First Paralympic qualifier for boccia team

Four WindReach Adaptive Sports participants will fly to Kansas tomorrow to represent Bermuda in the Americas Cup Boccia Tournament. 

Bermuda will be represented by Yushae Simmons, Steve Wilson, Jamal Bean and Jaime Brangman in a competition that is the first qualifying event in the lead-up to the Paralympics in Rio in 2016.

WindReach’s Adaptive Sports Coordinator Troy Farnsworth said in a press release: “This will be our athletes’ biggest tournament of their lives. They have previously competed internationally but the fact this tournament is a Paralympic Qualifying Event makes it that more important.

“Although our team is very inexperienced compared to many other countries competing at this tournament we have a huge amount of talent and will only continue to improve as we gain more experience.” 

The Bermuda Boccia Team would like to thank The Argus Group, Bacardi, Butterfield and Vallis, The Bank of Bermuda Foundation, BGA, Belco and the Operations Department of Bank of Butterfield.

For anyone who is interested in the Windreach Adaptive Sports Program please contact Troy Farnsworth on 238-2469 or email [email protected]

Boccia is a precision ball sport — similar to lawn bowls — competed by athletes who have a physical disability and are in a wheelchair. Competitors are commonly people with conditions such as Muscular Dystrophy, Spinal Cord Injury and Cerebral Palsy.