Cambodian Disability Sports Development

Takeo ISPP Templestowe Falcons Shine in Tournament at ISPP with Defiance College The Annual ISPP Mixed Volleyball Tournament was held last Friday with the Takeo ISPP Templestowe Falcons, ISPP students and Undergraduate students from Defiance College, Ohio playing in mixed teams for the title of 2009 House Champions.

In one of the best examples of mainstreaming disability sport and international education, the red hot, all-new Falcons team wowed the 30 student athletes with an outstanding display of athleticism and skill prior to the tournament when mixed teams consisting of 2 Falcons, 2 ISPP and 2 Defiance College students competed in a round robin competition for the title of 2009 House Champions.

The CNVLD – ISPP – Templestowe College relationship, now in its fifth successful consecutive year continues to reach new heights of cooperation and integration thanks to the outstanding work of ISPP Teachers Mr Brian Webster and Ms Marion Harris and the commitment of their students in Cambodia and the work of Templestowe College in Melboune Australia.

For Defiance College, from Ohio USA, this was their first year working together with the CNVLD and Laura Derov, a McMaster School of Advanced Humanity Fellow had spent the prior weeks interviewing over 30 CNVLD athletes as part of her dissertation and research for a publication in the Defiance Journal. The entire Defiance Delegation of 12 students and 5 teachers joined the tournament as a farewell on their last day in Cambodia.

Reflecting the success of the Disability / Landmines Study Group and the integration of disability sport and education, the students of the ISPP Disability and Landmines Study Group were responsible for organizing the Annual ISPP Mixed Volleyball Tournament with assistance from the ISPP P.E Department.

As the tournament progressed the myriad of immensely positive results of this unique cooperation became crystal clear for all to see. The unique power of sport shone again through the afternoon monsoon as the ISPP and Defiance students immediately bonded on the court together with the Falcons despite having only met just minutes before and the three groups being aged from 14 to 45.

The awe-inspiring strength, skill, agility and athleticism of the Takeo ISPP Templestowe Falcons also proved not only that they have been training hard all year but intend to mount a serious challenge for the title of 2009 National League Champions.

Clearer still is the manner in which the ISPP students sincerely look up to the Athletes with a Disability as their local sporting heroes and, more importantly, learn camaraderie, teamwork and volleyball skills from their erstwhile tutors. After three years of playing together with the ISPP students, the Falcons pedagogic skills now shine as they demonstrate tactics and then encourage the students to replicate them. Even the ISPP P.E Teachers noted the improvement in the student’s volleyball skills and ISPP now have the clear objective to see their volleyball team win at the international MRISSA Volleyball competition.

The overwhelmingly positive reactions of the students and teachers from Defiance College to the levels of cooperation, understanding, and above all FUN, on display on Friday was also reflective of the great success of the CNVLD’s international schools cooperation programme.

After four rounds of increasingly intense competition, it was congratulations and adulation for the ISPP Sunbears who edged out the ISPP Dragons to claim the prize of 2009 House Champions!

The CNVLD wishes to thank ISPP and the Students and Teachers of the Disability / Landmine Study Group, the Defiance College Delegation and the Takeo ISPP Templestowe Falcons

The CNVLD, ISPP, Templestowe College and Defiance College: Using the Unique Power of Sport to Raise Awareness of Disability through Education.