22nd March 2010,

Cycling Program off to a Speedy Start

Fresh from his success at the recent 2009 Deaflympic Games that was held in Taipei, Reece Van Beek had the opportunity to share his experience with eager and interested students at Victorian College of the Deaf as part of the Schools Cycling MoU Partnership program between Deaf Sports Australia and Cyclesports Victoria.

The students were enthralled to meet Reece who has won 4 medals at two Deaflympic Games, a total of 2 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze medals.

The Schools Cycling Program aims to educate students about the sport of Cycling, as well as riding safely with the use of helmets. The students had the opportunity to ride bikes that were provided by Cyclesports Victoria around the school grounds.

Reece provided students with advice and tips on how to ride bikes safely.

“Providing this program for young students is a good way to promote the sport of Cycling, especially for these deaf and hard of hearing youngsters aspiring to be future Deaflympians or Olympians” says Irena Farinacci of Deaf Sports Australia.

She added “It is also an excellent opportunity for the students to understand the benefits of participating in physical activity through Cycling”.

CycleSport Victoria along with Deaf Sports Australia and the Victorian College of the Deaf have all combined for an outstanding start to the deaf cycling schools program. A fantastic connection has been made between all entities and as a result we have seen some vast improvements in just the handful of weeks that the initiative has been operating. The students participating in the program have been non-stop smiling and it is clearly evident that not only are they enjoying themselves but importantly they are learning life lessons and taking away a great deal of confidence from the program.

"It just brings a smile to my face seeing these kids just appreciate what they have. They seem to be really taking a lot away from the program, their enthusiasm and excitement is incredible, and Reece is just an ideal role model for any aspiring student wanting to become a cyclist", says Chris Goodrope from CycleSport Victoria.

The program hopes to continue running into the latter part of Term 2, where it is hoped many of the students will progress and compete at the annual Victorian Schools Cycling Championships in July coordinated by CycleSport Victoria.

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