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!

Money Money Money

So far we, the Richard Hale Young Games Makers have been extremely fortunate to receive financial support from Richard Hale School, the Richard Hale Parents Association, generous contributions from Stevenson's and Waitrose, Hertford Customers! However, we still need more funding, from grants, generous individuals or companies who be may looking to contribute towards the teams activities. We require the funding to cover the cost of kit and equipment, which is being put to invaluable use in the work that we are doing in and around the county of Hertfordshire, in the build up to London 2012. We are also looking to use this financial support to fund our travel to and from their training events and legacy projects. If any of our readers have any ideas for fundraising or know anyone who may be interested in sponsoring us could you please contact the Team Leader, Aaron Hemsley at aaron.hemsley@kinggeorgefc.co.uk

The Good Looking Team!

Although the Richard Hale Games Maker Team has always been professional in performance and attitude, we have now managed to adopted a professional and distinctive looking kit, thanks to the generosity of the Richard Hale Parents Association, and Richard Hale School.
The team kit has been supplied by Stevensons of St Albans, who are the suppliers of kit and clothing to the school. Stevenson's have been exceptionally generous whilst we have been looking for our kit, and we would like to say a huge thank you to them for their patience and generosity.

The team has been supplied with white polo shirts, black hoodies, black and grey rain jackets, and black tracksuit bottoms, to be worn during training events, and as part of our local community work.
The team also recently had the opportunity to visit the Olympic Park stadium as part of the team training. Being inside the stadium has further inspired the team, and they are now more excited than ever about the work they will be doing at the Games, and the legacy that they can build up on a local level in the run up to London 2012!


We would like to also say a huge thank you to all of the parents and residents of Hertford who donated to our cause through the Waitrose Community Matters Scheme. The funds raised will be of great benefit in allowing us to build a local legacy by inspiring young sportsmen and women.
We would also like to say a huge thank you to Jackie and Pam from the Richard Hale PA who's support has been crucial in getting us to this stage, as well as Mr Botheras, who has again given up significant amounts of his time to support us through this process.
The next event that the team will work at will be the East of England Athletics Championships, which will give us the opportunity to bond as a team, whilst gaining vital experience of working in a professional and competitive atmosphere! 

Who, What, Why

What are Young Games Makers?
In 2011 a team of Richard Hale senior students, made up of eight year thirteens, two year twelves and two year elevens submitted an application to become Young Games Makers at London 2012. The team attended a selection event, which involved an interview for the team leaders, and two team building tasks for the ten team members.
In the closing days of 2011, the whole team were holding their breath, waiting for the email that would give or reject the team their place at London 2012. The email came through on Christmas Eve, and what a Christmas present it would turn out to be, the team was offered a place a volunteering role, as part of the Athletics Teams, for the London 2012 Paralympics!

The team had performed well enough in the eyes of the assessors to be given this prestigious opportunity. However, myself, and Alex realised that this was an opportunity for more than self gain, this was an opportunity to enhance the lives of others. Taking the values of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Respect, Excellence, Friendship, Courage, Determination, Inspiration and Equality) we deicded that we should do our best to work as a team, to create a legacy for our role within the local area.

So what are we doing? As a team we have found opportunities to volunteer at sporting events within our local area, within our county, and within our region. We're doing this because firstly we want to create a legacy, by installing the Values of the Games in younger generations, and inspire them to pursue excellence in their chosen activities. Secondly, we feel that volunteering at these events will give us additional experience in working as a team, which will allow us to perform better throughout London 2012!


Who are the Young Games Makers?

The opportunity to become a Games Maker at Richard Hale was granted to the whole of the senior student body, students were invited to write applications on why they would be good at the role, and their experience in volunteering, working as a team, and in sporting activities. The team of ten was whittled down from over twenty original applicants, as were the two team leaders; the team was selected based on their calibre, committment, eagerness and experience.
Team Leaders
Aaron Hemsley - Year 13
Alex Cloona- Year 13
Games Makers
Tom Bryan- Year 13
Simon Wake- Year 13
Lucy Oxborrow- Year 13
Conor Thomson- Year 13
James Barker- Year 13
Chloe Rees- Year 13
Ella Lloyd- Year 12
Dotun Fakoya- Year 12
Liam Cloona- Year 11
Liam Dee- Year 11

Why Blog?

So, finally, why are we blogging? Well, there are two main reasons for this blog being created. Firstly, the team is being given a once in a lifetime opportunity, the chance to represent Richard Hale School at an event which is often reffered to as the 'Greatest Sporting Spectacle on Earth'. This blog will allow us to write about, remember and most importantly share our experiences.
The second reason for this blog is because of the amazing amount of support that we have been given from groups including: Richard Hale School, Richard Hale School Parents Association, East Herts Council, Welwyn Hatfield Council, Hertfordshire County Council, Hertford and Ware School Sports Partnership, Herts Special Olympics, Herts Ready For Winners and Herts Sports Partnership. Using this blog will enable us to share our experience with the those who are so kindly supporting us.

So for now, on behalf of the team, I would like to say thank you for your support, thank you for your continued interest, and watch this space for more news!