ADG BULLETIN ::: Version 9

Welcome to our December edition of the Games bulletin. Christmas and the New Year are very near and the Games Organizing Committee (GOC) would like to wish each and every one of you, a very enjoyable Christmas and New Year celebration. As of middle December, we are climbing towards 1,000 participants, which includes sport entrants (including our friends from New Zealand, Fiji and Samoa), visitors, volunteers, Games Organizing team, sponsors and others attending the Games, which is a terrific result. Only Games Visitor Registration is now available to purchase until 31st December 2011.

We have 1,200 seats available at our Opening Ceremony and if you include the GOC, Games participants, volunteers, our Oceania friends, sponsors and VIPs attending this event, we are filling up fast. Don’t miss out, buy your registration now! Day Passes prices have been reduced and will be available to purchase during Games time (more info below). A Day Pass ticket does not get you access to the Opening or Closing ceremony. This bulletin has following information:

Sports Program Update

The Sports program has now been finalized and information will be available on the Games website as well as Program book which you receive with your Games Bag. An updated Sports Schedule is also included in the Bulletin.

Aquatics

The swimming competition is being held in partnership with the Victorian State Swimming championships at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (MSAC) in Melbourne. The State championships are being held from 13 – 15th January and Swim Victoria and Swim Australia have agreed to allow deaf competitors to either compete in the open events (if their qualifying times are good enough) or the multi-class events.

There will also be a Swim Clinic on Monday 16th January at the Geelong Swim centre at Kardinia Park (see more information on this later in this Bulletin).

Athletics - Elite Training / Coaching Clinic

We are pleased that an athletics clinic is being organized for those who have registered and anyone who is interested. The clinic will be held on Monday 16th January at the John Landy Field and we are currently organizing some well known deaf and hearing athletes to help lead the clinic (see more information on this later in this Bulletin).

Beach Volleyball

Beach Volleyball competition has teams from Victoria, Queensland, NSW, Fiji, Samoa and combined States/Territories. They will be playing men’s, women’s and mixed pairs. We look forward to an exciting event at Eastern Beach Reserve. The competition will be from Sunday 15th – Wednesday 18th January from 8.00 IS onwards each day.

Deaf Cricket

Deaf Cricket Championship will be 20/20 with ICC rules and Local Cricket Format competition, and we have teams for this competition from Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and a combined States / Territories teams. The competition will starts on Monday 16th January 2012 and finishes on Friday 20th January 2012. Four venues are finalized and will be used including Kardinia Park, Belmont Winter Reserve, Richmond Ova, Geelong and Osborne Park in North Geelong. The final will be played at Kardinia Park on Friday 20th January 2012. Hope you will have a very tough competitions among all the deaf cricket teams.

Darts

We have teams from Western Australia, Victoria, New Zealand and South Australia competing on the Men’s, Women’s, Mixed and Singles championships from Tuesday 17^th to Wednesday 18th January. The venue is the Slate Pool’s Lounge on Little Ryrie Street, Geelong.

Eight Ball

This competition has excellent representation from many States including New South Wales, South Australia, Queensland, New Zealand, Victoria and Western Australia. Looking forward to this competition, held at night-time at the same venue as Darts - Slate Pool Lounge in Geelong. The competition starts on Sunday 15th January 2012 and concludes on Wednesday 18^th January 2012.

Futsal

Futsal (indoor soccer) is a demonstration sport and it will be the first time for deaf soccer players to compete in. We have men’s teams from Victoria, Western Australia and combined States; there will be a mixed competition. Competition will be held at the Barwon Valley Activity Centre in Belmont is on Thursday 19th January. We look forward to seeing this event, as it is new, very active and quick.

Golf

Golf has become one of the stronger sports with the 2012 Games showing excellent registration numbers from across Australia. We have teams from New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria and South Australia. The competition is being played at the well-known 13th Beach course at Barwon Heads. The competition starts on Monday 16th and ends on Friday 20th January.

Lawn Bowls

Lawn Bowls will be played at the Belmont Bowls Club on Reynolds road, Belmont. Has always been a popular sport and we have teams from New South Wales, two teams from Victoria and Queensland, South Australia, New Zealand and Western Australia. We look forward to an excellent event at the Belmont Bowls Club. Competition starts on Sunday 15th and concludes on Friday 20th January. Wednesday 18th January is a rest day.

Netball

Netball will be played at the Kardinia Park Netball centre between Sundays 15th to Thursday 19th January. We also have for the first time, a mixed netball competition with men and women competing in the same teams. New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, ACT and two teams from Victoria will compete. Mixed netball will be played at the Life Be in It Sports Centre, South Geelong, on Saturday 21st January.

Rugby 7’s

Another demonstration sport and already we have 4 teams from Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Fiji. The competition will be held at the Corio Community Centre in Hendy Street, Corio on Friday 20th and Saturday 21st January. The game is fast and exciting with 7 minute halves. Well done to Southern Cross Deaf Rugby Union, a new member of DSA for organizing this event and we look forward to Rugby 7’s being a permanent feature in future Australian Deaf Games.

Squash

The Squash competition has teams from South Australia, Victoria, Queensland as well as a player from New Zealand involved in both individual and team events. The venue is the Geelong Lawn tennis Club on Sommer Street, Belmont and will be held between Sunday 15th to Tuesday 17th January.

Table Tennis

Like squash, Table Tennis is not a popular sport but it has been in the Australian Deaf Games for many years. We have teams from South Australia, New South Wales, Fiji and Victoria as well as players from ACT, South Australia and New Zealand competing on both individual and team matches. The competition is being held at the Geelong Table Tennis Centre on Church Street, Geelong between Friday 20th to Saturday 21st January. Come and watch our champion players who have represented Australia in past Deaflympic Games.

Tennis

The tennis competition will run from Sunday 15th to Tuesday 17th January and will be held at the same venue as the squash competition – Geelong Lawn Tennis Club on Sommer Street, Belmont. We have just found out that the next Davis Cup tie in which Australia is involved in is the same venue.

Tenpin Bowling

This sport is one of our stronger competitions and the Geelong Games will show just how good our deaf bowlers are. We have teams from New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria competing in Men’s, Women’s doubles, triple’s, teams, and Masters and Queen’s competitions from Saturday 14th to Tuesday 17th January. It will be held at the Bowls Centre on Reynolds road in Belmont, next door to the Lawn Bowls centre. You might see someone score the perfect game – a score of 300.

Touch Football

Touch Football is a new sport growing in popularity and offered as a demonstration sport at the 2012 Games. We have teams from the ACT, New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and Fiji. The competition will be held at the Corio Community centre, Hendy Street, Corio – same venue as Rugby 7’s. The dates are Tuesday 17th and Wednesday 18th January.

Further updates regarding the sports can be found under ‘Sports’ on the ADG website.

Posted in: Belmont Bowls Club,Corio Community Centre,Geelong Swim centre,Kardinia Park,Oceania friends,Opening Ceremony,Southern Cross Deaf Rugby Union,Victorian State Swimming championship