British Columbia Blind Sports and Recreation Association

News and Content

Insight - The Newsletter for the Membership of BC Blind Sports
Spring 2005 Issue Volume 10 Issue 12

Table of Contents

Volunteer Appreciation
Memberships
25th Annual Run for Light
Dragon Boating
Goalball
Golf
Lawn Bowls
Awards
2005 Calendar of Events
Cruising for Charity

The Spring 2005 issue is also available as an Adobe pdf. To download a pdf copy, click here.

VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION

The week of April 18-24, 2005 is Volunteer Appreciation week across Canada.
BC Blind Sports is pleased to acknowledge the numerous contributions volunteers make to our organization. Whether as sport guides, referees, coaches, drivers, office assistants or in other roles. WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR DEDICATION TO OUR PROGRAMS!

MEMBERSHIPS

Renew your membership and join BC Blind Sports for another healthy and active year. Membership fees for April 1, 2005 to March 31, 2006 are as follows:

Athletes: $15.00
Supporting Members: $5.00

Please make cheques payable to BC Blind Sports and Recreation Association. Membership forms are enclosed with the newsletter. Please remember to update your address, phone number and e-mail if they have changed. If you need additional forms or if you need help filling out the forms, please contact us at 604-325-8638.

25th ANNUAL RUN FOR LIGHT

Preparations are in full swing for the 25th Annual Run for Light on May 27, 2005. We encourage members to invite their families and friends to participate either in the run or as volunteers. Please contact BC Blind Sports for more information or visit our website.

DRAGON BOATING

Imagine if you will...up to nine 45 foot canoes, flying down a 500 meter race course, each with twenty paddlers stroking in unison to the beat of a drum, hearts pounding, muscles straining, adrenalin pumping...this is dragon boat racing at its best!

And, the great thing about dragon boating is that it does not require sight, or any special adaptation, making it a natural sport for people who are blind or visually impaired. It is one of a very few sports in which people who are blind can participate and compete successfully on an equal basis with their sighted peers.

Eye of the Dragon, the Vancouver-based team, is gearing up for its 11th season of racing. The Kelowna Sonar Dragons are also getting excited for the new season. It is a fulfilling and physically demanding sport and getting "race ready" requires hard work, endurance and dedication -- resulting in a feeling of accomplishment and a great deal of fun!

GOALBALL

At the end of February, our men's and women's teams, including two youth teams from the Okanagan and the Lower Mainland areas, participated in the Western Goalball Tournament in Calgary, Alberta. Our teams competed against teams from Alberta and Saskatchewan. The team also received valuable coaching advice from Danny Snow, National Men's Team, Head Coach for CBSA goalball. BC Blind Sports was pleased to send a men's and a women's team to Dartmouth, Nova Scotia to represent BC at CBSA Goalball Nationals.
Thanks to Monty Lilburn, a longtime BCBSRA member who flew in from Scotland to join the team.

Congratulations to all team members for their excellent performance, particularly Doug Ripley, Ken Spencer, Karen Liu and Shawn Marsolais who were selected to the CBSA National Goalball Team Pool.

GOLF

If you've ever thought of trying golf or are looking for ways to improve your technique, here is your chance. The BC Blind Sports Golf Commission will be hosting a clinic at the Tsawassen Golf Club in early May and we invite everyone to participate. Come out and enjoy a fun introduction with Blind Sports athletes who have competed nationally and internationally.
Contact BC Blind Sports for more details.

LAWN BOWLS

We are pleased to have four bowlers (athletes) and their directors who are among the fifteen members of the Canadian Team including Team Manager Barb Canning from Alberta and three bowlers and their directors from Ontario that will represent Canada at the 2005 International Blind Bowls Championships in Johannesburg, South Africa. Visit http://www.ibba2005.com/ for more details. These bowlers all qualified for Team Canada at the Canadian Blind Sports Association's National Lawn Bowls Championships held in September 2004 in Vancouver, BC. BC Blind Sports wishes good bowling, bon voyage and best of luck to all members of the Canadian team. Regional tournaments are being scheduled throughout BC with details to follow. The provincial Lawn Bowls tournament will take place in Nanaimo from July 13-27, 2005 at the BC Disability Games. Please contact BC Blind Sports for tournament and qualification information.

AWARDS

Sport BC's 39th Annual Athlete of the Year Awards
President's Award

BC Blind Sports selected Don Steen for the 2004 Sport BC President's Award. Don has been associated with BC Blind Sports for more than 15 years. He served as President to the organization from 1998-2000 and continues to be involved as a coach and an administrator.

Athlete With a Disability

BC Blind Sports nominated Donnovan Tildesley for the Athlete of the Year Award in the category Athlete with a Disability. Donovan earned 2 silver medals and one bronze medal in swimming at the 2004 Paralympics in Athens, Greece.

Harry Jerome Comeback Award

BC Blind Sports has also nominated Walter Wu for the Harry Jerome Comeback Award. After suffering two concussions in early 2003, Walter managed to resume training in 2004 and competed at the Paralympics in Athens. There, he won three medals including the 6th gold medal of his career.

PREMIER'S ATHLETIC AWARDS

BC Blind Sports nominated Courtney Knight as the Female Athlete with a Disability and Dustin Walsh as Male Athlete with Disability for their performance in athletics.

SPRING AND SUMMER CALENDAR OF EVENTS

April 3-15
World Blind Bowls Championships
International Blind Bowls Association
South Africa

April 6-10
Canadian Blind Power Lifting Nationals
Calgary, Alberta

April 29-May 1
Defi Sportif: Goalball and Cycling
Montreal, Quebec

May 18
Lawn Bowls Regional Tournament
Nanaimo, BC
Other dates and locations TBA

MAY 27, BC Blind Sports 25TH ANNUAL RUN FOR LIGHT - Lumberman's Arch, Stanley Park, Vancouver

June 29- July 3
Cycling Track Nationals (Events for athletes who are blind ) Cycling Canada
Calgary, Alberta

July 7-9
Cycling Road Nationals (Events for athletes who are blind ) Cycling Canada
Kamloops, BC

July 13-17
BC Disability Games, (Various events)
Nanaimo, BC

July 22-24
Athletics Nationals, (Events for athletes who are blind ) Athletics Canada
Regina, Saskatchewan

July 25-27
Western Canadian Blind Golf Championships
Port Alberni, BC

August 4-11
International Blind Sports Association World Youth Games (various events)
Colorado Springs, USA

August 14-24
European Championships in Athletics
International Paralympic Committee
Helsinki, Finland

September 3-11, 2005
International Blind Sports Association Pan American Games (various events)
Sao Paulo, Brazil

"CRUISING FOR CHARITY"
a unique fund-raising event for non-profit
organizations only.

For every cabin sold, based on double occupancy and
minimum 8 cabins in each group, Avion Travel will donate $80.00 to BC Blind Sports, matching Carnival Cruise lines who will contribute $80.00.

7 DAY ALASKA CRUISES

CARIBBEAN CRUISE

Prices are CAD. per person based on double occupancy inside cabins including port charges, (outside cabins & balcony are also available). Government fees ($30.00- $70.00) are additional. A deposit of 100.00 per person is payable at time of booking: final payment is due 90 days prior to departure. Rates are capacity controlled and subject to availability. Ship's Registry:Panama.
Low airfares from Vancouver available on request. For more info or reservation call 604-2782511 or e-
mail:avioncruise@yahoo.com.

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