Watersports Inclusion Games

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WATERSPORTS INCLUSION GAMES

25th & 26th June 2022, Lough Derg Yacht Club, Dromineer

The Watersports Inclusion Games is a FREE event celebrating watersports for people of all abilities/disabilities from the physical, sensory, intellectual & learning spectrums and those experiencing barriers accessing mainstream watersports

The inaugural WI Games in 2017 (Dun Laoghaire) was hugely well received and activities were expanded in 2018 (Galway) with the event winning Project of the Year at the National Inclusion Awards. Watersports Inclusion Games saw exponential growth in numbers in 2019 (Kinsale, Cork), where we had even more activities on offer and over 300 participants and 200 volunteers enjoyed two days of fun and sunshine.

Now the event, in its fourth year, is returning with even more activities on offer, hosted at the vibrant Lough Derg Yacht Club, Dromineer, Co. Tipperary. The club is excellently located on the east shore of beautiful Lough Derg lake on the River Shannon, and with a wide water frontage and accessible clubhouse, LDYC is the perfect location to facilitate the range of fun activities we will have on offer.

Aimed especially at young people but catering for ALL ages, participants together with family and friends can access the exciting sports of Sailing, Canoeing, Kayaking, Rowing, Powerboating, Paddleboarding and Waterskiing with some more new activities in the pipeline for 2022!

All activities and equipment are provided and no experience is necessary.

The event showcases the latest adaptations and innovations for optimised watersports delivery and promotes the benefits to health and wellbeing of accessible inclusive watersports participation.

Watersports Inclusion Games is organised by Irish Sailing in association with Canoeing Ireland, Rowing Ireland, Irish Wakeboarding and Waterski Federation, Tipperary Local Sports Partnership, Lough Derg Yacht Club, Spinal Injuries Ireland, supported by Sailability Ireland, Sport Inclusion Ireland, Kinsale OEC, Waterabilities, Wet Mongrel Adventure, and many other organisations.

This event is largely volunteer run and is funded by Sport Ireland Dormant Accounts Sports Inclusion Fund

For interested participants, keep a close eye on this page and contact wsinclusion@gmail.com for inclusion on the Watersports Inclusion Games contact list if you are not already on it from previous events.

Participants

Participant Booking

Participant booking will open soon. Contact wsinclusion@gmail.com if you would like to receive a notification and link when booking goes live.

Participant Accommodation & Camping

Dromineer village itself is limited in terms of accomodation options but the nearest large town is Neenagh where hotels and b&b options may be available and we would recommend early booking.

There will be some camping spaces available at the grassy camping area adjacent to the club, which area is suitable for tents or camper vans and has dedicated toilets & showers. Booking will be facilitated as part of the ticket booking process.

Volunteers

Volunteers

We have had overwhelming volunteer support at our event year on year, whether experienced watersports instructors / facilitators, watersports lovers or even those who are not experienced in this area but would like to lend a hand, we welcome all skills and we have have many different types of role available! Volunteers will receive an event T-shirt, lunch both days and dinner on Saturday evening and all will get to enjoy the Saturday night party on site.

Volunteer Camping

There will be camping available on location at the grassy camping area adjacent to the club which can accomodate tents / campers / vans and there are dedicated toilets / showers for those camping.

Volunteer Booking

You can book in to volunteer on 25th or 26th or both days, at the following link: COMING SOON.

Volunteer Training

On the weekend before the event there will be optional Watersports & Adventure Inclusion Training running at LDYC that will be open to all volunteers. Morning sessions on 18th and 19th of June will cover Awareness Training and afternoon sessions each day will cover Practical Facilitation Skills. There is the opportunity to book in to either day of these trainings when volunteers register at the booking link above.

Thank you to all the 2022 supporters

The Watersports Inclusion Games is supported by the Sport Ireland Dormant Accounts Sports Inclusion Fund

Lough Derg Yacht Club

You can take the pledge and make a difference too ... go here

Testimonials

“An excellent event, we all enjoyed so much. Volunteers were so lovely and warm. My daughter progressed from paddle boarding in a wheelchair to on her own over the 2 days and that was down to volunteers, Lorna and Nico. Having her siblings and parents in activities with her made it so much easier and also allowed siblings to have a great time. A wonderful weekend for all the family”

“…..it was truly fantastic event. Probably the best organized, with the most helpful, kind and caring volunteers I have ever come across. I worked for a huge Corporate Company as Event Manager for years & I was blown away with how fantastically this was run. Well done & Thank you so much”

“Overall I thought it was such an amazing event. I volunteered to bring one young man with an ID on the Saturday. He loved the whole day as did I. I got to take part in some of the sports, chatted with family members, instructors and volunteers and had an amazing day. lunch was great, venue was perfect and the sun shone. I cannot commend the organisation, volunteers and staff enough. Well done to all. I just wish it was in Galway more often. Thank you to everyone involved”

“Thought it was very well organized and volunteers were excellent , really really enjoyed the day”