Becoming the Best at Boccia: Ta Lang and Jeralyn
Our SDSC Touch reporters had their first experience with Boccia and spoke with two of the best Boccia athletes in Singapore.
Have you ever heard of Boccia? Boccia is a very comprehensive game; one has to toss six coloured balls towards a white target ball called the ‘jack’, and has to do so better than his or her opponent. At first glance, Boccia looks like a fairly easy game (although we later found out that the athletes have their own strategies and not just luck to win this game). Ta Lang and Jeralyn are seated on their wheelchairs and without any difficulty, they seem to be able to toss the balls very skillfully.
Jeralyn“It is not physically strenuous,” says Jeralyn Tan. “But Boccia made me stronger,” comments Goh Ta Lang.
Picking up balls and controlling the muscles to throw the balls accurately are not physically demanding to most of us. But for the severely disabled, whom Boccia was invented for, simple movements like these are quite a challenge. Nevertheless, the Boccia athletes push on with their training. One only has to look at Jeralyn and Ta Lang to realise that sports are indeed a form of rehabilitative therapy for the disabled. From being almost immobile from the neck down and having to employ the help of assistants, the two have developed their trunk and arm muscles so much that they can now bend to pick balls up themselves .
The two players are passionate sports lovers. Jeralyn, who also plays basketball and badminton in school, aspires to be a Boccia coach. Ta Lang wants to be a medalist in the international arena in the near future. With dreams of representing Singapore in the FESPIC Games this November, they are training very hard for the selection trials. Playing Boccia is a major part of their lives. Ta Lang
Although both are busy coping with studies and training sessions simultaneously, they express enjoyment at what they are doing. It is clearly evident from the way Jeralyn and Ta Lang smile throughout the four-hour training session that the hard work is not a problem.
There are many dedicated people who play a part in helping these Boccia athletes fulfill their individual potential and realizing their dreams of becoming SingaporeÂ’s representatives one day. Miss Chan Mee Leen, principal of Chestnut Drive Secondary School (CDSS), is a strong supporter of the Boccia programme and generously provides the conducive school hall as a venue for the training sessions. The students of CDSS take turns to assist as volunteers in the trainings as well. There can hardly be enough thanks to the staff and students of CDSS for their selfless contributions.
Goh Ta Lang See photos of Ta Lang here!
Although he is just 16 years old, Ta Lang is an athlete with great potential. He has improved his health condition (cerebral palsy) tremendously through Boccia, and has even ‘upgraded’ in his disability classification. He obtained a silver medal in last year’s National Boccia Championships 2005 and is determined to achieve more sports achievements in the future.
Jeralyn Tan Yee Ting See photos of Jeralyn here!
17-year-old Jeralyn, similarly, improved her medical condition and is now ‘upgraded’ in her disability classification. She is one of the best Boccia players in Singapore, beating redoubtable international players during the 1st Asian & South Pacific Boccia Championships 2005.