Amanda’s Tasmanian “Boccia Dare to Dream”
Donation protected
Can you help me ‘DARE TO DREAM’?
Hi,
My name is Amanda Langton, I have CP (Cerebral Palsy) and I am fundraising to achieve my dream of representing Australia in the sport of BOCCIA.
I started playing Boccia less than 2 years ago and at first struggled to throw a ball 1metre. I kept practising though, and in November 2019 was fortunate to be able to compete in the Boccia Australia Titles in Brisbane. This was my first competition as there are no suitable competitions for me in WA and my coach told me there were no expectations, just to enjoy myself and (if possible) score a point.
To my surprise not only did I score 2 points in the individual competition (even though I was competing against more ‘able’ and experienced athletes) my team also got the bronze medal and we only had met the day the competition started. I also won the ‘New and Emerging Player’ Award AND caught the eye of the High Performance Coaches (the people who select athletes for the Australia Boccia Team); I have been doing some online coaching with them.
This means I have the potential to represent Australia in a Paralympic sport, and my goal is compete internationally, and maybe – just maybe - be in the Australian Paralympic Team at the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games!
The first step in my ‘Dare to Dream’ plan is to compete in this year’s National Titles, to be held in Tasmania in November. This will cost about $5,000 for flights, accommodation, food and transport in Tasmania, for me, a Support Worker and a Sport Assistant.* (Even if the Nationals are cancelled because of the Corona virus I still need to compete in events in 2021).
Thank you for reading and for any contribution you make, it all adds up. If you would like more information contact me.
(*Based on costs of $4000 for competing in Brisbane with only 1 person supporting me. However, it is too tiring for 1 person to do both roles.)
Please note: Due to the Corona virus, this years’ National Titles have been cancelled and will be rescheduled for next year.
WHAT IS BOCCIA?
As not many people have heard of this sport, here is a brief introduction:
To start – It is not Bocce!
Boccia (pronounced bot’cha) was developed for people who, because of
disability / impairment, were unable to participate in mainstream sports It is a target game which is played indoors and sitting down. Players throw, bowl, kick, or roll a ball down a ramp, towards a target ball (known as the Jack)
It is best described as a cross between lawn bowls and chess, as strategy
and tactics are just as important as accuracy
It can be played as an individual sport (one against one) or as a team
sport (two or three on a side). It inclusive as almost anyone can play
recreationally.
Not many people know it is a Paralympic sport (first played at the 1984
games) and is one of the few Paralympic sports which does not have an Olympic equivalent. One of Australia’s players is currently ranked 2nd in the world in his classification.
As with all sports, there is a recognised pathway from playing at club competitions to State, National and International Tournaments. However, at International and Paralympic events only ‘severely disabled’ athletes (such as myself) can play.
(Want to know more? Visit: boccia.com.au or paralympic.org.au (then select ‘Boccia’ from the Paralympic Sports list) or BISFed.com Or just Google ‘Boccia’)
Hi,
My name is Amanda Langton, I have CP (Cerebral Palsy) and I am fundraising to achieve my dream of representing Australia in the sport of BOCCIA.
I started playing Boccia less than 2 years ago and at first struggled to throw a ball 1metre. I kept practising though, and in November 2019 was fortunate to be able to compete in the Boccia Australia Titles in Brisbane. This was my first competition as there are no suitable competitions for me in WA and my coach told me there were no expectations, just to enjoy myself and (if possible) score a point.
To my surprise not only did I score 2 points in the individual competition (even though I was competing against more ‘able’ and experienced athletes) my team also got the bronze medal and we only had met the day the competition started. I also won the ‘New and Emerging Player’ Award AND caught the eye of the High Performance Coaches (the people who select athletes for the Australia Boccia Team); I have been doing some online coaching with them.
This means I have the potential to represent Australia in a Paralympic sport, and my goal is compete internationally, and maybe – just maybe - be in the Australian Paralympic Team at the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games!
The first step in my ‘Dare to Dream’ plan is to compete in this year’s National Titles, to be held in Tasmania in November. This will cost about $5,000 for flights, accommodation, food and transport in Tasmania, for me, a Support Worker and a Sport Assistant.* (Even if the Nationals are cancelled because of the Corona virus I still need to compete in events in 2021).
Thank you for reading and for any contribution you make, it all adds up. If you would like more information contact me.
(*Based on costs of $4000 for competing in Brisbane with only 1 person supporting me. However, it is too tiring for 1 person to do both roles.)
Please note: Due to the Corona virus, this years’ National Titles have been cancelled and will be rescheduled for next year.
WHAT IS BOCCIA?
As not many people have heard of this sport, here is a brief introduction:
To start – It is not Bocce!
Boccia (pronounced bot’cha) was developed for people who, because of
disability / impairment, were unable to participate in mainstream sports It is a target game which is played indoors and sitting down. Players throw, bowl, kick, or roll a ball down a ramp, towards a target ball (known as the Jack)
It is best described as a cross between lawn bowls and chess, as strategy
and tactics are just as important as accuracy
It can be played as an individual sport (one against one) or as a team
sport (two or three on a side). It inclusive as almost anyone can play
recreationally.
Not many people know it is a Paralympic sport (first played at the 1984
games) and is one of the few Paralympic sports which does not have an Olympic equivalent. One of Australia’s players is currently ranked 2nd in the world in his classification.
As with all sports, there is a recognised pathway from playing at club competitions to State, National and International Tournaments. However, at International and Paralympic events only ‘severely disabled’ athletes (such as myself) can play.
(Want to know more? Visit: boccia.com.au or paralympic.org.au (then select ‘Boccia’ from the Paralympic Sports list) or BISFed.com Or just Google ‘Boccia’)
Organizer and beneficiary
Amanda Langton
Organizer
Maylands WA
Justin Walker
Beneficiary
