Paralympic wheelchair racing champion Nathan Maguire has delivered an inspiring training session to young sports leaders in East Lancashire, emphasising the importance of perseverance and inclusive participation in sport. The Commonwealth and European champion, who also holds a Paralympic silver medal, worked with students to prepare them for running an inclusive boccia tournament, sharing his own journey from starting wheelchair racing in 2014 to achieving international success.
Bringing Schools Together for Inclusive Sport
At The Valley Leadership Academy, Nathan Maguire provided instruction to 21 Year 7 sports leaders from The Valley and eight sports leaders from Tor View School. The session focused on teaching the rules and organisational skills needed to run a boccia game effectively. Boccia is a precision ball sport similar to bowls, where all participants remain seated while throwing, kicking, or rolling a round leather ball filled with plastic pellets toward a white jack target. Unlike some ball sports, boccia balls do not bounce but only roll, making the game accessible to players of varying physical abilities.
Student Reactions and Learning Outcomes
The young sports leaders expressed enthusiasm about the training and the sport's inclusive nature. Tansy Stocks, a sports leader from The Valley Leadership Academy, commented on the positive experience, noting that "it went good because we learnt how to play Boccia." She highlighted that "everyone can get involved, wheelchair users can play it without having to get up, everyone can play," and found Nathan inspiring due to his Paralympic achievements.
Tom Rodderick, another sports leader from The Valley, shared his appreciation for helping pupils enjoy different sports organised by the Rossendale School Sports Partnership. He said, "I like seeing that everyone can get involved and if they are in a wheelchair or anything that might make it so that they can’t do other sports, they can all do it in Boccia." Reflecting on Nathan's impact, Tom added, "Nathan was amazing, he has done loads of things in his lifetime... he showed that no matter what might happen in your life, you should still push to your absolute limit and don’t let it be an obstacle."
Educational and Community Impact
The training session was organised by Rossendale School Sports Partnership School Games organiser Nathan Bibby in preparation for a tournament scheduled for February 10 at The Valley. This event will see 16 primary schools participating in the morning and eight secondary schools in the afternoon, with the winning school representing Rossendale at county level and potentially advancing to north west or national competitions.
Patrick Bleasdale, PE lead at Tor View School, praised the opportunity, stating, "The Boccia officiating course was an incredible opportunity for our learners at Tor View. It's a sport that is played a lot across our school. The experience of meeting a Gold Medallist and Paralympian was brilliant and our learners took a lot away from the day." He expressed optimism about future officiating roles for the students.
Promoting Empathy and Inclusivity Through Sport
Nathan Maguire, who also works with the national charity Panathlon Challenge to inspire pupils to try sport, emphasised the value of the training. He said, "The Boccia training was a real opportunity for the students of both schools to come together and learn the rules and how to run a game of boccia; it was also great to see that the students supporting one another and learning from each other."
School Games organiser Nathan Bibby added, "Boccia is a very inclusive sport, anybody can play it and it is really fun. Running the competition will give our students the opportunity to work with children who have disabilities and in the training session they have learnt techniques and skills and also to have empathy with everyone who will be taking part." This initiative underscores the broader goal of fostering community spirit and understanding through accessible sporting activities in the region.
