Boccia across the Ditch

After an extremely tedious delay of 5 hours at the Auckland International airport - due to the blackout the night before - I finally left the ground and made it to Sydney where I was surprisingly greeted with some refreshing light rain late into the evening. My host: Peter King, the team leader of the New South Wales Boccia team - as part of the Spastic Centre Australia (recently renamed Cerebral Palsy Alliance), was also there to take me to my hotel and brief me on the upcoming day’s proceedings. My days began with an early start at their headquarters where I was greeted by my wonderful Australian counterparts.

Here, I was given a rundown on the history of the Spastic Centre; the programmes and facilities it offers; how the Boccia team was established and their daily operations. Now, to give you an idea about the Spastic Centre: picture one huge building, like an old concrete-block hospital,

The majority of my time was spent in Avalon - where the Boccia coaches take their 2 Spastic Centre wheelchair vans on their daily drive around Sydney to pick up (then drop home again at the end) the 10 or so playersAt Avalon, we spent time bringing our collective heads together in a series of games, coaching ideas, assessments and presentations.  There is a lot of emphasis on analysis to improve skills and game plans. Full use is made of the four courts where players practice for at least twenty hours a week. Mental skills, physio and fitness programmes are also part of the development of NSW boccia which covers schools involvement to the elite.  Currently the junior squad are training for an April competition with their Kiwi contemporaries. It was interesting to note that despite the different qualifications, skills and knowledge on Boccia from the personnel involved in both countries, both New Zealand and Australia were on the same path in terms of Boccia development. Suffice to say, Australia are doing it on a much larger scale - they have 5 people doing my job...however we are ahead in terms of elite performance. Altogether, it was a very beneficial trip making links to Boccia between the two countries and how both organisations can benefit each other in the future in planning for upcoming years, as well as widening my knowledge on international Cerebral Palsy and the services and facilities that are out there. As they say over there...good on yer mate!

Luke Morriss