BACCHUS Marsh now has its own boccia club, with weekly come and try sessions underway at the Moorabool Aquatic and Recreation Centre (MARC).<\/p>\n
The Bacchus Marsh Boccia Club has been set up by local resident Kat Barlow, who was inspired by her son Noah’s participation in the sport.<\/p>\n
Noah, 15, was born with a rare form of mitochondrial disorder and had been active in sport before a series of strokes last year put an end to his participation.<\/p>\n
The Barlows chose boccia, which is an official Paralympic sport, as a way for Noah to remain active, and he is one of several young Bacchus Marsh enthusiasts who have been unofficially attending skills training events.<\/p>\n
“He loves it,” Ms Barlow said of Noah. “He loves that he can play a sport and he’s getting better and better at it.”<\/p>\n
Boccia is similar to bocce but is played with a small synthetic or leather ball, slightly larger than a tennis ball.<\/p>\n
It is played on an indoor court, with players moving the ball by kicking or throwing it, or using a ramp device, to place it as closely as possible to a white ball called the jack.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Australian team secured two silver medals at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris.<\/p>\n The MARC sessions run from 3.30pm to 5pm every Tuesday and are open to anyone aged over 13 who uses a wheelchair. Participants can simply turn up at the stadium.<\/p>\n Ms Barlow said Noah had trained with adults at Darebin up until now, so the new local sessions removed the need to make a four-hour round trip just to participate.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2025\/11\/05-225x300.jpg\")
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