Students with a disability from Armidale High School are embracing the game of Boccia, earning themselves 3rd place in the Boccia NSW Schools competition finals that were held in Sydney at the Olympic Park Sports Centre on October 26.
Going up against eight other schools that were more experienced in Boccia was a huge achievement for the students.
“They got the bronze medal and were the only regional team to get a place,” said Kathryn Powell, Armidale High School Special Education Teacher and Boccia coach.
“The Sydney teams were quite well versed in Boccia and we had only been playing for a few months, so the kids did really well.”
Boccia (pronounced bot-cha) is similar to Bocce, or lawn bowls, but is played indoors and sitting down. It is an international Paralympics sport designed for people with a disability. Male and female students are able to compete equally. Boccia is a game of skill and accuracy, with the emphasis being on accuracy, not on strength.
“We were introduced to Boccia by Peter King from Boccia NSW who organised a regional school tournament, which we won against Duval here in Armidale and then we went on to play Wellington in Gunnedah, which we also won,” said Kathryn Powell.
“This is how we came to be in the finals in Sydney.”
Armidale High School Boccia team member Zac Ahoy caught the eye of Peter King from Boccia NSW and was invited to compete in the annual State Boccia Championships.
Kathryn Powell and the Boccia team would like to thank their sponsors who helped make the trip down to Sydney a reality.
“We would like to thank New England Travel who organised for one of our students to fly down on a reduced ticket with Qantas, Struddies for providing us with team uniforms, The Hideaway Motel in Armidale that supported us, Trax at the Railway Hotel and Sport and Rec who applied for funding for our accommodation in Sydney,” said Kathryn Powell.
Story: Jo Harrison
