For immediate release
Event: SHG ‘Be the Best You Can Be’ athletics carnival
Venue: AIS Athletics Track, Canberra
Time: 10.00 am – 2.00 pm
Lunch time dance party and celebrity race: 11.45 am – 12.30 pm
Date: Thursday 7 September 2017
The SHG ‘Be the Best You Can Be’ athletics carnival is in its 17th year. We are expecting 400 ACT school students with a disability to converge on the AIS Athletics Track on Thursday 7 September 2017.
The carnival will involve students from over 15 Canberra primary schools, high schools and colleges. The students, who have intellectual and/or physical disabilities, will participate in a rotation of modified activities including sprints, vortex throw, shot put and long jump.

Australian Paralympians will attend the day and support the children. Louise Ellery will be there to hand out medals and provide inspiration to young athletes as they compete at shot put.

Players from national sporting teams will race the mascots in the Celebrity Race during the lunch break and mingle with the athletes throughout their sporting rotations. Andrew Robinson and Ben Hyne from Canberra Viking Rugby are attending. Tim Gavel, renowned ABC Commentator, will call the mascot and celebrity race.

The mascots attending include Brumby Jack, Victor the Viking, Happy Heart, Paddy Platypus, Sid Seagull, Filbert the frog, Brave Bot plus Shaggy, the mascot of the SHG ‘Be the Best You Can Be’ athletics carnival.

And for the first time, The Woden School’s student events team Party Down Productions will be putting on a lunchtime Dance Party at the AIS as part of the ‘Be The Best You Can Be’ sports day.

Background information

Children with a disability are not always easily included in sporting activities at a local level. But the benefits of physical activity are common for all children. When thinking about children with a disability:

  1. 1 in 5 people in Australia have a disability.
  2. People with a profound disability are 9 times less likely to participate in activities outside the home.
  3. Almost 80% of school principals reported not having enough resources to meet the needs of children with a disability

Statistics: House with no steps

Organisation of event

In 2000, the ACT Paralympic Council saw the need for inclusion of people with a disability in sport. Together with Snedden Hall & Gallop Managing Director, Richard Faulks, who was on the Council board, an annual community event was created. The ‘Be The Best You Can Be’ athletics carnival is an event specifically designed for children with a disability.
A unique athletics carnival designed just for children with a disability can be rewarding and fulfilling, not only for the children but also their teachers, carers and parents.
“I would like to pass on our thanks for the ‘Be The Best You Can Be’ day, our children thoroughly enjoyed it and we are really appreciative of your great organisation, the children’s presents and the kindness everyone showed our children.”
Teacher in a Canberra School Autism Unit
The carnival is now in it’s 17th year and is organised by Snedden Hall & Gallop Lawyers.

Paralympians attending

Jayden Sawyer, who won a javelin gold medal at the World Para Athletics Championships in London this year. Jayden is an Australian para athlete who competes mainly in the F38 category in throwing events. He also won a bronze medal at the World Para Champs.
Louise Ellery: an Australian Paralympic athlete, Commonwealth Games gold medallist and former world record holder in F32 Shot Put for elite athletes with a disability. Louise broke the world record in shot put at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, won silver at the London 2012 Paralympic Games and at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, she won a bronze medal.
Sue Powell: multiple Olympic medallist, Sue Powell won Australia’s first gold medal of the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Her gold came in the Women’s Individual Pursuit C4, setting a new world record in the process. She also won a silver medal in the Women’s Individual Pursuit C4. She was awarded an Order of Australia Medal in 2014 for service to sport. Sue represented Australia at Rio 2016, where she competed in four events and medalled in two, winning silver in the individual pursuit and bronze in the road time trial. Her silver medal was Australia’s first of the Rio Games.

For Further Media Information

Kirsten Cameron
(02) 6285 8000
Email
Snedden Hall & Gallop Lawyers
43-49 Geils Court, Deakin, ACT 2600

Other resources:

Snedden Hall & Gallop community involvement page
Snedden Hall & Gallop details of event
Canberra Times 2016
City News, 2011