Sport: Disability Games hailed a success

The 24th staging of the event included a variety of sports for the JSAD members and it was another joyous occasion for everyone involved.

And JSAD chairman Paul Patterson is already looking ahead to next year when visiting clubs will return together, and with the possible additions of Sheffield Steelers wheelchair basketball team making an appearance and a first staging of ‘Synchronicity 2016 – Aikido for All’ – that would bring able bodied and disabled Aikido students and instructors from around the world.

Les Quennevais students Jasmyn Botterill, Avena Bouteloup and Tom Webster enjoying wheelchair basketball as part of the Schools' Outreach Programme

Patterson said: ‘It was a successful weekend and I was surprised because we knew that there were no visiting teams coming this time because several of their athletes took part in the World Games Special Olympics in Los Angeles in July, and that is very costly for them because people are away for between two and three weeks.

‘It was a case of going back to where we started with a Games just for ourselves at the weekend and it went down very well.

‘The visiting teams are scheduled to return next year and there is a possibility that we may have a visiting wheelchair basketball team to play against a select team from the Jersey Games.’

Former Paralympian Gordon Perry, who represented Great Britain in wheelchair basketball between 1982 and 1991, is an annual visitor to Jersey, running the Schools’ Outreach Programme and last week a total of 618 students, from seven Island schools, participated in the sport as part of a physical education lesson.

Patterson said: ‘The feedback we get from the students is fantastic and it’s an eye-opener for them to see what wheelchair sport is all about. Several go on to join us on Monday evenings at Les Quennevais when we play.

‘Gordon was impressed with the standard in the local matches at the weekend, when RBC Maples won the final 30-21 against champions Jersey Wheelers and JEC Bright Sparks finished third after defeating HSBC Dunkers.

Pierre Brouchard, Janet Vibert, Emma Feldmar and Tina Ware try their hand at curling

‘As a result, Gordon will now look to get one of the Sheffield Wheelers teams to the Island next year for a game against a select team and I hope that it can be arranged.

‘Roisin Pitman is also working hard on “Synchronicity 2016 – Aikido for All”, the five-day event was pencilled in for this year but it now likely to be next November and there has already been interest from 15 countries including the USA, Japan, Turkey and Iran.’

On Saturday, at the Merton Hotel, the JSAD’s annual Dinner and Awards Night was held with gymnast James Lang being announced as the Association’s Sports Personality of the Year.

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