LOUISE SERVES UP TRIPLE TENNIS TITLE!

Get Kids Going! was delighted to talk with wheelchair-tennis star Louise Hunt after a series of impressive performances in the last month. Louise won her third women's doubles wheelchair tennis title in as many weeks after partnering Germany's Bianca Osterer to victory at the Arcotel-Rezidencija Open in Zagreb, Croatia on 28th June 2011. The pair triumphed 6-1, 6-2 to round off a hugely successful European clay court tour.

Her success during the Croatian Open was matched by doubles’ titles at the Czech Open and the Slovakian Open. Louise narrowly missed out on Singles titles during the same tournaments but finished as a semi-finalist in one and runner-up at the other two.

During the last year Louise has beaten two players in the top 15, something that has contributed to what she describes as her “best year so far”. Louise is firmly on track to make the Olympic team for London 2012 and she is aiming to medal by the time the Rio Olympics come round in 2016.

Louise started playing tennis at the age of just 5 and she believes it is a sport she was always “destined to play!” Louise was actually the recipient of the first ever wheelchair distributed by Get Kids Going, which she received in 1997 at the age of seven. The support she has received from Get Kids Going! has “meant the absolute world to me. I could not have done what I have without Get Kids Going!”.

Louise will be competing in the British Open from 18th- 25th July in Nottingham.

JOSH GAINS ACE EXPERIENCE AT CROATIAN TENNIS OPEN

Get Kids Going! wheelchair-tennis star Josh Steels recently returned home from Croatia where he put up an excellent fight against the third seed, and world number 48, in the first round of the International Federation event in Zagreb on 23rd June. Despite the defeat, the Great Britain Junior number one was upbeat about his performance against such a top-level player, describing himself as “very happy with the way I played”.

Josh has been playing tennis for four years, and he is now targeting as many senior ranking events as possible in order to fulfil his dreams of representing Great Britain at the 2012 Paralympics. He is currently having an impressive year, and despite being only eighteen, was a runner up in the National Wheelchair Tennis Championships in May and also helped Great Britain to a fourth-placed finish at the World Team Cup, staged in South Africa in April.

Josh put his impressive new performances down to his new Get Kids Going! tennis wheelchair which was given to him by the charity in May this year! We wish Josh all the best for his next events as he attempts to move up the rankings.

KEEP GOING JOSH!

David Weir Wins 5th Virgin London Marathon

The Get Kids Going! team enjoyed unprecedented success at the 2011 Virgin London Marathon on Sunday 17th April. Vice President David Weir claimed a historic fifth title in the Men’s Wheelchair Race with a record time of 1hr 30mins 5secs. David’s victory on Sunday, which The Daily Telegraph described as ‘tactical perfection”, makes him the most successful male wheelchair athlete in the race’s history. In the Women’s Wheelchair Race, Shelly Woods, who has been supported by Get Kids Going! from the age of fourteen, almost made it a double success before she was ‘pipped to the post’ for silver and a time of 1hr 46mins 31secs. Get Kids Going! Juniors Sheikh Muhadin Skeikh and Jake Williamson rounded off a hugely satisfying day by claiming Gold and Silver in the Junior Wheelchair Race with times of 12mins 41secs and 14mins 6secs respectively.

Speaking to Get Kids Going! before the marathon, David and Shelly were keen to point out just how much the charity has helped in the development of their sporting careers. Get Kids Going! has helped to buy the expensive equipment they have both needed to compete at an advanced level. As one in a family of three Shelly notes that it was simply impossible for her parents to afford the sports wheelchairs she needed to advance as an athlete. Shelly continued, wheelchair racing is “not for the faint-hearted. To be honest, it’s a really hard sport to be good at...it takes a lot of time…and you’re really on your own out there”. Having overcome financial and societal barriers, Shelly and David are optimistic about the future of disability sport in Britain. David said that youngsters now have “a lot more choice available” – improvements in technology have meant that sports practiced by just a handful of disabled youngsters are now far more accessible with the right support from charities like Get Kids Going!.

Both athletes are now setting their sights on London 2012 Paralympic Games, and with under 500 days remaining, the sense of anticipation is growing. Shelly says: “It’s exciting…I remember watching Athens and Sydney on TV…seeing Tanni Grey-Thompson…and I was thinking…ooh can I do that?” Get Kids Going! hopes that these inspiring athletes will be igniting the same dreams in a new generation of athletes.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OUR WONDERFUL YOUNG ATHLETES

Heartache for David Weir

Vice President of Get Kids Going! and four times winner of the Men’s wheelchair race at the London Marathon, David Weir suffered two punctures, ending his hopes of winning the 2010 Virgin London Marathon.

Unfortunately, due to recently completed road works and the uneven nature of the surface along the 26.2 mile course, David picked up a puncture at the 15 mile mark and then one at 21 miles, effectively ending the chances of him winning the race. As David said “The first wasn't so bad as it was on the front of my wheelchair which isn't as much of a problem as there's not much weight on it. At the 21-mile marker, one of my rear tyres went completely flat and I knew it was game over. It was like doing an extra 10 miles”.

Leading at the half way mark at Tower Bridge, David was in a commanding position, holding a three minute lead over his nearest rival. However, as disaster struck shortly afterwards, it allowed some of the other competitors to overtake him near the finish and pip him to the coveted prize.

It was a cruel blow for David who had come into the race in top form. Along with the help of his coach, Jenny Archer and the charity Get Kids Going who kindly supply his racing wheelchair, David was in the best shape of his life. He saw the Virgin London Marathon as a way to show the world that he will be one of the hot favourites for a gold medal in the marathon event at the 2012 Olympics.

Despite the disappointment, David hopes to compete in next year’s race. If you would like to participate in the 2011 Virgin London Marathon for Get Kids Going then please click on the following link:

http://www.getkidsgoing.com/join-marathon.html

We would love to have you on our team!

Congratulations The Daily Telegraph and BBC radio.

The International Paralympics committee hosted the Paralympic’s award gala on Sunday, November 22, 2009 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The awards gala is held after every Paralympics to honour all the top athletes, officials, international media and contributors from the scientific and academic world who have made significant contributions to the Paralympic games in Beijing 2008.

Great Britain won awards in the Radio and Print media categories. The Daily Telegraph gave the best print/internet coverage of the 2008 Paralympics, and BBC Radio won best radio coverage. The Daily Telegraph is already writing about the upcoming London 2012 Paralympic games. BBC radio Paralympic game coverage can still be found on their website. The awards are given out to media networks that have promoted and supported the Paralympic athletes. Congratulations to The Daily Telegraph and BBC radio.

For more information about the Paralympic award gala please go to: www.paralympic.org

Athlete Series

Get Kids Going! is starting a series on some of our athletes. We want to let the public know who is benefitting from all of their gracious donations. Get Kids Going! has provided wheelchairs for some of the top disabled athletes in the world during the course of their career like David Weir and Shelly Woods. We also provide support for up and coming athletic stars who are the next Paralympic hopefuls like Mickey Bushell, Matt Skelhon, and Ali Jawad.

Please stop and take a look on our Hot News! page about the new "hot new" athletes being supported by Get Kids Going! We love supporting all of these athletes and we want to continue to do so. Please contact Get Kids going about running at 0207 481 8110 or email us at info@getkidsgoing.com

The Virgin London Marathon Committe plans London's Paralympic marathon course

The Virgin London marathon committee has been picked by the Olympic planning committee to design the Olympic and Paralympic marathon route for the London 2012 competition. In a press release put up on the London marathon's website, The Virgin London Marathon officials will no only design a new marathon route that shows off London's landmark, but will provide the staff and equipment for the Olympics and Paralympics for no cost.

The Virgin London Marathon is one of the worlds most popular and influential marathons in the world today with over 35,000 participating runners from all over the world. The Olympic and Paralympic committee picked the organizers from the London Marathon to design the Olympic course, because they feel that “organizers have a vast wealth of expertise which will prove invaluable as we work to deliver the Marathon events in 2012.” The Olympic committee wants to show off London's assets by having a race course that runs by all of London’s famous sites.

To read more about the press release follow this link:

http://www.virginlondonmarathon.com/news-and-media/news-and-media/london2012-appoints-london-marathon/