3 team from Portugal and the World Cup silver medallists from Belgium. This was the first time that a British BC3 team had beaten Portugal, representing the progress of the British BC3 athletes during a tournament where GB Boccia won a trophy in every single category Sporting Achievements Individual BC3
“The Paralympic Games is the pinnacle of disability sport and to be honoured with the privilege and responsibility of representing ParalympicsGB and GB Boccia is an unbelievable feeling!� Scott McCowan
European Championships: 17th Place, Portugal 2009 on debut World Championships: 34th place, Portugal 2010 London Boccia Invitational (Test Event): Bronze Medallist, London 2012 Europa Cup: 6th Place, Norway 2011 Scottish National Champion: 2009, 2010, 2011 Scottish Open Champion: 2008, 2011 GB Boccia Championships: Silver Medallist, 2011; Silver Medallist, 2012 BC3 Pair World Cup: 6th Place, Belfast 2011 Cheshire International: Gold Medallist, Wigan 2011; Gold Medallist, Wigan 2012 World Championships: 22nd Place, Portugal 2010
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JESS HUNTER Events: BC3 Individual World Ranking: BC3 Pair World Ranking: Home Town: Date Of Birth: Previous Games Attended:
BC3 Individual, BC3 Pair 90 9 Ashford, Middlesex 17/12/91 None
Jessica studied at Treloar College in Hampshire, where she first started playing Boccia. She will be making her Paralympic debut in London. Jessica was awarded the title of National Champion in 2011 and achieved 6th place in Pair event at the 2011 World Cup, Belfast, Northern Ireland. Jessica achieved a bronze at this year’s British Championships. As well as winning gold at the recent London 2012 Test Event while paired with Jacob Thomas. Sporting Achievements Individual BC3 English National Champion: 2011 GB Championships: Bronze Medallist, Stirling 2012 BC3 Pair London Boccia Invitational (Test Event) Gold Medallist, London 2012 World Cup: 6th place, Belfast 2011
“I am very excited and very proud to be selected to represent my country... I can’t wait to compete against the best in the world.” Jess Hunter
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STEPHEN McGUIRE Events: Individual World Ranking: BC4 Pair World Ranking: Home Town: Date Of Birth: Previous Games Attended:
BC4 Individual, BC4 Pair 2 2 Hamilton 18/08/84 None
Stephen will be competing for ParalympicsGB for the first time in London, in both the Individual competition and alongside brother Peter in the Pairs event. Together, they have won the BC4 Pairs silver medal at the 2010 World Championships in Lisbon, Portugal and the BC4 Pairs gold medal at the 2009 European Championships in Porto, Portugal. In 2005 Stephen went to compete in the European Championships but could only compete in the Individual event as there were no other British athletes competing in the newly formed BC4 category. This encouraged his brother Peter to get involved. Sporting Achievements
“Being selected to represent ParalympicsGB at a home Games in London, alongside my brother Peter, is one of the proudest moments in my life.� Stephen McGuire
Individual BC4 Europa Cup: Silver Medallist, Norway 2011 World Championships: Silver Medallist, Portugal 2010 Czech Open: Gold Medallist, Prague 2009 Four time Scottish National Champion Three time Scottish Open Champion Six time British Champion BC4 Pair World Championships: 7th Place, Brazil 2006; Silver Medallist, Portugal 2010 European Championships: Gold Medallist, Portugal 2009 World Cup: 8th Place, Vancouver 2007
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PETER McGUIRE Events: Individual World Ranking: BC4 Pair Team World Ranking: Home Town: Date Of Birth: Previous Games Attended:
BC4 Individual, BC4 Pair 12 2 Hamilton 24/10/82 None
Peter was introduced to Boccia by his brother and enjoys the competitive element of the sport. He will be making his Paralympic debut in London. Peter cites his greatest achievement as winning the BC4 Pairs silver medal at the World Championships alongside his brother Stephen at the 2010 World Championships in Lisbon, Portugal. Sporting Achievements Individual BC4
“It’s been a seven year journey for myself and my brother after just missing out on Beijing... the Paralympic Games is the pinnacle event in an athlete’s career.” Peter McGuire
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Europa Cup: Bronze Medallist, Norway 2011 World Cup: 4th place, Vancouver 2007 World Championships: 9th Place, Brazil 2006 Scottish National Champion: 2008 British Champion: 2008 BC4 Pair World Championships: 7th Place, Brazil 2006; Silver Medallist, Portugal 2010 European Championships: Gold Medallist, Portugal 2009 World Cup: 8th Place, Vancouver 2007
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London 2012 Paralympics Boccia Schedule: Sunday 2nd - Saturday 8th September A week of Paralympic Boccia kicks off with the BC3 Pairs, BC4 Pairs and BC1-2 Team events on Sunday 2nd September at London Excel. The countries will be competing for twenty-one medals over seven days, with Team GB in contention for gold in all events. Hopefully coverage of this spectacle will be good on Channel 4. Here is the full seven-day schedule:
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Sunday 2nd
Monday 3rd
Tuesday 4th
Mixed Team: BC1-2 09:00 Qualification 17:10 Qualification Mixed Pairs: BC3 10:40 Qualification 15:30 Qualification
Mixed Team: BC1-2 10:40 Qualification 15:25 Quarter-finals Mixed Pairs: BC3 09:00 Qualification 15:25 Semi-finals
Mixed Team: BC1-2 10:35 Finals 17:50 Finals Mixed Pairs: BC3 10:35 Finals 15:45 Finals
Mixed Pairs: BC4 09:00 Qualification 15:30 Qualification
Mixed Pairs: BC4 09:00 Qualification 13:50 Semi-finals
Mixed Pairs: BC4 09:00 Finals 14:00 Finals
Wednesday 5th
Thursday 6th
Individual: BC1 09:00 Qualification 12:45 Round of 16 16:40 Round of 16
Individual: BC1 Individual: BC1 & 3 16:25 Quarter-finals 10:05 Semi-finals 12:10 Finals Individual: BC2 15:00 Finals 09:00 Round of 16 16:20 Semi-finals 15:20 Quarter-finals Individual: BC2 & 4 Individual: BC3 09:00 Semi-finals 10:05 Round of 16 12:10 Finals 17:30 Quarter-finals 15:00 Finals 17:55 Semi-finals Individual: BC4 09:00 Round of 16 15:20 Quarter-finals
Individual: BC2 10:20 Qualification 12:45 Round of 32 15:20 Round of 32 Individual: BC3 09:00 Qualification 11:25 Round of 32 15:20 Round of 32
Friday 7th
Saturday 8th Individual: BC1 09:00 Finals 13:25 Finals Individual: BC2 10:35 Finals 14:55 Finals Individual: BC3 09:00 Finals 16:25 Finals Individual: BC4 10:35 Finals 18:10 Finals
Individual: BC4 10:20 Qualification
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Final Words of the Issue It has been amazing working on this fist issue of Boccia Inclusive and reading through a lot of different perspectives of Boccia. My hope is to get as many readers as possible to appreciate the articles and features within this e-zine. This is by no means a one off edition; I hope to make it a quarterly event, with the next issue out later this year. Another big thank you to everyone who got involved; Boccia Inclusive would personally like to thank the following people for their mass contribution, without them Boccia Inclusive would not exist.: Evie Edwards Matt Kendrick Sandra King Liz Moulam Caroline Robinson Harry Thompson Duncan Tunbridge Hope you enjoyed reading this issue and the forthcoming Paralympic Games. We all wish the athletes every success. If you haven’t already please like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BocciaInclusive David Hill 48 Boccia Inclusive 1
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