DUKA’s Deaflympics Celebratory Evening in Stoke
6 May 2005
By Rebecca Foster,
DUKA Coach
On the 6th May I attended a Celebration Evening Presentation for the Great Britain track and field athletes and DUKA officials who took part at this year’s Deaflympics in Melbourne, Australia, January 2005. The event was organised by one of DUKA’s very active volunteer, Guy Finney, who is based in Stoke On Trent, Staffordshire, England.
View the all the [ pictures ] here.
It was an event that I looked very forward to as it was another opportunity to meet up with the rest of the team after our wonderful time in Melbourne.
Arriving from Yorkshire very early on Saturday morning, I took the opportunity to coach some athletes. I coached SAQ – Speed, Agility and Quickness. Everyone who turned up tried various training tools to improve their Speed, Agility (flexibility) and Quickness.
After training finished, we all went back to the hotel to rest and then got ready for the formal evening function. More of the athletes and some new faces arrived. After we got ready, Hilary, Guy and Brian took us in their cars to Kings Hall – a magnificent function room within Stoke On Trent City Council Town Hall.
View the all the [ pictures ] here.
As I settled on my chair, many familiar faces came to greet me – Jo Davison (Gold Medallist in the Hammer), Lauren Peffers (Gold and Silver medallist for the 800m and 1,500m respectively), Candy Hawkins (Bronze medallist in both the 800m and 1,500m), Jessica Everhurst (semi finalist in the 100m) and some new faces came to introduce themselves.
With everyone smartly dressed and settled on their seats, Guy called for attention, opened the evening, introduced everyone that was present and gave permission for the waiters to serve a beautiful 3 course meal – which we smoothly washed down with drinks and a cup of coffee!
View the all the [ pictures ] here.
When the meals had settled down, Guy began told stories and experiences of sporting triumphs. They brought back lots of happy memories from our time in Melbourne.
The presentation section of the evening was very well planned and thoughtful. Guy singled out great performances and shared them with everyone. Other sports were also represented. Guy awarded the Deaflympians with wonderfully presented photos, which was very moving.
DUKA Director, Brian Kokoruwe also provided a fantastic DVD of the Deaflympics, supported by some great photos exhibition of the 3 weeks trip to Australia. Due to Brian’s continued hard work in promoting deaf athletics, the official sponsor and shoes supplier of the DUKA Melbourne Team, ASICS, gave spikes and trainers to all the athletes as a way of congratulating their outstanding performances.
Overall the evening was a memorable experience and one that I will certainly treasure. We were all very thankful and grateful for the very hard work and huge efforts that Guy put in to make this all happen.
Thank you Guy on behalf of all that attended. You are a star
View the [ picture ] album to see all the photo's from this event.
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