Herts Youth Games- Olympic Torch Relay

On the 8th July the we were assisting at the annaul 'Herts Youth Games Competition'. This event features a wide range of sports, from boccia to basketball, from cricket to rugby. We had been asked to assist in the aquathlon in the morning, a sport which many of us had never herd about before the games, and sports hall athletics in the afternoon, which has by now become a familiar and well known programme.

The Aquathlon is a sport where athletes swim a specific distance, and then complete a gruling run still in their wet kit, the rain ensured that the athletes had no time to dry off in the slightest. The team acted as Marshalls and Timekeeps around the course, and were insturmental in collating the final results and processing the data with great speed, ensuring that the borough teams quickly knew their results and placings.

The afternoon sports hall athletics section was a well-rehearsed and usually well known programme, however, the 8th of July threw up some particular trouble, the Olympic torch was arriving, and we only had a rough idea when this was to happen. The competitors and spectators crowded into the hall, filling the stands and the balcony, the competition began with the sprint races, and then the message came through on the radio's, the Torch was nearly upon us.

We have been thanked over and over again for our efforts throughout the day, which ensured the smooth running of the events, and the enjoyment for specators and competitors alike. I would like to say a special thank you Hannah Craig and Georgie Rowley for staying with us throughout the day as extra help, which was much appreciated!

The torch bearers took their place, ready for the 'kiss' to happen in the centre of the sports hall. The 'Boys in Grey' came into the hall, and took up their positions, ready to guard and protect the torch and its bearer, and the crowds were preparing for immenent arrival. The eruption of noise from the competitors when the torch entered the hall was deafening, and we struggled to hold the children back as they crowded forward to get a better view of the flame.

Easy Riders Launch

On the 3rd of July members of the Games Maker Team including Aaron, Connor, Alex, Liam, James and Tom assisted by Georgie Rowley assembled at Stanborough Lakes in Welwyn Garden City to launch a new cycling initiative. 'Easy Riders' has been created by the Welwyn Hatfield Council, and the Activate Forum to provide recreational cycling for people living with disabilities. The scheme provides a great way for people to stay fit and healthy, whilst enjoying a social opportunities.

The launch was hugely successful, and we successfully guided trialists of the bikes around the lakes, and also met and spoke with special guests and dignitatires, including the borough Mayor, and members of national government bodies.

Photo's are to follow in due course.

National Sports Week!

As part of National Sports Week the Richard Hale Young Games Makers team have been involved in numerous events, within both their Games Maker duties, and their local legacy projects.

On Monday the 25th June, World Sports Day, Aaron, Lucy, Connor, Tom and Simon were all involved in the Top Sports Ability Festival, coordinated by Simon Wake, as part of their Level 3 Higher Sports Leaders Award. The day was a multi-sports event, for local schools, Amwell View and Pinewood, schools for those with learning difficulties. The day was themed around the Paralympic values- courage, determination, inspiration and equality, all of which were shown by the competitors on the day, who all went home with a smile on their face, after enjoying a full day of sporting activities.

On Tuesday the 26th June, 21 schools from Hertford and Ware competed in the WWW Games. The team was involved in many different sports on the day, Simon Wake, Liam Cloona, Liam Dee and Tom Bryan were instrumental in running the athletics section of the competition, whilst Aaron and Connor recalled their year 6 knowledge of Lacrosse to aid in the coaching side of the sport. Other members of the team were also involved in running the Paralympic themed sports for able-bodied competitors as part of their higher sports leaders award. The day once again was featured around the Paralympic and Olympic values, with certificates being awarded to those who demonstrated the values in their competitions. Over 600 local school children enjoyed the day, which is a great achievement for the Games Maker team members, and the local sports partnership!

The East of England Disability Championships

 The East of England Disability Championships were held on the 19th May, at the Chelmsford Athletic track. This is an annual competition where athletes with disabilities and impairments compete within the Eastern region of the UK! For the first time this year, the competition organisers introduced an element of this for primary school children, and we, the Richard Hale Young Games Maker Team, worked alongside Ros Cramp, the North Herts Sports Partnership Coordinator, and a teacher at Knights Templar School to organise this competition. Athletes representing Ashley School, Herts Development Squad, East Herts Special Olympics and Harlow Athletics Club were all present at this event. The event was a multi-discipline event, where the athletes competed in a track event, a throwing event and a jumping event. During our spare time we were invited to assist the technical officials on the field of play, which was a great experience for us, too work alongside athletes who were competing on behalf of grass routes clubs, and much larger organisations. We were also given the time to practice our tie down role with athletes and officials, which will further prepare us for our role at the Paralympics! Our event, which was being run for the first time was viewed by spectators, organisers and competitors alike as a great success, and we hope that the events will continue to run in the future! We would like to express our thanks to Ros who put so much effort into organising the Championships, and ensured that we were very well looked after on the day!

Visa London Disability Grand Prix

On the 7th and 8th May the Richard Hale Young Games Maker Team attended the London Disability Grand Prix (London Prepares Series) as part of our test event programme. The aim of this event was to test every single aspect of Paralympic Athletics, from the ability to start a race, to measuring the distance of throws. This was also an opportunity to test out the equipment which we would be using, and to get some real hands on experience as a 'Tie-Down' crew. Our job involves securing the throwing frames of Paralympic Athletes (who are seated for their throws) to the throwing circle, we have to make sure that the throwing frame remains stable whilst the athlete is throwing, and is in the preferred position of the athlete in question. As a team we performed our role very well, considering this was the first time we had ever attempted the role, we were not expecting miracles, however all six of the athletes which we looked after competed well in their respect categories, and enjoyed communicating and even engaging in 'banter' with us! We would once again like to say a huge thank you to the Parents Association of Richard Hale School who financially supported the team throughout the test event period. We stayed as a team in premier inn during our test event, as the trains did not run early enough for us to journey up from home. During our stay we met with and spoke to many technical officials and many members of the LOCOG workforce, it was great to discuss our journey, our plans and our expectations with other people who were also involved in the games. The general public were also generally intrigued by what we were doing, and our flash new 'London Prepares Series' jackets ensures that we stand out from the usual London crowd!
The next test for us a team will be the East of England Athletics Championships, on the 19th May, where we have been asked to organise and run a disability section for young athletes of all classifications,which will allow them to compete in the year of the London Games, and to see perspective members of Team GB!

Good Luck Liam!

We are currently preparing to take on the most daunting part of our journey so far. Next week we will be volunteering at the London Disability Grand Prix inside the Olympic Stadium, as part of the London Prepares Series. This is a huge opportunity for us to practice our role in a pressurised environment, with international athletes competing, including members of Team GB! However, one of our team members, Liam Dee will not be present during our test event because he has been given a once in a life time opportunity, to compete at the UK School Games inside the Olympic Stadium! Although the team will miss him greatly throughout this period we would like to wish him the best of luck in his competition, and look forward to hearing about how he gets on!

Welwyn Hatfield Council!

We would like to say a huge thank you to the staff and councillors of Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council who have been kind enough to support us in our bid for funding! The Welwyn Hatfield Grants Panel, chaired by Councillor Irene Dean have kindly awarded the team Queens Golden Jubilee Awards. This funding will again be instrumental in allowing us to build up a strong legacy surrounding London 2012. We would also like to say a special thank you to Matt Rayner, who works as the Youth and Sports Partnership Manager for the borough, who has given up hours of time and valuable knowledge to help us secure the funding that we desperately need!