|
|
Good luck Victorian para-athletes!
Best of luck to all the Victorian para-athletes competing in the 2018 Special Olympics National Games, 16-20 April and the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, running now until 15 April.
The Special Olympics National Games will feature 1,000 athletes with intellectual disability across 11 sports.
This year the Commonwealth Games is proud to host the largest integrated para-sport program in Commonwealth Games history. There will be up to 300 para-athletes and 38 medal events across seven sports - that's 45% more athletes than the last Commonwealth Games.
|
Premier's Active April
This month is Premier's Active April.
The campaign encourages Victorians of all abilities to get out and get active for 30 minutes each day. Last year more than 112,000 Victorians took part and enjoyed the benefits that come from increased physical activity.
We're very proud that our Wheelchair Rugby Coordinator and Australian Steelers player, Jason Lees, is an ambassador for this great campaign.
Last week he visited Ballarat High School and spoke to students about the importance of physical activity, especially in recovery.
You can read an article and watch a video on Jason's visit, on The Courier website.
Hannah Macdougall, finalist for Deakin University Female Sportsperson of the Year at our 2017 Victorian Disability Sport and Recreation Awards; Jason Sleep, one of our WheelTalk presenters and keynote speaker at the 2017 awards and member, Matt Haanappel, are also ambassadors.
You can find more informaiton about how to get active on the Premier's Active April website.
|
Robert Rose Foundation Victorian Wheelchair Football League
Last month saw an historic and very special event, as we launched the inaugural Robert Rose Foundation Victorian Wheelchair Football League (VWFL), in partnership with AFL Victoria.
The VWFL will focus on promoting social inclusion and allow more Victorians to enjoy the benefits of getting active.
Five AFL clubs have come on board for the 2018 VWFL season – Collingwood, Essendon, Hawthorn, Richmond and St Kilda. These clubs will align with the five teams in the competition.
The launch was supported by each of these clubs with many past greats attending, such as Essendon's Dustin Fletcher who joined in to try this exciting new sport. The launch was even featured on the Channel 7 news.
We will work directly with each of the clubs as we recruit players and prepare teams for the season, which starts on Sunday 6 May, 2018.
A team captain has been appointed for each team. These captains recently chose their top three 'priority' draft picks for their teams. Final team recruitment will take place later this month.
We’re encouraging people with physical disability or mobility issues, of all genders, to get involved. The VWFL is also inclusive of people without disability who want to give it a try.
Would you like to give it a try? Registrations are always open and it's not too late to join the open skills sessions being held next Sunday 15 April and Sunday 22 April. Don't worry if you don't have your own sports wheelchair, as we can help you out.
You can find more information about how to get involved and register your interest for the VWFL on our website.
See more photos from the launch day on our Facebook page.
|
Winter camp for young people with disability
This July, we're heading to Falls Creek for a snow adventure of a lifetime.
Our winter camp is open to young people aged 7-17 with a physical disability. The camp runs from 6-8 July, 2018.
Come and be part of the fun and excitement of learning snow sports with experienced instructors (from Disabled Wintersport Australia), trying out adaptive ski equipment, developing independence and making new friends.
You can find more information on our website or contact Ayden on (03) 9473 0133 or ayden.shaw@dsr.org.au
Expressions of interest are now open to our members - register online now.
|
Melbourne Wheelchair Rugby Invitational
Join emerging and leading wheelchair athletes from across Australia, including most members of the Rio 2016 Paralympic gold medal team, as they go head to head for the inaugural Melbourne Wheelchair Rugby Invitational.
Friday will consist of developmental games, with Saturday kicking off the formal competition.
Where: Caroline Springs Leisure Centre, 9-19 The Parade, Caroline Springs 3023
When:
Friday 13 April, 10am – 5:30pm
Saturday 14 April, 10am – 5pm
Sunday 15 April, 9:30am – 1:30pm
Can’t make it? We’ve got you covered. Catch all the action through our live broadcast from 9:45am on Saturday and 9:30am on Sunday via:
For more information, contact:
Jason Lees, 0408 574 622 | jason@dsr.org.au
This event is supported by Protect, ETU, Victoria Government and Quest Caroline Springs.
|
Barbie celebrates 25 years with us!
This month, Barbie celebrates her 25 year work anniversary with Disability Sport & Recreation.
Barbie has seen a lot of change over those 25 years, from name changes to location changes to staff changes!
But what has remained the same is her dedication to fundraising for our organisation so we can provide positive outcomes for Victorians with disability through sport and recreation.
From all of us – thank you Barbie!
|
This Girl Can
We were delighted to attend the launch of VicHealth's This Girl Can campaign late last month.
This Girl Can celebrates women who are all kinds of active. Women who are giving their all, or giving it a go, but not giving a damn!
It's all about empowering women to enjoy being active without worrying about judgement, gender stereotypes, skill level or ability.
The campaign features a range of different women, including Janelle, who has a prosthetic leg and Neslihan, who has a visual impairment.
You can read all of the stories on the This Girl Can website. Or watch the campaign video.
We know that having a disability is an extra barrier for women when thinking about ways to get active.
To help you get started, head to Access All Abilities Play. Operated by Reclink Australia, AAA Play provides Australia’s only first-point-of call service connecting people with disability to sports and recreational opportunities in Victoria.
If you have trouble finding something that suits you, our members can access a one-on-one consultation by contacting us through our website.
|
Explore the Dandenongs in a TrailRider
Parks Victoria has started a new Sherpa Volunteer Program in the Dandenongs to help people with disability explore the natural beauty of the area.
The volunteer Sherpas will guide you in an all-terrain wheelchair (called a TrailRider), to places you usually can't reach with a normal wheelchair.
The TrailRider can be hired at Grants Picnic Ground, near Kallista. The Sherpa program is also available in the Grampians National Parks.
As part of Premier's Active April, Parks Victoria are running a come and try day.
Where: Grants Picnic Ground, 70 Monbulk Road Kallista
When: Thursday 19 April
Morning session, 10am-12pm
Afternoon session, 1.30-3.30pm
For more information and Sherpa volunteer bookings contact Ashlee Hope, Volunteer Officer at Parks Victoria.
Phone: (03) 8427 3541
Email: volunteersherpa@parks.vic.gov.au
|
Pride Cup 2018
The annual 'Pride Cup' will bring an end to the powerchair 2017/18 Summer Season.
The Dragons and Scorpions will clash in a best of three series, involving one game of each sport:
-
Balloon soccer
-
Powerchair hockey
-
Rugby league.
This is the best time to check out powerchair sports and see the best players in Victoria!
Help cheer on your friend or family member. The players love a big crowd so come on over and help cheer them on!
If you know someone that may be interested, feel free to invite them along – these sports are open to anyone that uses a powerchair for everyday mobility.
When: Sunday 15 April, 2018
Time: 12:30 - 4pm
Where: Aquahub, 11 Civic Square, Croydon
|
2018 All Abilities League
Football Federation Victoria is now taking expressions of interest for the 2018 All Abilites League that starts in May.
When: the league run from May - September
Time: every Saturday morning around 10:30am - 1pm
How: 5-a-side or 7-a-side
If you are interested, fill out this online form and someone from FFV will get in touch with you.
Or contact Sharon Wong, Project Development Coordinator - Diversity & Inclusion on (03) 9474 1805 or swong@ffv.org.au
|
Roller Devils
Do you live in the Werribee area and want to start playing wheelchair basketball?
Now is the perfect time to join the Werribee Basketball Roller Devils Wheelchair Basketball Program!
The program includes:
-
40 min intense skills and training sessions every week
-
coaching from a qualified WBA basketball coach
-
full length games every week with referees and coaches
-
a players singlet
-
use of a basketball wheelchair.
Who can play?
The program is for people who:
-
use a wheelchair all of the time
-
use a wheelchair some of the time
-
don't use a wheelchair at all!
You can find more information online or call (03) 9742 5440.
|
Wheelchair Aussie Rules National Championships
The Victoria team took out a bronze medal in the recent Wheelchair Aussie Rules National Championships.
This was an improvement on last year’s fourth place, in a very tight three-day competition at Casey Stadium. The Victorian team only lost one of their matches, narrowly missing out on the gold medal on percentage.
Despite not winning, the team was very proud of its efforts and the professionalism and dedication around all aspects of the state team program lead by AFL Victoria through coach Tim Nield / Brendan Stroud and Manager Scott Nicholas.
Congratulations to SA, TAS (and all of the teams) who played with intensity but great sportsmanship throughout.
Thanks to Disability Sports Australia for their hosting of the event and all officials who made it possible.
You can see more photos from the event on our Facebook page.
|
Synergen Leadership Podcast
Our CEO, Richard Amon, recently had the opportunity to sit down for a chat with Julian of the Synergen Leadership Podcast.
Richard has dedicated much of his professional career to helping others achieve their potential through sport, recreation and training and has held several senior roles within the sporting and recreation arena.
In this podcast, Richard shares some of the learnings he has gained from these experiences as well as his thoughts and ideas on leadership.
If you've ever wanted to understand more about the leadership behind our organisation, now is your chance!
You can listen to the podcast online.
|
Arnie gets wheely active
We had a nice surprise at The Arnold Sports Festival last month when Arnold Schwarzenegger himself hopped into one of our sports chairs to play tennis with Dylan Alcott.
Not only was it great to see inclusive sport showcased throughout the festival, but to see Arnie throwing his support behind it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
