Mayfield student goes to Boccia World Cup
By ALAN LICZYK Staff Reporter

Mayfield secondary school student Brock Richardson is a member of the Canadian team that will play in the Boccia World Cup in Vancouver, May 11-19.

An exceptional academic student from Mayfield secondary student has also shown his skill in sports by making the Canadian team that will compete at the 2007 Boccia World Cup in Vancouver this week.

Brock Richardson, 16, will be the youngest member of the 10-person Canadian team in the competition that runs May 11-19. The athletes are put into different classifications based on their boccia classification. Brock, who has cerebral palsy, is one of two players on the Canadian team who is a BC1. The team also has two BC2s, three BC3s and two BC4s. The lower the number the more the disability.

Brock just returned from the Czech Republic in mid- April where the fivemember Canadian team won the gold medal in the BC1-2 class.

"I got my first international point," he said.

There will be 25 countries competing at the World Cup.

"I'm excited," Brock said. "It's the biggest tournament I've ever done. I just want to go."

His parents Ed and Berrie-Lyn and an uncle will be going with him.

In order to advance to the Paralympics in Beijing in September 2008 the Canadian team will have to place in the top 12 of the World Cup.

Brock got into boccia ball five years ago. He explained a special needs worker, Kathy Ludwig, looked for a sport for him to do and got him interested.

He's played on the Ontario team the last two years and the team just won the gold medal at the nationals in Laval, Quebec, in March. Brock was also selected for the Canadian team that month.

In boccia ball, one person will have six red or six blue balls. The person with the red ball will throw out first at the white ball. Whichever coloured ball is closest to the white ball scores a point, similar to the way scoring is done in curling. There are four ends in boccia ball with a tiebreaker if necessary. The court is six metres by 12 and a half metres. Players can compete as a single or in teams of two or three.

Brock trains 18 hours a week. He rents space at Stanley Mills elementary school and trains with the Brampton Boccia Blazers.

Lisa Dafoe, educational resource facilitator at Mayfield S.S., said Brock is an amazing student, maintaining an 80 per cent average this semester. She added he has spirit, energy and dedication to life, and his work is often better than non-disabled students.

"He doesn't give up," she said. "He's easy to work with."

Brock said it's his goal to remain on the Canadian team for some time and attend the Paralympics in Beijing.

His sponsors include Plastik Belt Manufacturing - Ed Robson; The Floor Shop - Steve Richardson; Vachon Enright & Peter Insurance - Conrad Vachon; and Taiga Building Products.

The Web site for the Canadian Cerebral Palsy Sports Association is www.ccpsa.ca. The Web site for the Boccia World Cup is www.2007bocciaworldcup.c om.