WOODS COMPETES AT DSE WHEELCHAIR TRIALS
9th May 2008by Sarah Marl
The listing was posted by Disability Sport Events
Wheelchair athletes hopeful for place in Beijing Squad
Disability Sport Events (DSE) is holding its first British Open Wheelchair Trials at Stoke Mandeville Stadium this weekend. Nationwide Building Society are supporting the event, where over 30 field and track athletes will compete on Saturday 10th May. All are hoping for good performances for a place in the ultimate event of the year- the Beijing Paralympics.
Shelly Woods is likely to feature over the day’s competition, fresh from her British marathon record in the Padova Marathon two weeks ago. It was the first time she had gone under 1hr40mins with a memorable third place time of 1hr37.44. The 21 year old from Blackpool competes in the T54 800m, 1500m and 5000m. However, the most exciting race is likely to be in the T54 400m, where Shelly will take on British rival Anne Strike. Commenting on the promise of Beijing, Shelly said:
“I aim to go fast this weekend and use it as a warm up for the Paralympic World Cup, where I will compete on Sunday. The athletes haven’t been selected for Beijing yet, but I have already gained qualifying times in the 1500, 5000m and marathon.”
The event will also highlight young wheelchair racing talent. Daniel Lucker who won the Mini London Wheelchair Marathon in April will compete against established athletes Brian Alldis and Tushar Patel in the 800m.
Many of the athletes competing on Saturday have come through the DSE Junior Athletics Programme, including Shelly. She recalls how it was the Junior event which inspired her to continue in her sport:
“I first started at the DSE Junior nationals in Blackpool. That was my first taste of competitive racing as a youngster and I loved it. Thanks to that very event, I decided to stick athletics out, train and just got better and better.”
Maxine Taylor, Nationwide’s Divisional Director for Corporate Affairs, said: “Nationwide Building Society is very proud to support DSE and all the athletes who compete at these events throughout the UK. We hope our sponsorship will enable more disabled athletes to take part in these events and that they continue to break records, both personally and internationally.”
Gordon Neale, Director of Events for DSE, said: “Through the support of Nationwide and our many volunteers, we are able to host a variety of events throughout the year for people with all abilities, whether they are just starting to learn a sport or going for gold at the Paralympics. New athletes and swimmers are always welcome at our regional events as these are the perfect environment for new participants to learn and enjoy their chosen sport. All information is available via the DSE website for both participants and volunteers, who are always needed and welcomed at our events. Without the dedication of volunteers our events just wouldn’t happen.”
Other partners assisting the championships are UK Athletics, Water Direct and Stoke Mandeville Stadium.
Further information about DSE and the winners from this event will be available via www.disabilitysport.org.uk
-ends-
Media information:
Sarah Marl, Disability Sport Events, sarah@dse.org.uk , 0161 953 2438
Zoe Stevens, Nationwide Building Society, zoe.stevens@nationwide.co.uk ,
01793 657500
For more information about Nationwide please visit www.nationwide.co.uk
Notes to editors:
Disability Sport Events (DSE) is renowned worldwide in a variety of sports. It organises National Championships in a variety of sports and has an annual calendar of events to be proud of. Swimming and athletics are the highest participation sports for disabled people in this country and Nationwide’s sponsorship enables DSE to build on current success to contribute towards the number of medals won at the Paralympics in both 2008 and 2012. DSE is the events division of the English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS) – the umbrella organisation responsible for co-ordinating sport and physical activity for disabled people in England.
Nationwide Building Society is the world’s largest building society and is the UK’s second largest mortgage and savings provider, with over 13 million members.
Nationwide is a long term sponsor of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland national football teams, a support of women’s football, the fastest growing sport in the UK for women.
In November 2005 Nationwide Building Society announced its sponsorship of DSE in a deal worth £1 million over seven years, following five successful years of partnership. The sponsorship by Nationwide will help DSE to encourage participation from regional to international level, to identify talented individuals and to make team selections, which are vital components for a successful Paralympics.
A brief introduction to international athletic classifications
Athletes are classified by a system of letters and numbers in order to distinguish them.
‘F’ is for field athletes
‘T’ is for track athletes
The number in a classification refers to an athlete’s disability:
11-13 track and field athletes who are visually impaired
20 Track and field athletes who are intellectually disabled
31-38 track and field athletes with cerebral palsy
41-46 track and field athletes and les autres
51-56 wheelchair track and field athletes