Club of the Month Stratford Boat Club goes forward for annual award - The Stratford Observer

Club of the Month Stratford Boat Club goes forward for annual award

Stratford Editorial 2nd Dec, 2020   0

STRATFORD Boat Club was privileged to be named Parasport ‘Club of the Month’ for October and now needs your support having been asked to go forward for the Parasport ‘Club of the Year’ title.

This award is selected by public vote and you can cast yours at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/V92LG2V.

Stratford BC’s head adaptive coach Mark Dewdney said: “Please vote for Stratford Boat Club and ask all your family, friends and colleagues to do the same! This will help to gain prestige for Stratford and sport in the area!”

Parasport’s ambition is to create the UK’s biggest fun and vibrant community for players, parents and coaches to share their experiences of para-sport and find useful hints, tips and information on what is happening in any specific area.




This includes in-depth listings and all the information for para-athletes to connect to local inclusive opportunities.


Dewdney added: “Stratford Boat Club’s adaptive squad’s message is clear – if there’s a will, there’s usually a way to get people rowing, no matter their circumstances.”

The adaptive section of Stratford Boat Club was started in 2015 with two rowers and now has six or seven different boats serving a squad of more than ten.

The secret of the adaptive section’s success is simple and has developed from a ‘listen first’ mentality and by embracing a people-centred approach to physical and coaching issues.

Commenting further, Dewdney said: “What makes the squad work is that we’re always learning from our athletes – we listen!

“Necessity means the rowers have often come up with clever ways of overcoming their particular issues. We take ideas from every person who comes to us and we find the athletes come up with something that we have not thought of that will help us improve what we do with others.”

The squad does not select on the basis of how good an athlete is going to be. The criteria is to look at how the squad can make it work for the particular individual.

Stratford’s adaptive rowers have wide-ranging needs, including athletes with spinal cord injuries, hemiplegia, visual impairment and autism and has a coaching team of four to cope with these challenges.

Those interested in joining Stratford Boat Club adaptive squad – either as an athlete or volunteer – can contact Dewdney via the Stratford Boat Club contact page at http://www.stratford-rowing.co.uk/contact, marking the subject as ‘adaptive’.

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