It has been a busy week for sport here in Pattaya, particularly for children who are living with a disability.
First off was the annual ‘Able the Disabled Dressage Competition’ that takes place at Horseshoe Point and is organised by Sandra Cooper and her team of wonderful and very patient volunteers.
More than twenty youngsters, mostly Thai, but also a few foreigners, and all living with various degrees of special needs, took part in the competition which saw them not only riding their chosen horse, but also performing a series of activities to earn points.
The children, many of whom attend the Father Ray Center for Children with Special Needs, also have weekly hippotherapy sessions (the use of horse riding as a therapeutic or rehabilitative treatment) at Horseshoe Point, and watching these youngsters it makes you realise just how beneficial sitting on a horse can be. Not only does it give a child confidence, but it also improves their posture and their major and minor motor skills.
A few days later it was over to the School for the Blind for the annual sports day, brought forward from its usual date in February.
Once again the students were split into two teams and as usual the rivalry was fierce, no more so than in the final of the women’s soccer competition. There is only one word to describe it, brutal.
Imagine being in goal and the ball is small and plastic, with a bell inside so the players can hear where it is. They kick as hard as they can towards the goal of the opposing team and the goalkeeper is expected to stop the ball going past, while wearing no protection and it was very obvious on several occasions that if the ball hits you in the face it will hurt, a lot. During the game the ball had to be replaced several times as they either broke, split open or were left with a big dent in them after they were kicked too hard.
Two days later the Father Ray Center for Children with Special Needs held their first ever sports day, which started with a parade by the children who wanted to pay their respects to the late King of Thailand.
Athletics, swimming, soccer and petanque were all played and as the day went on the noise got more and more deafening as there was also a competition to see which group of supporters could cheer the loudest; we’re surprised the children couldn’t be heard in the next province!
More information on the work of the Father Ray Foundation can be found at www.fr-ray.org or email [email protected].
