A report from the
Wheelchair Tennis Project
From the very beginning, when I had the opportunity to start my
activity with The Smiles Foundation, I was given the chance to be
involved in the Wheel Chair Tennis programme. I was very
excited when Octavia gave me her tennis responsibility and I was
confident I could help it continue to be the success it was proving to
be.
This is how I managed to
meet some very special people - lively, hopeful and with a strength to
get over any obstacle, like you rarely see in people. The wheel chair
tennis team is made up of 10 people: 6 boys and 4 girls aged between
14 and 30 years. We also have a tennis coach, a person with a lot of
experience in this domain. Two of the boys from the team have been
part of several wheel chair tennis championships in Romania.
The team is very keen to meet twice a month in our
gymnasium in the Tileagd Complex and the hours they spend every time
are, with plenty of energy, very ambitious, and a lot of will to try
to do better every time they hit the ball and to become more
professional.
In our last meeting this month we had the opportunity to have with us
part of the mission trip
group, who were very excited about what they
have experienced. They were very keen to try to play tennis in a wheel
chair – a unique experience for them. They tried to understand how a
person with disabilities can spend all his time in a wheel chair and
realised how difficult is to play tennis like that. I really believe
they enjoyed the time spent with us.
These people, even if they are less able than many, have a special
gift from God and they enjoy every moment and live intensely, so
happily do things which many of us forget to do because we are used to
have so many things.
Having this opportunity to be part of a wheel chair tennis team helps
them feel very special, to be part of a group, to socialise with other
people and not feel like they are discriminated against.
I personally must admit that I feel honoured to be able to be part of
this team with all these very special people, from who I
have many
things to learn. I have to say that not only the disabled can benefit
of the tennis programme, but also children from our school, who learn
during the P.E. lessons. Children enjoy sports, but they have a
particular interest and fascination with tennis. Starting to do sport
from an early age will help their body to develop in a healthy way
which is very important.
Thank you for enabling Smiles to have established this project.
Please continue to support it. The children and I really appreciate
it!
Lily Bideran
Tileagd
Physiotherapist & Physical Education teacher
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