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Insight - The Newsletter for the Membership of
BC Blind Sports Fall
2006 Issue
Table of Contents
26th Annual Run for Light
28th Annual General Meeting
Summer Students
Mike Edgson Inducted into Terry Fox Hall of Fame
Athletics
Dragon Boating
Goalball
Golf
Hockey
Lawn Bowls
Swimming
Tandem Cycling
Canadian High School Goalball Tournament
ASRAB Junior Goalball Camp
Vancouver Island Activity Day
2006 Active Living Alliance Youth Exchange
IBSA World Goalball Championships
Website updates
Calendar of Events
Board of Directors
In true Vancouver spirit, hundreds of runners and walkers participated in BC Blind Sports and Recreation Association’s 26th Annual “Run for Light”, despite the rain. This 4.3 km family-oriented fun run began at dusk at Lumberman’s Arch in Stanley Park.
All registered participants were eligible for the post-run prize draw. There was also a prize draw for those who volunteered at the event.
BC Blind Sports greatly appreciates the support of all participants as well as the invaluable contributions of community businesses and the many volunteers. Thank you once again!
BC Blind Sports held its 28th Annual General Meeting on June 25 2006 in the CNIB Auditorium.
Please see the Board of Directors list in this newsletter to note changes made due to elections held at this meeting.
Please contact BC Blind Sports if you would like more information.
BC Blind Sports thanks our summer students, Laura Clark and Megan Vicente,
for their hard work in assisting with programs as well as in the office.
We wish them all the best as they return to school.
MIKE EDGSON INDUCTED INTO TERRY
FOX HALL OF FAME
In May, BC Blind Sports nominated Mike Edgson for induction into the
Terry Fox Hall of Fame, in the athlete category. We are pleased to announce
that this nomination has been accepted.
Mike Edgson is one of our most highly profiled and extremely successful
high performance athletes in the B3 sight class category in swimming.
Two of his World and Paralympic records still stand to this day.
Congratulations, Mike!
At the 2006 National Paralympic Track and Field Championships, BC Blind Sports athlete Dustin Walsh (B1) and his sport guide, Steve Walters, earned gold in the 200m and 400m events. Courtney Knight (B3), another BC Blind Sports athlete, earned gold in the 100m event.
Dustin and Steve, as well as Courtney, competed at the International Paralympic Committee’s World Athletics Championships in Aasen, Netherlands.
Dustin and Steve placed 4th overall in the 400m event (B1). Courtney placed 7th in the Long Jump event, in the B3 category.
DRAGON BOATING - by Liz Charyna, Sport Guide
We are lined up in the marshalling area; rows of paddlers on both sides
wearing their team uniforms, holding paddles and tightening
their PFD’s (personal flotation devices). Excitement and anticipation
is in the air. The Marshal starts calling the team names, and cheers and
hollers rise up from each line of competitors. Our coach yells “Who
Are You?” We reply “Eye of the Dragon” as loud as we
can. “What do you say?” he presses us on… We yell in
unison, “We
can’t see you beating us!” Our competitors laugh; we smile
and pat our partners on the back. We are energized and ready to race!
Eye of the Dragon is in its 12th year of dragon boat racing and can be seen on False Creek twice a week February through to the end of September. Comprising blind, visually impaired and sighted team members, Eye of the Dragon is a strong competitor in the Recreation division. The year had a good start with Dan Hebert back as coach, Jody Phillips coming on board as assistant coach and the ongoing dedicated management of Dianna Johnston.
Visit the BC Blind Sports website for our race results and an article about Eye of the Dragon that appeared in the newspaper!
The team will continue to paddle through the summer and will wind-up the season with races in Kelowna on September 16th and 17th, The Sonar Dragons, another team of BC Blind Sports athletes and sport guides will also compete.
This is my 6th year paddling with Eye of the Dragon and it is a privilege for me to be part of a team that has such a great reputation in the paddling community for being competitive and inspirational. I applaud my teammates for their dedication to the sport and to each other! Go! Eye of the Dragon! Go!
Weekly practices have resumed for anyone interested in playing goalball. For location and times, please contact BC Blind Sports.
Several youth players have enhanced their skills at goalball camps in Ontario and Alberta as described later on in this newsletter.
At the Western Canadian Blind Golf Championships, held in Saskatoon,
SK from July 31-August 2, Doug Stoutley and his sport guide Bill Stebbings
placed 2nd in the gross standings and 1st in the net standings in B3 competition.
Bill Hamilton and his sport guide, Sandra Anderson, placed 5th in both
the gross and net standings, also in B3 competition.
At the Canadian Open Championships, in Ste-Marguerite – Estérel,
QC, which included participants from other countries, Doug, with sport
guide Jim Petersen, and Bill and his sport guide, Sandra Anderson, placed
5th and 6th respectively in the B3 category.
Bill also travelled to Scotland, accompanied by his brother and sport guide Lloyd Hamilton, to compete at the World Invitational Blind Golf Tournament and the British Open. They placed 27th in the World Invitational net standings and 22nd in the British Open net standings.
Good work to all!
Have you ever found yourself listening, or watching, your favourite hockey team on TV and thought "I wish I could play hockey'? Well, of course you can. BC Blind Sports offers an Ice Hockey program for those who are blind or visually impaired. Come check it out!
Hockey players who are blind or visually-impaired generally use the same rules as in sighted hockey. One of the key differences is the use of an adaptive puck. It is about 1.5 inches high and 4.5 inches across. The larger size enables those with partial sight to see the puck. The puck also produces sound so those with little to no sight will be able to identify where the puck is.
Men or women of all ages are welcome. Your skill level isn’t important. Everyone in the program is very supportive and helpful. Most of us have increased our skill levels simply by coming out consistently over the years and having fun.
We also need sighted volunteers to assist with the delivery of the program.
If you'd like to play, or want some more information please feel free to contact BC Blind Sports. We play every Friday from noon-1:00pm at Riley Park Arena in Vancouver. I'm excited about the upcoming hockey season and hope to see some old friends and some new faces out there on the ice.
Lawn bowlers in the lower mainland and on Vancouver Island kicked off the 2006 season with regional events in Nanaimo and Richmond. Provincials took place in Nanaimo from July 10-14.
Congratulations to Shirley Cole, Iris Ferguson, Randy Fred, Mike Judd, Al Hanet and Ed McMillan who earned medals at the Canadian Blind Sports Association National Lawn Bowls Championships in Montreal.
Visit the BC Blind Sports website for complete results as well as the South Delta Leader article featuring one of our lawn bowlers and his director.
BC Blind Sports and Recreation Association extends condolences to the family of Barbara Perroni. Barbara passed away on September 5, 2006. She was an active member of the BC Blind Sports Lawn Bowls program, competing nationally and internationally.
Congratulations to BC Blind Sports athlete and Paralympian, Donovan
Tildesley (B1) who continues to be one of the top swimmers in the world.
Donovan won gold with wins in the 200m and 100m free against a strong
competitor from Poland at the 2006 International German Open in Berlin.
At the 2006 Canadian Swimmers with a Disability (SWAD) Can-Am Open Championships
in Texas, Donovan broke his 3-year record in the men’s 200-meter
individual medley for the visually-impaired.
BC Blind Sports tandem cyclists Gene Della Siega and Brian Cowie with their pilots Craig DeVeer and Murray Solem, did extremely well at the 2006 Cycling Road Nationals in Quebec City. Gene and Craig earned gold in the time trial and Brian and Murray claimed silver. Brian and Murray also earned a silver medal in the road race.
Brian, with his pilot Devon Smibert, as well as Gene Della Siega and his pilot Craig DeVeer competed at the 2006 International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Cycling World Championships in Aigle, Switzerland. Joining them is BC Blind Sports female cycling athlete, Shawn Marsolais and her pilot, Claire Cameron. The competition ran from September 8-18.
In the 1 Kilo Time Trial Final for the blind and visually-impaired, Brian and Devon placed seventh and Gene and Craig placed twelfth in the men’s competition. Shawn and Claire placed eighth in the women’s competition. In the Individual Pursuit, Brian and Devon placed fourth in the men’s competition and Shawn and Claire placed twelfth in women’s competition. Visit the BC Blind Sports website for complete results.
Congratulations everyone!
CANADIAN HIGH SCHOOL GOALBALL TOURNAMENT – by Mohammed Sharokni, Athlete
I, (Mohammed Sharokni) along with three team mates, Clement Chou from
Vancouver, and Jarvis Niedersteiner and Quinn Bonnett from Kelowna, were
extremely excited to represent BC at the Canadian High School Tournament
in Brantford, Ontario. Susan Flanagan accompanied us as Team Manager,
as well as two coaches from Kelowna, Tom Cowper and Peter Mitdal.
The tournament took place at the W. Ross McDonald School for the Blind
in Brantford. We were put to the test right away with four games on the
day after we arrived. Our first and second games were against South Carolina
and Quebec respectively, who proved to be two of the best teams in the
tournament. This was our first taste of real competition. Our third and
fourth games were not very difficult but we were a bit discouraged after
losing our first two games. In the game against Ontario2, we let in many
goals but won the game. I played in the centre position for the first
time and was proud when our team was victorious in the match with the
Alberta girls.
We were all exhausted after these four games. Our schedule for Saturday was much better. In our first game we had to play against Alberta. We started off really well and ended the game with a great victory. Now, no matter how we would do in our next game against Ontario1, we would make it to playoffs.
The first four shots we made scored goals. After the game ended, we won against Ontario 7 to 2; I scored 4 goals for BC. I was really proud of myself and my teammates at that moment.
On Sunday, we lost the game against powerful Quebec and Ontario1 lost a tough game against South Carolina. We had to face Ontario1 again for the Bronze game. It was our goal and dream to win this game. We got the first goal in the beginning of the first half, but we lost the game.
We played hard and were respected as a strong team by other teams; a team that can return next year with more experience and stronger to challenge other teams for the Gold Medal. Our coaches during the tournament and back in BC worked hard and this showed in our strong performance. With the experience we have now, we are looking forward to competing in next year's tournament.
ALBERTA SPORTS AND RECREATION FOR THE BLIND (ASRAB) JUNIOR GOALBALL CAMP
We were pleased to have ASRAB host the Youth Goalball Camp from August
11-13, 2006. Seventeen players attended, ranging from ages12 to 18. In
addition to participants from Alberta and Saskatchewan, there were five
players from BC: Clement Chou, John Tee, Angell Lu-Lebel, Mohammed Sharokni
and Deacon Jones. We would also like to thank Randy Longman from Saskatchewan
for volunteering and Susan Flanagan who attended as Team Manager.
Participants improved their skills and knowledge in goalball with coaching
from Danny Snow, Head Coach of the Canadian Men’s goalball team,
Launel Scott, former Assistant Coach to the Canadian Men’s goalball
team who currently coaches the Saskatchewan women’s team, and Lorna
Snow who worked with the players who were new to the sport.
Thanks to Marilyn McIntosh, Executive Director, and her staff at ASRAB for all their hard work to make this camp successful. The BC participants are extremely eager to demonstrate their enhanced talents as a new goalball season begins in September.
VANCOUVER ISLAND ACTIVITY DAY – by Elaine Todd, Board of Directors
On Friday, June 2 the Vancouver Island Activity Day for Youth with a Visual Impairment took place at the Boys and Girls Club Adventure Camp in Methchosin. This was a big change in venues from previous years and everyone agreed that it was a great success with sunny weather prevailing after a lousy start.
Local Island School Districts, BC Blind Sports, Recreation Integration
Victoria, QA, University student volunteers and parents all joined forces
to put a great day together.
The day started with an aerobic warm-up, followed by several stations
including archery, forest challenge course, balls (show down, bocce, beach-ball
volleyball), cycling, canoeing in the pond, frisbee golf, and a sports
gear try-on.
Lunch time was a super BBQ with lots of socializing and a Jenga challenge. The afternoon offered up lots of cool activities including hoola, limbo, a sports quiz, relays of running, skipping, singing, crawls and throws. At the end of each year’s activities there is a massive tug of war.
For information on recreation days in other regions of BC please contact BC Blind Sports.
2006 ACTIVE LIVING ALLIANCE YOUTH EXCHANGE
The 2006 Active Living Alliance Youth Exchange brought together 50 youth, 10 team leaders and 23 chaperones from across Canada. Thirteen youth, six chaperones and one team leader from BC joined the fun in Ottawa, just in time to celebrate Canada Day in the nation’s capital.
There were seven visually-impaired youth from BC: Bowen Tang, John Tee,
Angell Lu-Lebel, Clement Chou, Simon Jaeger, Erin Insley and Stephan Rauch.
Ryan Ollis, an athlete who is deafblind acted as a chaperone during the
Exchange.
Bowen and John offered feedback on their experience for this article.
Among the physical activities enjoyed was rock climbing, sledge hockey,
kayaking, tubing, table tennis and yoga. “One thing I am very impressed
and pleased with is that all these sports are available for everyone to
participate in, and by everyone I mean people who are blind or that have
other disabilities. As long as these activities can be adapted or modified,
everybody is able to participate,” said Bowen Tang.
Participants were also involved in the Youth Ambassador Program, where they learned about active living and advocacy. John Tee commented that this was one of “the best things I liked because it was fun learning about everyone and trying to solve our problems together.”
Highlights of the Youth Exchange, according to Bowen and John, included the visit to Parliament Hill and a semi-formal banquet at the Westin on Canada Day, complete with a spectacular view of the fireworks from the hotel terrace. Terry Kelly, a performer who is blind, entertained everyone with music and vocals as they danced until midnight.
Bowen Tang plans to apply for a Team Leader position in next year’s Youth Exchange. John says that he will never forget the experiences and lessons he gathered in Ottawa and encourages other youth to participate in the Active Living Alliance Youth Exchange.
INTERNATIONAL BLIND SPORTS FEDERATION (IBSA) WORLD GOALBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Many Canadians logged on to the Audio Network to listen as Canada’s
men ‘s and women’s goalball teams competed in the finals at
the IBSA World Goalball Championships in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
The women’s team defeated China to claim the gold medal and a coveted
spot for the next world championships in Beijing, China. The men’s
team will also compete in China, although they lost
the bronze medal match.
Be sure to visit the BC Blind Sports website as we continue to post results, events and articles there. The address is www.bcblindsports.bc.ca.
If you have questions about the website, or BC Blind Sports, please contact
us.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
August 18-20
Victoria Dragon Boat Festival
Victoria, BC
August 21-27
Canadian Blind Sports Association National Lawn Bowls Championships
Montreal Quebec
September 2-10
World Athletics Championships
Aasen, Netherlands
September 8-18
International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Cycling Championships
Aigle, Switzerland
September 16-17
Kelowna Dragon Boat Festival
Kelowna, BC
September 17-21
2006 Canadian Open (Golf)
Ste-Marguerite – Estérel, QC
September 7-18
IPC World Championships (Cycling)
Switzerland
President Brian Cowie
Past President Doug Stoutley
Vice President Tami Grenon
Treasurer Tom Ollis
Athlete’s Representative Doug Ripley
Chair, Sport Commissioners Al Hanet
Director-at-Large Larry Walsh
Director-at-Large Bruce Gilmour
Director-at-Large Elaine Todd
British Columbia Blind Sports And Recreation Association
Membership Form - April 1, 2006 to March 31, 2007
To go to the membership form page, please click here.
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