…with the bag my competition vest and shorts, my vest is pinned up with my number, which at this competition is No 15 and my identity lanyard, ready to put on later. We are not going to the track until 16.30, so I take a walk from our hotel into Tampere, to see some of the city centre, I drink lots of water to keep hydrated as Finland is having a record breaking heatwave (36 degrees), the walk into town is about 20 mins away so I walk briskly so I…
…drome. The workshop is open to volunteers, parents and staff at the club as well as the qualified coaches. This gives the option for everyone to be involved from the start, forming a tight community foundation. These weekly sessions have allowed players to develop in a number of ways and have showcased many examples of the benefits of the DSActive programme. Along with the obvious improvements in coordination and cognition, players have seen great…
…me to be active, be healthy and play sport. Whether that is increasing the number of clubs who provide impairment specific sessions in sports we already work in, such as football, tennis, athletics and cricket, or whether this is through launching new sports, such as rugby union. London Irish are the first rugby union team to launch a DSActive sessions. The sessions are held at the London Irish training ground in Sunbury, South West London. The se…
…ted with a drinks reception where it was hard not to be star struck by the number of well-known athletes in the crowd. From the brilliant Paralympians Hannah Cockroft and Danny Crates to Ashia Hansen and Kelly Southerton, the best of English Athletics were there and ready to celebrate the achievements of others. The first awards of the night went to volunteers who give up countless evenings and weekends to ensure that their sport continues to grow…
…ort The last few years, the DSActive team have worked hard to increase the number of people with Down’s syndrome playing sport. Now we need to ensure that there are pathways in place for our athletes who want to compete nationally and even internationally. The DSActive team have been working with UK Sports Association for people with Learning Disabilities, Down syndrome Swimming GB, Team GB Down’s syndrome Athletics, Team GB Down’s syndrome Table…
…r the festival in March and maybe future competitions. We hope to grow the number of players and increase awareness of the session. Organising a little competition between local clubs and adding a Down’s syndrome tournament to our Club Championships is also something we hope to achieve this year.” What do you enjoy about the sessions? “Coaching this group is always a pleasure and so grounding. Nothing is impossible for them, they are always positi…
