Hello Members, welcome to November 2020

In this Issue:

1. Dragonboat Virtual Dryland Training with Cindy – A second class has been added.
2. Virtual Fitness with Brian – SCHEDULE CHANGE.
3. Sports back in play.
4. Volunteers Needed – Giftwrapping.

1. Dragonboat Virtual Dryland Training with Cindy – A second class has been added

Our Monday night class is going really well and we would like to give other team members the opportunity to try it out and join in, so we now have a Tuesday morning class at 9:30 am. We will run this class as a trial for the months of November and December and see what kind of response we get. If it proves to be successful and we get participants, we will continue it until March of 2021.

This program was put together to reunite team members and keep building on your technique and if all goes well get ready to start a new season next spring. We currently have members from the Ex-Sighted team (Langley) and Vision Impossible (Vancouver). We hope by adding the second class that there may be some interest from other teams to join in.

This class is for all levels of dragon boaters. This is a team sport and every seat is important. Imagine how much stronger your team will be if you improved your technique, strength, flexibility and Cardio during the off season. Cindy is excited to work with you and can’t wait to see how this training translates to a win in a race. To the current coaches and team managers we hope you will take part in this program and encourage your team members to take part in this opportunity.

Come Join us for the dryland training on Monday evenings from 7:30pm to 8:30pm and now our second class on Tuesday mornings from 9:30am to 10:30 am through Zoom. All you need to do is reply to Susan’s email susan@bcblindsports.bc.ca and indicate which class you would like to join or if you wish to do both you can sign up for both. The Zoom Invitations will be sent out no later than one hour prior to the class.

Paddles Up!!!!

2. Virtual Fitness with Brian – SCHEDULE CHANGE

Please note we will be moving our Wednesday evening class from Wednesday 7pm to Thursday 7pm.

The Wednesday afternoon class at 2pm will stay the same.

Everyone is invited to join us in the Fitness Class with Brian, all levels are welcome. If you would like to join one or both of these programs reply to this email and I will put you on the invite list. Once on the list, you will receive an invite for your chosen class, unless you notify us otherwise. Zoom links for all classes will go out no later than one hour prior to the classes.

Classes will be approximately 40 min with a water break at about the 20 min mark. Also please have a sturdy chair to sit on.

We look forward to hearing from you to join our Fitness Class with Brian.

3. Sports back in play

As a reminder please note that you must register with a staff person from BC Blind Sports prior to coming to a program.

GOALBALL – Sunday nights 7pm to 9 pm.

HOCKEY – Friday from 11:15 am. to 12:30 pm.

TENNIS – Wednesdays from 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm and requires specific instruction on registering and signing in and out. There is online registration or in person registration at the community centre. All participants must check in with the community centre and provide contact information.

For information on what you need to know to participate or how to register in any of these sports, please contact Mike Lonergan at the office 604-325-8638 or email him at mike@bcblindsports.bc.ca and he will give you the details you need to get back in the game. Information on return to sport is also available on our website.

4. Volunteers Needed – Giftwrapping

As many of you know, Last year we had giftwrapping services at Tsawwassen Mills mall in Tsawwassen. The management team has invited us back for the 2020 holiday season, and we are preparing for giftwrapping in these COVID-19 times.

We are looking for volunteers to help with wrapping gifts and doing some customer service help, if you or someone you know would be interested in coming to help us we would love to hear from you.

We will have a protocol in place to help deal with COVID 19 and make it a safe place for volunteer. There may be some shuttle service to get there being offered by the Marketing Department at Tsawwassen Mills. Please consider coming out to join us and help us make our Giftwrapping Services at Tsawwassen Mills a great success.

The funds we raised will help us to deliver a number of sport and physical activity programs through BC Blind Sports.

If you would like to volunteer or need more information, please contact Susan Flanagan at susan@bcblindsports.bc.ca or Tami Grenon at
giftwrap@bcblindsports.bc.ca

Stay Safe, Active and Connected to Us !

Inside this Issue:

• A MESSAGE FROM SPORT BC – GET IN THE GAME!
• BACK TO Tennis, Goalball and Hockey
• VIRTUAL FITNESS AND VIRTUAL DRAGON BOAT FITNESS
• FACEBOOK
• AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL!!!!
• ParticipACTION 24-HOUR MOVEMENT GUIDELINES FOR ADULTS
• VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR GIFTWRAPPING

Below please find a non-partisan message from Sport BC regarding considering the future of sport in the upcoming BC Election. Also, here is a link to Sport BC’s webpage “Sport More Important than Ever” for additional information.

A MESSAGE FROM SPORT BC – GET IN THE GAME!

Join us and raise your voice for sport in this election.

• Sport BC knows the power of sport. We know that sport builds belonging, communities, friendships, leaders, healthy kids, connection, and resilience.
• Sport is more important than ever. Active communities contribute to British Columbians’ physical health, mental health, and wellness.
• Sport benefits everyone. This is a pan-partisan conversation. We are asking all the parties and candidates where they stand on Sport.

Join the Sport BC campaign and to find out what they are asking candidates: https://sportbc.com/sport-more-important-than-ever/

Back to Tennis, Goalball and Hockey:

For information on what you need to know to participate or how to register in any of these sports, please contact Mike Lonergan at the office 604-325-8638 or email him at mike@bcblindsports.bc.ca and he will give you the details you need to get back in the game. Information on return to sport is also available on our website.

• TENNIS SCHEDULE CHANGE: Please note the time has changed for Tennis, it was originally held from 2pm to 3:30pm and now has moved to a new time 3:30pm to 5:00pm, it is still every Wednesday. Please check with the office for all details including specific instruction on registering and signing in and out.
• GOALBALL – practices will continue on Sunday nights 7pm to 9pm.
• HOCKEY – will continue every Friday from 11:15 to 12:30pm.
• VIRTUAL FITNESS AND VIRTUAL DRAGON BOAT FITNESS ARE STILL OPERATING

– contact Susan@bcblindsports.bc.ca for more details

FACEBOOK

– At this time our Facebook page is down. We will be up and running again as soon as possible.

AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL!!!!

BC Blind Sports is providing some ideas of types of activities that can be done in the home environment by people of any age. We have posted some ideas for physical activities on our BC Blind Sports website. Please select an activity that is appropriate to your age or the age of the participant, skill level, interests, and physical capabilities. You can start any time, so join us now and take this opportunity to build foundations of physical literacy and movement skills. You can also use these activities to meet the movement guidelines from ParticipAction noted below.

ParticipACTION 24-HOUR MOVEMENT GUIDELINES FOR ADULTS

(Excerpted from ParticipAction)

ParticipAction has just announce the arrival of Canada’s first ever 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Adults ! They were developed by the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP), the Public Health Agency of Canada, Queen’s University, ParticipACTION, and a network of researchers and stakeholders from across Canada.

These Guidelines offer clear direction on what a healthy 24 hours looks like for Canadian adults aged 18-64 years and 65 years or older, featuring a unique approach that doesn’t just focus on a single movement behaviour, but instead looks at how all they all integrate together. This is the first time there are recommendations on various types of physical activity woven together with guidance on sedentary and sleep behaviours for these age groups.

These Guidelines couldn’t come at a better time. Physical distancing measures and economic challenges have fueled unprecedented physical and mental stress for so many of us. We hope Canadians come to view these recommendations as an essential foundation for our overall health.

To help launch the Guidelines, ParticipACTION have created a communications toolkit comprised of social media posts, infographs and other content to help inform your networks.

Visit the ParticipAction Guidelines webpage for more resources and tips on how adults can stay active. To learn more about the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines visit csepguidelines.ca. Try using the BC Blind Sports “Opportunity for All” activities to help you meet the activity guidelines.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR GIFTWRAPPING

As most of you know last year we had a giftwrapping booth at Tsawwassen Mills mall in Tsawwassen. The management team has invited us back for the 2020 holiday season. We have the opportunity to once again raise funds for our programs. We would like you to be a part of it? Volunteers are a very important part of this event.

We are looking for enthusiastic volunteers that like wrapping presents – organize things. Come join us, we need you to help us service the booth at Tsawwassen Mills Shopping Centre.

Volunteers will be responsible for wrapping presents, keeping track of the number of presents wrapped and taking in the donations. We need 2 to 4 volunteers for each shift. The shifts will be 4hrs each. COVID measures will be in place.

DATE: November 27th to December 24th 2020
LOCATION – Gift Wrapping Services
Tsawwassen Mills Centre at 5000 Canoe Way, Tsawwassen
TRAINING – All first time volunteers must attend a training session prior to volunteering. These sessions will be at Tsawwassen Mills..

SIGN UP TODAY! – Email Tami at giftwrapbc@blindsports.bc.ca to register for training, you will receive a schedule of available dates for training sessions and shifts to choose from.

Thank you for considering volunteering at our Giftwrapping booth at Tsawwassen Mills. If you, someone you know, or if you have a group of people who would be interested in volunteering please contact Tami or Susan by email giftwrap@bcblindsports.bc.ca or phone at 604-321-1638. We will then provide you with additional information on training sessions and help answer any other question.

Please Contact Us: If you have any questions about any of our programs please contact the office. We look forward to when we can be back to regular programs, in the meantime please keep in touch and stay as active as you can.

THE BCBSRA Staff, Jane, Mike, David, Susan

Inside this Issue:

• BC Blind Sports Annual General Meeting
• Two BC Athletes on the Long List for CBSA Goalball Team
• BC Blind Sports Executive Director, Jane Blaine, Recognized by the BC Sports Hall of Fame
• Sports Returning to Play
• Dragon Boat – Dryland Training with Cindy
• Virtual Fitness with Brian
• Fundraising through Giftwrapping

1. BC Blind Sports Annual General Meeting

Thank you to everyone who attended our virtual AGM.

The Nominating Committee Report was circulated to all members.
The organization thanked Darren Douma for his service on the board over the past number of years, Darren is leaving the board but we are sure he will be back someday. He will remain as our Sport Commissioner for Golf, and our representative to BC Golf.

Two new members are joining the board, Nancy Leung and Carolyn Gunn, both were welcomed by the existing board and membership.

Nancy is from Burnaby and has been involved with BC Blind Sports through her son who is blind and has taken part in many of our programs. Nancy has worked with our junior and provincial goalball teams as well as being one of the managers for the Dragons Insight team.

Carolyn is from Nanaimo and has been involved with organizing our Seniors Fitness program in Nanaimo for a number of years. She is active in recruiting new members as well as volunteers. She volunteers in her community and has served on boards with organizations in the blind community as well as with other organizations.

2. Two BC Athletes on the Long List for CBSA Goalball Team

Two BC Athletes on the Long List for the Canadian Blind Sports Goalball Team which will compete at the 2020 Paralympic Games (in 2021)

On September 28, James Thompson, Canadian Blind Sports High Performance Director, announced the long list for the upcoming Paralympic Games – Tokyo 2020.

He also said that between now and the final selection announcement on the 24th May 2021, all the athletes will be working hard to earn their spot on the team to represent Canada at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo.

With only six spots available on the team to Tokyo 2020, competition for places will be high.

The Long List is as follows:
1. Abeer Hammad (AB)
2. Amy Burk (ON)
3. Brieann Baldock (AB)
4. Emma Reinke (ON)
5. Genevieve Hart (ON)
6. Haley Olinyk (BC)
7. Maryam Salehizadeh (BC)
8. Meghan Mahon (AB)
9. Tiana Knight (AB)
10. Whitney Bogart (ON)

Congratulations and Good luck Haley and Maryam!

3. BC Blind Sports Executive Director, Jane Blaine, Recognized by the BC Sports Hall of Fame

Jane Blaine has been awarded the Eric Whitehead Inspired Service Award by the BC Sports Hall of Fame. The announcement came during the Hall’s virtual Annual Summit held on Sept. 18, 2020.

The award, given annually in partnership with the BC Sports Hall of Fame Foundation, recognizes “inspired service in and to sport in B.C.”

Jane has been involved in programming, education and administration of para and blind sport for over 40 years. Through her work with BC Blind Sports, her experience covers all stages of participation from beginning movement in infants, early motor learning, development of fundamental movement skills, PE, competition, high performance, and promotion of sport for a lifetime and healthy active lifestyles.

Jane is also the CEO of Canadian Blind Sports. She is co-author of our parent’s resource ‘Encouraging Physical Activity for Preschoolers with Visual Impairment’ as well as “Being a Sport Guide”; both published by BC Blind Sports. She was also instrumental in the development of a “Pathway in Sport and Physical Activity for Canadians who are Blind” showing how individuals who are blind or partially sighted enter physical activity and move through the stages of long term athlete/participant development in sport and physical activity.

Since 2009 Jane has served as the Sport Technical Committee Chairperson with World Para Swimming (formerly IPC Swimming) (under the International Paralympic Committee), and since 2002 on the Sport Technical Committee of the International Blind Sports Federation. She volunteers with various disability groups and community organizations including Sport Ability BC (Cerebral Palsy Sports Association of BC. Jane’s values include ensuring programs and systems are fun, safe, inclusive, ethically sound, equitable, and based on participant input and available evidence.

In Jane’s acceptance speech she recognized the athletes, participants, volunteers, families, staff, and board members she has had the privilege to work with over the years as well as acknowledging how much she continues to learn from everyone involved in BC Blind Sports.

CONGRATULATIONS JANE on receiving this award!!! Your dedication, commitment and extensive contributions to sport and disability sport in BC as well as at the national and international levels is truly appreciated.

4. Sports Returning to Play

Please note you must register with a staff person from BC Blind Sports prior to coming to a program. We are excited to announce that the following sports have returned:

• GOALBALL – practices will continue on Sunday nights 7pm to 9pm.
• HOCKEY – will continue every Friday from 11:15 to 12:30pm.
• TENNIS – practices are now on Wednesdays from 2pm to 3:30pm and requires specific instruction on registering and signing in and out. There is online registration or in person registration at the community centre. All participants must check in with the community centre and provide contact information.

For information on what you need to know to participate or how to register in any of these sports, please contact Mike Lonergan at the office 604-325-8638 or email him at mike@bcblindsports.bc.ca and he will give you the details you need to get back in the game. Information on return to sport is also available on our website.

5. Dragon Boat – Dryland Training with Cindy

This is open to all members of our dragon boat teams

This program has been put together to reunite team members and keep building on your technique and if all goes well get ready to start a new season next spring. Cindy has coached the Sonar Dragons team in Kelowna, is a certified fitness instructor with BCRPA, and is certificate in Health Coaching.

This class is for all levels of dragon boaters. This is a team sport and every seat is important. Imagine how much stronger your team will be if you improved your technique, strength, flexibility and Cardio during the off season. Cindy is excited to work with you and can’t wait to see how this training translates to a win in a race.

Come Join us for the dryland training on Monday evenings from 7:30pm to 8:30pm through Zoom. All you need to do is reply susan@bcblindsports.bc.ca by 4pm on Mondays and she will put you on the Zoom Invitation list. The zoom invite will be sent out by 6pm each Monday evening.

Paddles Up!!!!

6. Virtual Fitness with Brian

Everyone is invited to join us in the Fun and Fitness Class with Brian, we are now offering 2 classes on Wednesdays, at 2pm and at 7pm. If you would like to join one or both of these programs contact BCBSRA and Susan will put you on the invite list. Once on the list, we will keep you on the list and you will receive invites for both classes, unless you notify us otherwise. Invites for the 2pm class will be sent by 12 noon and the 7pm class will receive invites by 5pm every Wednesday.

Classes will be approximately 40 min and we will have a water break at about the 20 min mark. Also please have a sturdy chair to sit on.

For questions or problems with Zoom please contact Susan on her Cell phone at 604-790-4174 as she may be doing the Zoom call remotely from outside of the office. We look forward to hearing from you to join our Fun and Fitness Class.

7. Fundraising through Giftwrapping

As many of you know, we raised funds over the past 13 years by providing volunteers to operate the giftwrapping booth at Oakridge Centre. Oakridge is going through a building phase and renovations and many of the stores have closed until the fall of 2024 in order to speed up the renovation process. We greatly appreciate the support of the Oakridge customers and management over the past 13 years as well as the many volunteers who supported our operation there. To all of you who volunteered and/or supported us by bringing gifts to be wrapped and making contributions in the past at Oakridge Centre in our Festive Season Gift Wrapping Booth, we couldn’t’ have done it without you! The funds we raised helped us to deliver a number of sport and physical activity programs through BC Blind Sports.

Last year we had a giftwrapping booth at Tsawwassen Mills mall in Tsawwassen. The management team has invited us back for the 2020 holiday season, and we are preparing for giftwrapping in these COVID-19 times.

We are looking for volunteers if you are interested in coming out to Tsawwassen. We will have a protocol to deal with COVID 19 and there may be some shuttle service being offered by the Marketing Department at Tsawwassen Mills. Please consider coming out to join us and help us make our Giftwrapping Booth at Tsawwassen Mills a great success.

If you would like to volunteer or need more information, or would like to receive additional details, please contact Susan Flanagan at susan@bcblindsports.bc.ca or Tami Grenon at giftwrap@bcblindsports.bc.ca

Stay Safe, Well, and Active and Connected to Us !

We are pleased to present the following documents regarding our response to the COVID-19 Pandemic:

· Return to Sport for BC Blind Sports
This document includes our return to sport and program plans. It outlines some of the ways return to sport may be different than return to other activities and what permissions will need to be in place. We also have included information about the impact of COVID-19 on athletes and participants who are blind or partially sighted as well as information on modified guiding and instruction techniques which can be used for physical activity. We encourage other provincial sport organizations who have athletes who are blind or partially sighted to consider use of these modified guiding and instruction techniques, and we would be pleased to support you in personalizing this by sport and individual athlete. Each individual and organization using this plan should consider their own situation and the inherent risks of sport involvement in making their decision to return to sport – and what that looks like for them. This document applies to all of our programs.

· Return to Work
This document outlines our return to work plan, including how members or the public would visit if needed. This document applies to all of our programs and covers staff as well as volunteers. Please note that our office remains at the Joyce Street location and we would not be moving until early in 2021, however staff are still working partially remotely so please do not drop in un-announced.

· Goalball Return to Play
This document outlines the return to goalball plan. It will be used in conjunction with the above two plans.

Please contact us if you have any questions about the above. Sport in BC appears to be opening up a bit more now, however it is important to note that each of our sports and programs will begin with protocols in place as noted in the above plans, and will gradually loosen when the sport or program is ready and the health regulations permit. Please note that we will continue to provide programming options (including virtual options) to best meet the needs of our members and others that participate in our programs throughout the province of BC. Please continue to let us know how we can support you in being active at this time. We would also be interested in hearing your ideas and suggestions about our return plans.
Visit our Return to Sport section for more details.

All the best, and stay safe, well, and active.

Jane D Blaine
Executive Director

We are pleased to share our Return to Work Plan.

Please note that we are still working somewhat remotely from the office, though we are in a bit more regularly. You can continue to contact us in the usual ways as noted below. Most communication with members and others will continue to be done by email, phone or virtually in some way. Should a visit to the office be necessary, please contact us to discuss it and to make an appointment to come in.

Read the details of the Return to Work Plan (.doc)
or the pdf version Return to Work.pdf

Dear Members:
We hope you are doing well. We know that you are missing your regular activities and being with your team mates or those you train and compete with. Many of the BC Blind Sports groups and teams are staying in touch with each other. If there is a sport group you wish to connect with, or a sport you would like to have more information about, please let us know. We have received the provincial return to sport guidelines from Via Sport and are working on the blind sports versions by sport and location.

What to expect: here are some things from the guidelines or which are being considered in return to sport:

• Outdoor is better than indoor
• Ability to maintain physical distancing
• Attestations or health checks before each training session (this is a checklist reviewing if you are experiencing symptoms
• For most sports – training but not competition at this point
• Regular cleaning of equipment, no sharing of equipment
• Limited or no access to changing facilities (depending on the location)
• Is a sport guide used (e.g. bowls director, tandem pilot, guide runner) and are they from the same household or will they be in your group of limited number of contacts (if/when this changes)
• How do athletes and others get to training sessions – and ability to practice physical distancing or remain safe in the commute to training.
• Waivers and informed consent related to COVID-19 risks due to insurance companies have implemented COVID-19 exemptions (basically saying that COVID-19 related claims will not be allowed). Last week the provincial government announced a Ministerial Order protecting amateur sport organizations (like BC Blind Sports) from liability and damages directly or indirectly related to COVID-19. As more information about this becomes available we will explore how it impacts BC Blind Sports programs.

This gives you a general idea of what to expect. We know that for some sports this will be easier than for others. Some may require significant modifications to activities – but we hope to be able to get people together in some way. We may need to look at some form of alternative activities. We are exploring options with team managers or coaches. Some of you may wish to try something new also.

We will keep you posted as things progress. Please send us your ideas and questions.

Take care, stay healthy, active and safe; and let us know how you are doing.

You can continue to contact us as follows:

Email: info@bcblindsports.bc.ca
Phone: 604 321-1638
Toll Free Phone: 1 877 604-8638

Yours sincerely,
Jane, Mike David, and Susan
The BC Blind Sports Staff

As some services and activities in BC are beginning to open up, we wanted to give you an update on what BC Blind Sports is doing, recognizing that things continue to change in this environment.

• The instructions we have received from provincial funding authorities is that while some parks and municipal and private recreation facilities in communities are beginning to re-open, “…these activities should not be organized or operated by a PSO [provincial sport organization]…” (such as BC Blind Sports). They say “Participation in these activities is at the discretion of the individual and should adhere to current public health recommendations.”
• We are waiting to receive return to play guidelines which are under development by ViaSport BC – which is our funding partner in the BC Sport System. Once received, we will be developing return to sport/activity guidelines for BC Blind Sports on a sport specific basis in consultation with instructors, coaches, and managers as appropriate by sport and location.
• As a member of Sport BC, we are also working with them and our provincial sport organization peers in exploring the many implications of return to play/activity/sport.
• We recognize that return to group – in person – activity and sport will be different based on the specific sport, location, season, and may occur at different times. We will have to follow National, Provincial, and Local health guidelines, as well as the guidelines from ViaSport.
• We also recognize that each individual will have to make their own decision regarding their personal level of ability and comfort about how and when they are able to return depending on their own situation. We are also exploring options of how we could provide a combination of in person and virtual programming for some specific activates should this be the best option for some members.

We are very interested in hearing your thoughts and ideas about return to sport planning – please share your ideas and questions with us.

You can continue to contact us as follows:

Email: info@bcblindsports.bc.ca
Phone: 604 321-1638
Toll Free Phone: 1 877 604-8638

In the meantime, please stay safe, keep well, remain active, and keep following the provincial health guidelines.

Yours sincerely,
Jane, Mike David, and Susan
The BC Blind Sports Staff

Dear Members:
We hope you are all staying well, healthy, and active during the COVID-19 Pandemic. We encourage you all to take a look at the activity suggestions provided on our website – new activities are added on a weekly basis. We are also pleased that some of our partner organizations in the blindness field have posted some of our materials. Also, please stay tuned for more programs coming soon, including more for adults and seniors. Information on your BC Blind Sports Membership for 2020-21 is coming soon also.

Please continue to reach out to us via email directly to one of us; by using our info email; or by phoning us. Contact information is at the end of this message.

We continue to work away from our Joyce Street office at this time. We would be pleased to hear from you and are happy to discuss your physical activity needs and adventures with you, and support you in remaining active as best as you can at this time.

We want to keep hearing from you about what you have been doing to remain active at this point.

We have also been working on building up information for an updated website and thank the managers and coaches who have assisted by submitting sport specific information.

As always, if you have any questions or suggestions for us, please let us know. You can continue to contact us as follows:

Email: info@bcblindsports.bc.ca
Phone: 604 321-1638
Toll Free Phone: 1 877 604-8638

In the meantime, please stay safe, keep well, remain active, and keep up the physical distancing.

Jane, Mike, David and Susan

Come and join us for some fun and fitness!!!!
Wednesday at 2pm and Thursday at 7pm.

Our fitness class is lead by Brian and he comes with some wonderful music and fitness for all. Both classes will be about 40 min with a water break at the half way mark. This will also include the warm up and cool down.

All session will include seated exercises, balance, and some bodyweight exercises. You can use Dumbbells or soup cans if you want for added resistance in some of your exercises. We recommend that you check this with Brian at the beginning of the class. Please have a good sturdy chair for support and the seated exercises and balance.

This program is open to all members, If you are interested in registering please do so by sending an email to susan@bcblindsports.bc.ca or info@bcblindsports.bc.ca Please indicate which program you would like to join either the 2pm, 7pm or if you would like to join both. If you are joining both you will receive two invites, one for each class.

Mark your Calendar for our fun Virtual Fitness Class on Zoom, every Wednesday at 2pm and Thursday at 7pm.

Hope to see you there!!!!

The Vancouver Rowing Club is offering a great opportunity to experience para rowing in Vancouver!

What: Para Rowing Come and Try event

When: Sept 18th, 4pm-6pm

Where: Vancouver Rowing Club
450 Stanley Park Drive

Contact: Leslie row@vancouverrowingclub.ca

Note: spaces are limited and booking is essential, participants must use a mask when in close contact, be able to self-transfer.

What will I experience?

You will discover the basics first on a rowing machine, and then head out on the water with an experienced coach.

You will lead the experience in terms of your comfort level, physical ability and enjoyment.

Come down and try it – you’ll like it!

Why is rowing good for me?

Rowing enables individuals to maintain a high level of muscular and cardiovascular output. This is particularly relevant where issues may prevent an adequate level of exertion being achieved in many other sporting activities. Rowing is a unique activity in its ability to be adapted to a wide range of disability degrees and types and allows both muscular strengthening and improved cardiovascular fitness.

Rowing combines these benefits with being a wonderful, low impact aerobic workout. The benefits of Rowing as cross training can enhance performances in other para-sports.

The equipment used is essentially the same as for able-bodied rowers, with adaptations made to the equipment as required.

All welcome……try it, you’ll like it! Para Rowing offers opportunities for athletes with physical and visual impairments to be active on the water. It provides balanced low-impact exercise for the whole body, and is suited for a wide range of disabilities. Whether you are interested in having a social row, personal fitness, or taking this to the Paralympic Games, Vancouver Rowing Club has a program for you. Feel the freedom of gliding across the water.

For information please contact: Leslie row@vancouverrowingclub.ca Vancouver