But Lucy quickly finds her feet again, picks up speed and attempts the jump once more. “These are the moments that scare many parents of disabled people – the extra pain or higher risk of injury, ” Janet says. Her mother, Janet, who is in the stands, looks over worried. #Paralympics to open with empty stands but a bigger stage full#As she attempts the jump again she stumbles not quite making the full rotation, hitting the ice hard. Photo: Paige FindlowĪs I sit in the ice rink watching Lucy skate I am filled with so much joy, watching the excitement on her face as she cleanly lands a double jump (a 720 degree rotation in the air). Lucy practicing her step sequence for her routine. Also, there aren’t that many ice rinks and it’s an expensive sport, which is challenging because a lot of people with a disability don’t have jobs.”įigure skating is an expensive sport for anyone – there is transport, equipment, lessons and ice time. Then you have to learn and be able to execute a routine. “First, you have to learn to skate which is difficult in itself. “Figure skating is very technical and so for someone with a learning disability that presents considerable challenges,” Mr Heffer says. This new system means that whether a skater has an intellectual disability or a physical disability they are able to compete fairly against each other.”įor ice skaters with a disability participating in sport isn’t just about competition-it’s about being allowed to be exceptional.īut how different is it for a disabled skater compared to their non-disabled counterparts? Andy Heffer is the director of sport and development for the Special Olympics and has coached a number of disabled ice skaters. This scoring system makes it equitable and fair. It is a calculation of impairment for all sorts of disabilities dating back to the 1940. “I spoke to lots of doctors and, thanks to a consultant in occupational medicine, found the Rondinelli Guide. But I knew that I needed to find a way of calculating impairment-some way of working out a numerical value that you could then add on to the score. “The traditional International Judging System gives an absolute score. “We had to create a system that could accommodate any kind of disability,” Ms Sweeny-Baird says. In order for this to happen an inclusive judging system needed to be created. Ms Sweeny-Baird is the Chairman of an organisation called Inclusive Skating, whose aim is for ice skating to become a Paralympic sport. That is where Margarita Sweeny-Baird comes in. It is however just as important for disabled skaters to be able to progress and compete like any other non-disabled skater. However, with such an extensive range of impairments it has proved difficult to find common ground with an inclusive judging system. Whether you are disabled or not, you still put on your skates and feel the ice beneath you. Ice skating is one of the most inclusive sports. Lucy spends at least 8 hours a week training at the ice rink.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |