Pupils from Bradfield College were among a group of 30 children who enjoyed a unique opportunity to team up with Olympians as they took part in the Power2Inspire PowerHouseGames at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre in June.
Bradfieldians joined pupils from The Wren School and Brookfields Specialist SEN School as well as athletes and adults from Visa and Get Berkshire Moving to compete in a variety of inclusive adapted sports including walking football, blind football, new age kurling, sitting volleyball, sitting netball, zonal basketball, goalball, kwik cricket, tri-golf, short tennis and boccia.
Olympic gold medalist rower Paul Bennett, World Champion rower Ollie Cook, double World Champion motorcyclist and winter Paralympian Talan Skeels- Piggins and Paralympic swimmer Katie Crowhurst were amongst a whole host of sports stars were also in attendance.
At the core of the PowerHouseGames is the Growth Mindset; learning, understanding and exploring how one can grow and improve. Participants were encouraged to test their beliefs about ability and disability and what it is to be different and to learn to respect other people’s differences while benefiting from the positive physical and social experience that sport provides.
Here, some of our pupils reflect on their experiences at the games.
“I had competed in something similar before, so I was keen to get involved in the PowerHouseGames. The adapted sports I played were fun and my favourite was the sitting down volleyball because it was enjoyable and it got slightly competitive.”
Isabella (LK)
“I thought the day was really fun. I got to try out new sports, meet new people and at the same time played with some famous sports players.”
Jazzy (I)
“We attended these games with no idea what to expect, however, it was full of so many fun activities, such as sitting volleyball, walking football and lots more. My favourite was a game where we were blindfolded and had to stop a ball, which had a bell inside it, from getting between a set of cones. I was able to use my experiences with my brother, who has Down’s syndrome, within the group I was competing with and there were a number of competitors who had the same condition. I found it really interesting to see how other people around me handled what I find normal and it was so nice to see how people encouraged and supported them.”
Jess (LM)
