Paralympic Trip

At 6.30am on Thursday 6th September - 87 students and 10 staff met a Sunningdale Station ready for a day at the Paralympics. We had all been watching the coverage on the TV throughout the summer and some members of staff and students had already had the opportunity to attend the games and watch live. We were all very excited!

The students were split into five groups with each group having the chance to watch at least two sports throughout the day. Some went to watch a sensational session of GB swimming with a number of GB athletes qualifying through from their heats including Josef Craig who recorded a World Record in his 400m Freestyle S7 heat (and later went on to win gold). Another group were able to watch some athletics including a British Bronze medal in the Discus; Hannah Cockroft win her 200m heat by over 20m to qualify for the final that evening (where she won gold) and Oscar Pistrorius being presented with his gold relay medal.

Other sports enjoyed by the students were: Wheelchair Basketball, Goalball, Blind Football and our favourite of the day Wheelchair Rugby. Over 60 of the students were together for the evening session to watch the GB Wheelchair Rugby team take on France - it was a closely contested match and the students saw first hand how aggressive and skillful the game of "Murderball" is. A group of Charters students were chosen to compete in a dance off during half time which was featured on the big screen for all spectators in the 12,000 seater Basketball Arena to see !

Throughout the day the students were able to appreciate the quality and the skill needed by all the Paralympic athletes to compete at this level, enjoy the scenery and the atmosphere of the Olympic Park and see first hand a lot of the things they had been witnessing on the television.

Please click on the images to enlarge

Charters 2012 Young Games Maker Team

Written by Ben Russell, 12HCF

March 2012 was the start of our London 2012 journey, when we were all given the fantastic news that we had been chosen by Mr Deacon and Mr Devine to represent the school, and the country as Young Games Makers at the London 2012 Paralympic games.

We had been given the opportunity to be part of the Table Tennis Field of Play team at ExCel. Our role comprised of meeting Athletes and Coaches in the Call-Room before their match, walking them onto the field of play, and assisting wheelchair athletes on court during the match. The Charters team comprised of: Team Leaders Mr Deacon and Mr Devine, and YGMs Ben Russell, Tom O’Doherty, Alice Moore, Sasha Mahal, Kate Deans and Hayley Scholefield.

After selection, we submitted our details for LOCOG to process ready for initial training at Hackney Community College, where we had a crash course in International Table Tennis. This day comprised of having the scoring system and the basics of competition at Olympic Level ‘explained’. The next stage came in August: Uniform collection and accreditation at the UDAC (Uniform Distribution and Accreditation Centre). We were ready…

Before we knew it, it was time for venue specific training at ExCel where we could finally see the inside of the venue and try out what our role would be like in competition. Then, just two days after seeing the venue for the first time, we were up in London (very early) for the first day of competition.

We had a wide variety of matches over the competition period, and this included every member of our team assisting with a Team GB match, along with a medal match in the closing stages. On one of our final days, we were lucky enough to meet the GB men’s team (Will Bayley, Ross Wilson and Aaron McKibbin) before their bronze medal match which they went on to win in straight sets. On the same day, we also met the GB team of Sara Head and Jane Campbell who also clinched Bronze for Britain in the women’s team event.

The two weeks of top international competition were an experience that I am sure myself and the team will never forget. All we can do is say a huge Thank you to Mr Deacon and Mr Devine and Charters school for this opportunity.

Please click on the images to enlarge

ParalympicsGB Sports Fest - Monday December 3rd 2012

Three months on from the success of the Paralympics Games 2012 eleven pupils from Charters SEN department went on yet another fantastic trip, this time to Surrey Sports Park in Guildford to take part in the ParalympicsGB Sports Fest, the first time there has ever been a festival celebrating Paralympic sport in this country. The main purpose of the event was to 'Inspire' the next generation of paralympians, encouraging the children to have a go at 23 Summer and Winter Paralympic sports with the athletes from team GB 2012, from Ice Sledge Hockey to Rowing and Sitting Volleyball to Fencing, ensuring all can explore the opportunities for getting involved in disability sport.

The children took part in many of the sessions on offer, one in particular they all enjoyed and took part in was Goalball. Goalball is a sport unique to the Paralympic Games. It has been specifically developed for athletes with a visual impairment and therefore has no Olympic equivalent. Goalball is a 3-a-side team sport on a court the size of a volleyball court, each game is 12 minutes per half. The aim for each team is to score as many goals as possible, whilst using their bodies to block and save any shots against them. Part of the coaching team was Adam Knott, who was part of the ParalympicsGB Goalball team 2012, who got involved in the sport after attending a similar open day. The enthusiasm for goalball by Charters pupils was spotted by the BBC news team, who interviewed them and filmed them playing, which then appeared on the 6pm news that night!

Matthew Cross
"I thought today was a great opportunity to try new things and get inspired, I especially liked trying out fencing and I even may join a fencing club now."

Joe Berridge
"I thought it was interesting to see all the different sports and to have a go at them, I particularly enjoyed our team charters game of goalball, we even met Adam Knott who played at the Paralympic games."

Abigail Clark
"It was the best day I really enjoyed it. It was nice to try all the sports, I especially liked the rowing and the horse riding".

It was definitely a school outing to remember, not only did the children meet many inspirational athletes, but they got a real insight into what it takes to become a sports star of the future, if you train hard and want to succeed you can!

Visit www.parasport.org.uk
"I am a walking example of how sport can change your life for the better. Sport has totally shaped the person I am today." Jonnie Peacock (100m T44 Gold Medalist)