New coaching scheme launches

(Date of issue: Tuesday, 23 June 2009)

Carlisle Panthers Basketball Club members, parents and Carlisle City Council Sports Development officers Paul Frampton and Tracy Gannon are running a wheelchair basketball leader’s course on Saturday 27 June.

The leader’s course is being held at the Richard Rose Central Academy (Lismore Place), in the sports hall, on Saturday 27 June, from 10.00 - 4.00pm. A big mix of participants are expected including parents, physiotherapists, club coaches and players.

There are a few places left on a first come first served basis. The course is open to adults and young people aged 16+ and interested in helping with coaching wheelchair basketball or playing and will also provide the opportunity to get specialist coaching.

The overall aim of the group initially is to establish a wheelchair basketball club and eventually expand this into a disability sports club, offering a wider variety of sports like wheelchair tennis and athletics.

The development team have enlisted the talents of the local Wheelchair Basketball Paralympian, Paula Johnson, who will also be taking part in the leader’s course to help develop her own coaching skills inbetween her busy training schedule. Paula, who is from Barrow-in-Furness, was part of the Great Braitain Women’s wheelchair basketball team at the Beijing Paralympics in 2008 and is thrilled to be supporting this project.

All activities will be provided by qualified and experienced wheelchair basketball coaches. Guests at the event will include Adam Parry (Sports Development Officer from the Percy Hedley Disability Sports Academy), and Paula Johnson (GB Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Player).

For further details about how to book a place or to find out more about the wheelchair basketball scheme, contact Paul Frampton on 01228 817581 or Tracy Gannon on 01228 817371.