The 2022 school year had a wide range of changes to the the Physical Education (PE) landscape at the SA School and Services for Vision Impaired (SASSVI). The SASSVI PE program welcomed onboard Rosette Zorella to deliver the in school program, allowing the Statewide Support Service (SSS) to deliver a far more comprehensive physical education program, including supporting the students at Charles Campbell College.
Students supported by the SASSVI service have had a stella year in blind and low vision sport in South Australia and across the state, at National and international competitions. 2022 started strongly with SASSVI and CCC alumni and current staff member, Lachlan Wallace, receiving his first baggy green for the Australian Blind Cricket Team in a Trans-Tasman whitewash against New Zealand. From here the growth seems to have been exponential, with SASSVI alumni and current SSS supported student, Isaiah Muller saw international involvement in the Men's Australian Goalball team in the Asian Championships. At only 16 years old, this is in an incredible feat and he showed strength and ability well beyond his years during this tournament.
SASSVI then saw multiple students gain selection for national blind football camps, with Isaiah Muller already heavily involved in the squad he was joined by Chanakan Buakhao (Bo) (current CCC student), Milly Hart (supported by SSS) and Antony Abbracciavento (supported by SSS) who all gaining selection for the national camp. All three impressed so much that they were selected to play in the national series finals! Isaiah was then selected to represent Australia in the Blind Football Asian Championships, winning his second national team selection in his second sport within one year. Just incredible! Isaiah once again proved his selection
A SASSVI alumni
The 2021 school year has allowed the SA School for Vision Impaired (SASVI) physical education (PE) program to take some huge leaps forward. The SASVI PE Website was published, allowing the culmination of the knowledge and practices used at SASVI to be shared with other educators. Feel free to navigate through the website and see what has been created.
SASVI continued to make an impact at the Multiclass Cross Country Championships, taking home 2 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze medal, showing what our students are capable of achieving.
We were also involved in the South Australian Multiclass Athletics Championship, where again SASVI demonstrated what students with a disability were capable of. SASVI students again dominated the deepest field we have seen at these events, taking home 12 gold medals, 8 silver medals and 6 bronze medals, the best SASVI has ever done.
We were also able to build a relationship with Hope Valley Tennis Club so that our students and athletes north of the city are able to access blind and low vision tennis through their trained coach. Simultaneously this will allow us to offer new opportunities for our students at Charles Campbell College.
SASVI's 2021 Sports Day showcased the incredible ability of sport to bring people together and enjoy the achievement of others. The students at SASVI were able to demonstrate incredible skills in athletic events while smiling, cheering and supporting their peers. Many were able to produce personal best results that will certainly support their selection into the South Australian School's Multiclass Championships in 2022. The support of the staff and the school community made this event so smooth and the atmosphere that the families brought was phenomenal.
The largest achievement of the year for the SASVI PE program was the first blind sports camp. The concept of the camp was to introduce the 21 students aged 12 years of age and above to a wide range of blind and low vision sports. These included:
Goalball - Presented by Craig Muller and Olivia Muller, both key members of national goalball coaching teams
Blind and Low Vision Football (Soccer) - Presented by Bess Hepworth and Andrew Whisson, both goal guides in the national B1 soccer team
Blind Golf - Presented by Cameron Murray and Anne-Marie Knight, state champion and golf professional
Blind and Low Vision Tennis - Presented by Tennis SA and Nicholas Bradley, national blind and low vision tennis coach
Blind Cricket - Presented by Lachlan Wallace and Michael Zannis, South Australian Cricket Associations Young Leader of the Year and Australia's most capped player
The camp also allowed SASVI and the individual organisations to offer some of state and national firsts in the blind sports. These included Australia's, and possibly the world's, largest ever junior blind tennis tournament, South Australia's and potentially Australia's first game of junior blind cricket players and Australia's first junior blind and low vision soccer tournament These outstanding achievements have shown what is possible in blind and low vision sport in South Australia. We have had some incredible outcomes from this with students from the camp now being actively involved in blind sporting clubs.
Alongside this fantastic sporting opportunities the students were treated to a range of guest speakers including one of the Australian Rules Football Hall of Fame and AFL duel premiership player and 2x Norm Smith medal winner Andrew McLeod, Australia's greatest ever off spin bowler, Nathan Lyon, World Power Lifting Record Holder and Pekx Nanai.