Parasport at the Victoria Family Sport & Recreation Festival

This weekend is the 3rd annual Island Savings Family Sport & Recreation Festival in Victoria. While I don’t profile Island events very frequently, this one has a special place in my heart. From Saturday, May 5th from 10:00am to 4:00pm you can check out a free day of interactive sports and recreation for the family at the Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence (“PISE”).

The Family Sport & Recreation Festival will also feature a Parasport Festival, which will provide an opportunity for both those with a disability and able-bodied visitors to try out a parasport for themselves. Para-athletes will be on hand including para-cyclist Karen March who is on the road to London 2012 and was recently named Athlete of the Year from the Canadian Women in Sports Awards.

This free family festival will also have interactive displays, information booths, sport demonstrations, a climbing wall, a zipline, and more. PISE is located at Camosun College’s Interurban campus (4371 Interurban Road, Saanich, BC).

Follow the Canadian Paralympic team and committee on Twitter and Facebook for more information about this event and others in the future.

As a side note, we received some good news this morning, John and I have been accredited for the 2012 London Paralympic Games, happening August 29th to September 9th.

Coming off an incredible high of national and local pride during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, I had no idea what to expect from the Paralympics that followed. The torch route was smaller and the lines at the previously packed pavilions were shorter. I wasn’t familiar with many of our Canadian para-athletes but within the first day, in fact starting with the impressive and energetic opening ceremonies, I knew this was an area of sport that I needed to learn about.

I ended up attending more events at the Paralympics than the Olympics, publishing a dozens posts, and have followed up with anniversary posts and an interview with London 2012’s Assistant Chef de Mission, Elisabeth Walker-Young.

I would encourage everyone to follow the Paralympics this year and attend community events like the Family Sport & Recreation Festival to learn more.