Feb 24 2009 Liverpool Echo
FOURTEEN-year-old Boccia star Adam Munroe is targeting Olympic glory - after being voted Belle Vale’s Most Improved Young Sportsman.
The Springfield Special Needs School pupil, from Huyton, is now targeting a medal at this summer’s Special Olympics which take place in Leicester in July.
Success in the east Midlands would cap a remarkable rise for the teenager who took up the sport eight years ago.
“We’re delighted,” said dad Rob.
“The ‘most improved’ award is something that he really does deserve because he has done so well.
“And he’s looking forward to Leicester now.”
Boccia is a sport similar to indoor bowls.
The sport is one where the competitor aims to roll their ball as close to the target ball, or ‘jack,’ as possible.
Adam, who has cerebral palsy, uses a ramp to aim the ball as close to the jack as he can, a skill that requires a lot of concentration and precision.
“Adam’s award is fantastic,” said Joan Bateman, his coach at the Kensington and Fairfield Sports Club.
“And it is all the more remarkable because he only started using the ramp two years ago when he became too weak to throw.
“This is a huge ego-boost for Adam, and if anyone deserves it it is him.”
The Special Olympics in Leicester will bring together hundreds of the best disabled athletes from around the globe, and Adam can’t wait to compete.
“He received some money as part of his ‘Most Improved’ prize,” said Rob.
“He has already spent it on a new pair of training shoes for himself and his mate for the Special Olympics, which sums him up.
“He’s excited about going, but is also thinking of his mate who’s competing as well.
“We’ll be going to Leicester for about eight days for it in July, and he can’t wait.
“He’s enjoying being famous!”
Showing posts with label Special Olympics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Special Olympics. Show all posts
21 March 2009
21 February 2009
Healthy Athletes
For more than 10 years, Special Olympics has been serving athletes by offering free health screenings and health information at local, regional and World Games. In the process, Special Olympics has become the largest global public health organization dedicated to serving people with intellectual disabilities.
An athlete gets his hearing tested at a Healthy Athletes event. Healthy Hearing is one of seven health screenings Special Olympics provides to its athletes.
By listening to athletes at events and conducting research over many years, Special Olympics leaders became aware of the lack of quality health care for people with intellectual disabilities and found it unacceptable. We found that people with intellectual disabilities have a 40 percent greater risk for health issues, and that health care professionals are not trained in or experienced with caring for people with intellectual disabilities.
Called into action, we began to explore ways to help using Special Olympics’ unique global reach and access to people with intellectual disabilities. The result was the launch of the Healthy Athletes® initiative in 1997. Today, Healthy Athletes provides health screenings free of charge at Special Olympics competitions. Offered in a welcoming, fun environment, these screenings educate athletes on healthy lifestyle choices and identify problems that may need additional follow-up.
Healthy Athletes currently offers health screenings in seven areas: Fit Feet (podiatry), FUNFitness (physical therapy), Health Promotion (better health and well-being), Healthy Hearing (audiology), MedFest (sports physical exam), Opening Eyes (vision) and Special Smiles (dentistry).
Through a global team of health-care volunteers, Healthy Athletes works to improve access and health care for Special Olympics athletes; make referrals to local health practitioners when appropriate; train health care professionals and students about the needs and care of people with intellectual disabilities; collect, analyze and dessiminate data on the health status and needs of people with intellectual disabilities; and advocate for improved health policies and programs for people with intellectual disabilities.
Healthy Athletes has a presence in more than 100 countries. Its influence is evident with more than 76,000 healthcare professionals trained, free health screenings provided to more than 700,000 athletes, and 50,000 free pairs of eyeglasses given to athletes. And it is just beginning – Healthy Athletes continues to grow each year with help from a global network of volunteers, in-kind donations and other financial support.
For more information on Healthy Athletes, contact Karl Hejlik, Senior Manager, Health and Research Communciations, at +1 (202) 824-0308 or khejlik@specialolympics.org.
An athlete gets his hearing tested at a Healthy Athletes event. Healthy Hearing is one of seven health screenings Special Olympics provides to its athletes.
By listening to athletes at events and conducting research over many years, Special Olympics leaders became aware of the lack of quality health care for people with intellectual disabilities and found it unacceptable. We found that people with intellectual disabilities have a 40 percent greater risk for health issues, and that health care professionals are not trained in or experienced with caring for people with intellectual disabilities.
Called into action, we began to explore ways to help using Special Olympics’ unique global reach and access to people with intellectual disabilities. The result was the launch of the Healthy Athletes® initiative in 1997. Today, Healthy Athletes provides health screenings free of charge at Special Olympics competitions. Offered in a welcoming, fun environment, these screenings educate athletes on healthy lifestyle choices and identify problems that may need additional follow-up.
Healthy Athletes currently offers health screenings in seven areas: Fit Feet (podiatry), FUNFitness (physical therapy), Health Promotion (better health and well-being), Healthy Hearing (audiology), MedFest (sports physical exam), Opening Eyes (vision) and Special Smiles (dentistry).
Through a global team of health-care volunteers, Healthy Athletes works to improve access and health care for Special Olympics athletes; make referrals to local health practitioners when appropriate; train health care professionals and students about the needs and care of people with intellectual disabilities; collect, analyze and dessiminate data on the health status and needs of people with intellectual disabilities; and advocate for improved health policies and programs for people with intellectual disabilities.
Healthy Athletes has a presence in more than 100 countries. Its influence is evident with more than 76,000 healthcare professionals trained, free health screenings provided to more than 700,000 athletes, and 50,000 free pairs of eyeglasses given to athletes. And it is just beginning – Healthy Athletes continues to grow each year with help from a global network of volunteers, in-kind donations and other financial support.
For more information on Healthy Athletes, contact Karl Hejlik, Senior Manager, Health and Research Communciations, at +1 (202) 824-0308 or khejlik@specialolympics.org.
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