On the weekend of the 22nd/23rd August, 75 amputees and ambulant disabled took part in the 2009 Amputee Games. Kiera Roche has sent us this report on the Games which, according to all concerned, were another resounding success.
Plans are already under way for 2010 and we will be publishing information as it comes in so please watch this space.
Congratulations to Kiera, David Hilton and all concerned with the organisation for another great effort and, of course, to all who took part and made the day such a success. We hope that you all, whether perhaps participating in sport for the first time since your amputation or potential contenders for the next Paralympics, enjoyed your experience.
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REPORT FOR BOOST CHARITABLE TRUST
ACCESS TO SPORT FOR AMPUTEES
In 1948, Sir Ludwig Guttman, a neurologist at Stoke Mandeville Hospital working with World War II veterans with spinal injuries, started using sport as part of the rehabilitation programme for his patients. He started a competition with other hospitals to coincide with the London Olympics. In 1960, the Olympics were held in Rome, and Guttmann brought 400 wheelchair athletes to the Olympic city to compete. The modern Parallel Olympics (or “Paralympics”) were born.
The Amputee Games launched in 2008 is based on this concept of Guttman’s, to use sport to aid the physical, social and psychological rehabilitation of new amputees and other ambulant disabled people. One of the hurdles to overcome is that if you are not a wheelchair user, you may feel uncomfortable participating in sport in a wheelchair, yet many of the paralympic sports, such as basketball, fencing and tennis are wheelchair based. At the games we mix wheelchair based sports with standing or sitting sports, such as sitting volleyball and table tennis, which don’t require a wheelchair to enable amputees of all abilities to get involved, but also to encourage amputees who don’t use wheelchairs to have a go at wheelchair sports, this has been an incredibly successful policy as a number of standing amputees have gone on to join squads or take part in training weekends for Tennis, Wheelchair Basketball and Sitting Volleyball. Many sports have different classifications which enable individuals of a similar ability to compete against each other and have options for sitting or standing while competing, such as shooting and archery.
By operating an open programme we encourage amputees of all ages and all abilities to “Have-a-go” at a wide range of sports, giving them the best opportunity to find a sport, which suits their lifestyle and ability. It was delightful to see many ambulant participants at this year’s games taking part in wheelchair basketball and wheelchair fencing and wheelchair tennis alongside wheelchair users, with a number of participants saying they would go on to play wheelchair based sports.
Disability sport is not just for the young, participants at the 2009 amputee games ranged in age from 18 to 72 year’s old. These competitors took part in 13 paralympic sports including; swimming, archery, shooting, wheelchair basketball, sitting volleyball, wheelchair fencing, power lifting, table tennis, badminton, tennis, cycling, rowing, and athletics. Additional sports available to try were bowls and cue sports. Catherine one of our more mature participants said, “Everyone was so helpful and encouraging and having the top coaches there was fantastic. As a result I have a completely different attitude to what I can still do with only one leg. I now plan to take up table tennis, bowls & perhaps archery, apart from my golf. You proved to me that my sporting activities need not be over because of my leg amputation”.
For the younger amputee the Amputee Games is a great opportunity to be spotted by talent coaches from the British Paralympic Association as well as the individual sporting governing bodies. As well as taking part in the 13 Paralympic sports being demonstrated at the event participants can also talk to representatives from these and other sporting organisations throughout the games at the sports information centre. One youngster said “I’ve signed up for the BPA Talent day at Brunnel University” and “this is the most fun I have had since becoming an amputee”
Three amputees form this year’s games went on to attend the British Paralympic Talent ID Day at Brunel University on 29th September. Two of these have informed me that they have been selected to go on and take part in a sport. I don’t believe they have yet received the information on which sport. I have not yet heard back from the third participant.
The Captain of the British Sitting Volleyball team, Robert Barrett, has informed me that two participants from the games have attended training weekends and the Portsmouth User Group are working with Volleyball England to set up a regional team in the South West.
We have had discussion with the BPA and Rowing about a possible talent ID day in Northern Ireland, as they have very little opportunity to take part in events like this.
In summation, the 2009 Amputee Games was a roaring success with 75 Amputees and ambulant disabled participating from all over the UK from as far apart as Northern Ireland to Blackpool and Plymouth to Stockport. We have had incredible feedback form the participants and feel very proud that we have been able to offer this opportunity to individuals who want to improve their lives and want to use sport to help them regain their independence.
“What a fantastic games. The team of nine amputees from Portsmouth had a wonderful time – for many it was the first time they had done any active sports since the amputation. It helped to raise their aspirations about what they could achieve. The sitting volleyball was a big hit, so much so that we are actively pursuing the idea of establishing a sitting volleyball hub in Portsmouth with help from Volleyball England”.
Mike Stoneman,
Chair: Moving Forward – User Group of the Disablement Services Centre, St Mary’s Hospital, Portsmouth
The amputee games are designed to enable primary (new) amputees to access sport to aid their physical, social and psychological rehabilitation and it does exactly that. One of the more recent amputees said of the games, “I would say that partaking in the Amputee Games, for someone like myself that had only recently become disabled, really helped to give me back my determination and aspiration to achieve something with my life. All was not lost and I am eternally grateful”.
ORGANISATION
The Amputee Games requires a dedicated team of volunteers to work for a full twelve months to deliver the project. These volunteers are not paid a salary, but are paid administration costs and expenses. This enables us to run the event with very few overheads keeping the costs to a minimum. In addition to this core team, many volunteers from the different sporting governing bodies, as well as WheelPower, BALASA and the Douglas Bader Foundation support the event. This dedication is matched by the financial support we receive from Chas. A. Blatchford, BOOST and opcare, who have supported both the 2008 and the 2009 Amputee Games. In addition this year we received sponsorship from Morgan Stanley. Without this financial support the Amputee Games would not take place.
THE FUTURE
We have received a number of requests to run a second games in the North of England. There is a growing feeling among amputees that many of the events and activities organised by charities are London centric and in our experience we believe they have a point. We are currently researching the possibility of running a winter games in Sheffield, as we feel this would add an extra dimension to the games and introduce new sports, while providing access to sport to amputees and other ambulant disabled in the north or England.
SOME QUOTES FROM THE GAMES:
“I would say that partaking in the Amputee Games, for someone like myself that had only recently become disabled, really helped to give me back my determination and aspiration to achieve something with my life. All was not lost and I am eternally grateful.
Thanks very much to everyone!”
Saiful (ziggi)
“I wanted to congratulate you & all your team for organising such a wonderful event. Everyone was so helpful & encouraging & having the top coaches there was fantastic.
As a result, I have a completely different attitude to what I can still do with only one leg. I now plan to take up table tennis, bowls & perhaps archery, apart from my golf.
You, your team & of course the sponsors, proved to me that my sporting activities need not be over because of my leg amputation.”
Catherine Cairnie
“Really enjoyed the game myself and had a great time and achieved more that I thought I could do.
Met loads of nice people and became friends with them and the games have game a bigger drive to get up and push myself on to get on with life.
Well organised at Stoke and everything there was top class.
Overall very enjoyable and it has given us all a great lift in life.”
Lenny Blakely
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank you & everyone involved with the 2009 Amputee games a fantastic job & well done everyone. I met some great people & I am looking forward to the next event. Next week I am hoping to start training with the Lincoln sitting volleyball team & a local shooting & archery club, 2012 who knows”.
Paul McLean Bentley
“Thank you SO much for organising the games, it was such a lot of fun. I had one of the best weekends since becoming an amputee - it was such a supportive atmosphere, lots of great things to try, no pressure, and a real surprise to pick up medals!”
Diane Mulligan
