Upcoming Talent Search Days
|
Date
|
State
|
City
|
Venue
|
|
16/08/2008
|
SA
|
St Peters
|
Vision Impaired Talent Search - St Peters College, Hackney Rd, St Peters
|
|
16/08/2008
|
QLD
|
Cairns
|
Sport Specific TS - CP Football
|
|
6/09/2008
|
QLD
|
Brisbane
|
Sport Specific – Rowing Dragons – St Margaret’s Rowing Shed (Albion)
|
|
4/10/2008
|
Tas
|
Hobart
|
Talent Search – Clarence Aquatic Centre and Basketball Stadium
|
|
11/10/2008
|
SA
|
St Peters
|
Talent Search – St Peters College, Hackney Rd, St Peters
|
|
18/10/2008
|
WA
|
Mandurah
|
Sports Specific – Sailing TBC
|
For further information please contact the development from your state listed below.
The Toyota Paralympic Talent Search Program is an initiative of the Australian Paralympic Committee (APC). Its main aim is to identify people with physical disabilities or vision impairments who display the athletic potential to one day make it to Paralympic level competition.
The Toyota Paralympic Talent Search Program is only open to people with disabilities which would enable them to participate in events currently on the Paralympic Games schedule.
This includes but is not limited to amputees, people with cerebral palsy, limb deficiencies, people in wheelchairs, people with a vision impairment to name a few.
Each Talent Search Day involves a series of testing including general measurements as well as sport specific tests. Coaches from the targeted sports are involved in the testing process and are ultimately the “talent spotters”. The APC then works in conjunction with our Paralympic coaches, State Disability Organisations and State Sporting Organisations to ensure each talented participant has access to coaching and competition opportunities for his/her chosen sport and displays a high level of commitment and dedication to achieving goals.
This is just the first step in the process of identifying people with disabilities who display the potential to make a future Australian Paralympic team. In most cases it will take years of training and preparation to reach the standards required to compete at a Paralympic level.
All participants are provided with information and guidance to help them become involved in physical activity at any level they wish to pursue.
Those identified as showing potential will be encouraged to take the next step in their sporting endeavours, which will vary from sport to sport and person to person. Examples of what these next steps may be include:
-
Committing to a regular training program with an identified coach;
-
Joining the relevant sporting club and taking part in regular competition;
-
Linking with an athlete mentor who is a past or present Paralympian.
The APC can assist new athletes by matching them with a mentor. Our mentors are experienced Paralympic Athletes who have faced the same challenges endured by many young athletes.
The program aims to test 1000 participants across all sports prior to the Beijing Paralympic Games in 2008.
A fact sheet on the program is available from the link below. Alternatively, contact the Development Officer in your state: