(SportPEI) The PEI Curling Association is looking to expand its programs this season by attracting those who are either vision impaired, or wheelchair bound, to the sport.
A demonstration and workshop for interested participants, or volunteers who would like to coach and guide, is being held at the Crapaud Community Curling Club on Sunday December 6. It is hoped that representatives from all PEI curling clubs can attend these sessions.
The wheelchair demonstration will be held from 10.00am-1.00pm, and the vision impaired session will go from 1.30pm-4.00pm. The Crapaud rink will be fully accessible to curlers with both disabilities.
Leading the vision impaired session will be Shawny Ross, who became involved with the Ottawa Blind Curling Club before moving to Prince Edward Island eight years ago. She has introduced a program at the Charlottetown Curling Club, and is looking to expand the sport not only recreationally, but so the province can compete at the national vision impaired championships, which have been ongoing for six years.
Vision impaired curling involves four curlers, and a sighted guide, who will be on the ice giving direction on shot selection, location etc.
Leading the wheelchair-bound workshop will be Chris Daw. Daw is an outstanding athlete in a variety of sports including wheelchair basketball and rugby, but it is in wheelchair curling where he has excelled, including winning gold at the 2006 Paralympic Games in Torino, Italy. He is also an accomplished motivational speaker, preaching his message of “No Limits” to both the able-bodied and the physically challenged.
Wheelchair curling is played in exactly the same way as regular curling, except the chairs are stationary on the ice, and the rock is released using a delivery stick.
“We are delighted to be able to put on this workshop and clinic,” said Gayle Johnston, Technical Coordinator for the PEI Curling Association. “To have Shawny and Chris deliver the sessions will be informative and educational, and we encourage anybody who may be visually impaired, or who uses a wheelchair, to come out and see what it is all about. Curling is the most social of sports, and disability should be no barrier to participating and having fun.”
Those interested in the wheelchair session should contact Johnston at 368-1071 or [email protected], while information and registration for the vision impaired session should be directed to Shawny Ross at 367-2790 or [email protected].
More info on Chris Daw may be found at his website chrisdaw.ca.
The Guardian ran an article on Shawny Ross in 2008 which can be accessed at http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/index.cfm?sid=195312&sc=99
Here is more information on Shawny Ross:
Vision Impaired Curler Helps Build Sport in PEI
Shawny Ross discovered curling for the vision impaired almost by accident. Having lost most of her sight 14 years ago, she was not involved in any physical activities, but would often accompany her husband David to the curling club to socialize with friends and watch his games. It was during one such occasion about 8 years ago that she encountered a coach with the Ottawa Blind Curling Club, who encouraged her to come and give the sport a try. With some trepidation she ventured onto the curling ice to throw her first rocks, and somewhat to her surprise she enjoyed the experience tremendously.
In the years following, Shawny became an active member in the Ottawa Blind Curling Club, whose membership included people of all ages and walks of life, and with various levels of visual impairment from those with some sight to those who were completely blind, She also curled in a regular weekly league with her husband. When her husband took a new job in Prince Edward Island, Shawny was determined to introduce the sport of curling to the vision impaired community here. “The wonderful thing about the sport of curling is that curling is inclusive to all. No matter the ability, disability or age… everyone can curl – and together! It is the also most social sport you will find”, says Ross.
Recreational curling for the visually impaired is played using the same rules as a sighted curler would use, with only one main difference. Since most players are unable to see the full length of the curling sheet, a vision impaired curling team consists of four visually impaired players, plus one sighted guide. The guide describes the shot being called and the desired outcome, confirms the correct alignment of the thrower in the hack, and holds a broom or light along the target line (or provides verbal instruction) to aid the player in directing the rock towards the target. If their level of sight permits it, the visually impaired players sweep their own rocks, and direct the strategy of the game independently, in the same manner as sighted players would. Of course, visually impaired players can also be easily integrated into a regular curling league, with one of the other players on the team acting as the guide.
Shawny’s efforts at introducing curling to the vision impaired community have been very successful so far, Her present goal is to have a team representing PEI at the national vision impaired curling championships, which have been ongoing for 6 years, and she is well on her way. Last year, she was able to recruit 6 curlers who practiced regularly at the Charlottetown Curling Club. After only half a season of practice, their season culminated at the Lions Club District Bonspiel in Montague, where they won all three of their games and finished in 3rd place overall. This year, a full team of vision impaired curlers is participating in a regular league at the Charlottetown Curling Club, and two members of that team are also participating in other leagues. She and her husband are continuing to work actively with the Canadian Curling Association through their Discover Curling program to introduce and promote the sport of curling to the visually impaired and blind community on PEI and throughout the Maritime provinces. They are very much looking forward to the opportunity to introduce the game to more visually impaired Islanders at the Crapaud Community Curling Club on December 6.