Playground to Podium: County Athlete Development Day
Playground to Podium: County Athlete Development Day
On Monday 16th November young disabled athletes from the North London PRO ACTIVE area, (including Haringey, Barnet, Enfield & Waltham Forest) who had been identified as having higher abilities, were chosen to attend the trials at White Hart Lane CSC.
Playground to Podium (P2P) is a national strategy for the identification, development and support of talented young disabled athletes. Its ultimate aim is to produce the next Paralympian or elite disabled athlete. P2P focuses mainly on students with physical and sensory impairments as well as those with severe learning difficulties.
Athletes attending were formerly assessed by high quality coaches from National Governing Bodies of football, athletics, table tennis and wheelchair basketball. Scouts from the NGB’s, assessed whether athletes had the potential to further progress within that sport along its Paralympic pathway.
The day also provided ‘Step Into Sport’ volunteers from Alexandra Park & St. Thomas More Schools, the opportunity to assist coaches with delivery of sports sessions and support athletes between sessions, particularly when accessing venues.
The day finished with an inspirational session led by Haringey’s own Paralympian & Young Ambassador, Ali Jawad, who is British & Jnr. World Champion at power lifting & represented Great Britain in the sport at the Beijing Paralympics.
