By Victoria Stone-Meadows
Cranbourne Little Athletics is the first club in the state to offer competition to athletes with a disability.
The multiclass group of athletes had their first chance to compete at the club’s meteorite gift held on Saturday 14 January.
Head coach of Cranbourne Little Athletics Mark Jouvelet said the kids in the group put on a great performance in their first ever outing.
“It’s the first time that category been recognised by Little Athletics Victoria,” he said.
“Saturday night they got a chance to complete for medals and when they ran out there was not a dry eye in the house; one of the best community things we’ve seen for a long time.”
The multiclass group of little athletes has roughly 10 participants with a range of differently abled impairments from mental disabilities to blindness.
The club, with the help of volunteer Nina O’Day, has designed an athletics program for the group that allows them to participate in events that able-bodied kids do as well.
“Little Athletics Victoria gave permission for the format and in particular gave licence to change the offering to be more inclusive,” Mr Jouvelet said.
“We also asked parents what they wanted and incorporated that into it and went on the front foot rather than let the state body design a program that was too small.”
“We wanted to make sure the kids enjoy it and it is an incredible development but just in its infancy and numbers are quite small.”
While the club have been working on getting this program running for a few years, from June 2016 they got the concept off the ground, the program developed and the first meeting in October.
The club is hoping that with a successful program catering for kids with a disability they can encourage other clubs to do the same and help more differently abled children get into sports.
Ms O’Day, who has become the co-ordinator of the program, said the chance afforded to the kids has made a big difference in their lives.
“It has made a huge difference in terms of their skills and confidence and going out and giving it a go,” she said.
“Some have been told they cannot do certain things and they have done those things and they celebrate everything.”
“They celebrate each other’s achievements and its beautiful and lovely to see unfold, parents are happy to see their kids do things outside of what they thought was ever possible.”
