From an early age we were always taught to put ourselves in a person’s shoes before judging them completely. Here, the opportunity has recently fallen perfectly for the students of Rovigo middle and high schools, as part of a truly praiseworthy and empathetic initiative.
In fact, last November 15th, at the sports center of the Polisportiva San Bortolo in Rovigo, the “Awareness Day: sportingly in your place” took place, organized by the Physical Education Office of the Provincial School Office of Rovigo. The initiative, dedicated to lower and upper secondary school students, offered participants a unique experience: identifying with people with disabilities and experimenting with different adapted sports. The day was structured around a series of stations, each dedicated to a different sport, proposed and managed by qualified technicians from the relevant federations.
Thanks to their collaboration, the children were able to experience firsthand the difficulties and challenges, but also the opportunities, of Paralympic and adapted sport. The sports stations included different disciplines. Starting with archery for the blind, where participants, blindfolded, learned to shoot a bow using sound signals to aim at the target, discovering the importance of concentration and coordination. Then torball, a team sport played by blind athletes, in which players must intercept and throw a ball equipped with rattles; the students tried playing blindfolded, developing greater attention to sounds and spatial perception.
Following is sitting volleyball, a variant of volleyball played while sitting, which requires reaction speed and team spirit. The boys discovered how challenging it is to maintain control of the game without the use of their legs. The fourth stage was represented by baskin, an inclusive evolution of basketball, which allows people with different abilities to play together. Participants appreciated the importance of collaboration and adapting to each player’s abilities. Baseball for the blind has come full circle, in which the kids, wearing a blindfold and guided by the voice signals of an assistant, experimented with this sport that combines attention, listening and coordination. The success of the event was made possible thanks to the availability and competence of the technicians of the various sports federations (Polisportiva San Bortolo, Asd Uni Sport Rovigo, Asd Rhodigium Basket Rovigo, Asd Baseball Rovigo, Asd Compagnia Arcieri Rovigo, Fipav Territorial Committee), who they offered their support and guided the students through the different activities.
Their contribution was fundamental not only to show the technical aspects of sports, but also to convey to children the values of inclusion, respect and collaboration. The provincial school office of Rovigo has already announced its intention to make this appointment an annual event, broadening the involvement of schools and sports federations. “Thanks to initiatives like this, we can teach our children that diversity is a resource, and sport is a universal language that breaks down every barrier”, concluded the provincial coordinator of the Physical Education Office for the Ust, the professor Federica Pravato.
