may 2022

May 31, 2022: Your May update!!

Hello Cruisers Family!

May has been a great month for more Cruisers athletes participating in sports and tournaments, both at home, and on the road!

A very important call for volunteers! We need a couple volunteers to help with the Para Ice Hockey try-it this Friday from 6-9pm at Susan Fennell Sportsplex (formerly South Fletchers)! Please contact Ken at paraicehockey@cruisers-sports.com.

Beacham Summer Fun Day

Beacham Summer Fun Day registration is now open!! Please follow the link below to register for a fun-filled day at Windreach Farm! Looking forward to seeing you all there on August 7th!
https://cruiserssports.wildapricot.org/event-4832719

Scholarship - Alexander J. Szerenyi Award

We are incredibly fortunate to once again be able to offer the Alexander J. Szerenyi Award.

The Alexander J. Szerenyi Award is open to members of Cruisers Sports who meet ALL of the following criteria:

• Individuals, who are or will be attending a Post-Secondary Educational Institution in Canada (virtually or in-person); and
• who have a physical disability.

Alex was a long-time coach with the Cruisers – and still a current Cruisers Super Fan and supporter! This incredible $3000 scholarship award goes a long way to help with education related expenses.

See the past winners online: www.cruisers-sports.com/events/banquet/awards.shtml#alex

Cruisers Boccia Program Receives Jumpstart Grant

Earlier this year, Cruisers' Boccia program was selected to receive a Community Development Grant from Canadian Tire Jumpstart. We are grateful to receive this funding that will be used to supplement rental fees, equipment and other program costs. Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities is committed to ensuring kids in need have equal access to sport and recreation. The grant comes at a perfect time, as the 2022 Boccia season is back in person and now underway. Register now to join us Mondays from April to November.

www.cruisers-sports.com/sports/boccia.shtml

Brampton Accessibility Week

Cruisers will be heavily involved with Accessibility Week in Brampton running May 30-June 4, 2022.

Spread the word and join us for a Wheelchair Basketball Try-It on Monday and Para Ice Hockey on Friday.

We will round off the week with a booth at the Resource Fair on Saturday and host a Para Athletics Try-It on Sunday during our Cruisers Classic meet at Terry Fox Stadium.

Full details and all events online: www.brampton.ca/EN/residents/Recreation/Pages/Accessible-Sports-Week-.aspx

Handcycle Winner

Congrats to Jordan Cullum who won the handcycle! 

Cruisers Classic Track & Field Meets

The next two Cruisers Classic competitions are fast approaching - Sunday, June 5th at the Terry Fox Stadium in Brampton and July 17th at the Toronto Track and Field Centre in North York. Check out our website for the most recent meet information here: www.cruisers-sports.com/events/classic.shtml.

Cruisers joining the ParticipACTION Community Better Challenge this June

Cruisers Sports will be participating in this year's ParticipACTION Community Better Challenge. This is a national physical activity initiative that encourages Canadians to get active throughout the month of June, with rewards to the most active communities. Cruisers will be tracking all activity during our Cruisers Classic that takes place on Sunday, June 5th, and encourage everyone to come out, get active and learn more about our Para Sports program. We are thrilled to also share that ParticipACTION has awarded Cruisers an event grant to help support some of the costs associated with hosting our activity. Learn more and track your own June activities by downloading the ParticipACTION app! 

Volunteers at Throws

With track and field season in full swing, we are looking for some volunteers to help retrieve implements at our para throws practices. Practices are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30pm - 7:00pm and Sundays from 10:00am - 12:00pm at the Flower City Community Campus in Brampton. Volunteers will be required to retrieve implements (shot puts, discus, and javelins) from the in-field and bring them back to the seated throws athletes, with implement weights ranging from 600g up to 4kg. If you are interested in helping out at practices, please contact Director of Para Athletics Lisa Myers at paraathletics@cruisers-sports.com.

ParaSport Games

The para athletics competition saw 31 athletes competing, 13 of which were from Cruisers Sports! Highlights from the meet include a new Canadian Record in the Women's F34 Seated Discus by Joanne Lee and two of our new wheelchair racers, Tai Young and Candice Combdon, competing in their first track meet ever! Congratulations to all our Cruisers Sports medal winners and to a successful first meet of the season by all! 

Great Turnout for Cruisers Sports at the Abilities Expo Show

Cruisers Sports was excited to participate in the Abilities Expo that took place May 13 & 14 at the International Centre. Volunteers showcased a variety of sports programs at the booth over two days. Cruisers also hosted a Multi-Sports demonstration on Saturday during the Show's events area, introducing new participants to a variety of recreational games. Overall a great event that we are hopeful will lead to new athletes in all our programs.

TL;DR

Alexander J. Szerenyi Award scholarship is open again for 2022 – apply before June 30th. Volunteers needed for Throws practices. BSFD registration now open! Check us out at Brampton Accessibility Week. Cruisers joining the ParticipACTION Community Better Challenge this June. Volunteers needed THIS FRIDAY! Stay safe, and have fun!

May 1, 2022: Your April update!!

Hello Cruisers Family!

Check out the whole newsletter for a chance to win an incredible prize, but first, an update on our Return to Sport policy: the Board of Directors has voted to align our mask and vaccine policies with the respective governing bodies for the sports we participate in.

What does that mean?
If you ARE required by your governing body (ie. OCPSA, ONPara, etc.) to show proof of vaccination to participate in sport, any Cruisers-run event (practice, tournament, etc.) will follow the same conditions. The same applies to masking.

For example:
If you do not have to show proof of vaccine, but are required to wear a mask while not competing, the same will apply at our events. This applies to both participants and spectators.

For any multi-discipline Cruisers-run sporting or social event, the strictest policy will apply. Please note: at the time of writing, this means proof of vaccine will be required, and if not otherwise stated, masking would be subject to the facility hosting.

As public health agencies continue to recommend being fully vaccinated, so does the Board of Directors. If you have any questions about how this applies to a specific event, contact your coach or sport director. Information on event policies will be included with tech packages or registration info for Cruisers-run events.

SAVE THE DATE – Cruisers Classics:

In addition to the Ontario ParaSport games in May, the Cruisers will be hosting our Para Athletics meets in Brampton on June 4th, and in Toronto on July 17th. At the June 4th Cruisers Classic we will be hosting a try-it for those interested in trying Para-Athletics.
Para-Athletics practices have now resumed!
New for 2022: we now offer ambulatory running!
Check out the schedule on the club calendar, or contact Lisa for more information!

SAVE THE DATE – Beacham Summer Fun Day:

Beacham Summer Fun Day will once again be returning to Windreach Farms on August 7th. Shawn will have more information shortly!

The last virtual Multi-sports day is May 18th!

Scholarship – Alexander J. Szerenyi Award

We are incredibly fortunate to once again be able to offer the Alexander J. Szerenyi Award.

Alex was a long-time coach with the Cruisers – and still a current Cruisers Super Fan and supporter! This incredible $3000 scholarship award goes a long way to help with education related expenses.

The Alexander J. Szerenyi Award is open to members of Cruisers Sports who meet ALL of the following criteria:

• Individuals, who are or will be attending a Post-Secondary Educational Institution in Canada (virtually or in-person); and
• who have a physical disability.

See the past winners online: www.cruisers-sports.com/events/banquet/awards.shtml

Boccia!

Cruisers Boccia Season has commenced. We have a fun filled season planned and would love to have you join us. Our practices run Mondays 6:30pm-7:30pm for recreation and 6:30pm-8:00pm for competitive at Carmen Corbasson Senior Centre. Hope to see you there.

Our Boccia Program Thanks Jumpstart

Cruisers is excited to share that earlier this year, our Boccia program was selected to receive a Community Development Grant from Canadian Tire’s Jumpstart program. This grant will go a long way towards helping us supplement the cost of the program rental fees, equipment costs and other expenses. We are grateful to have been selected.

Cruisers Sports Schools Program

The Schools Program is up and running again. It is a great introduction to Wheelchair Basketball during your gym class! Spread the word -- share the webpage with your school: www.cruisers-sports.com/sports/schoolsprogram.shtml

Cruisers In Action!

• Recently both Boccia & Wheelchair Basketball athletes, coaches, and support staff competed at Defi Sportif in Montreal. We had 5 Wheelchair Basketball athletes & coaching staff were there as part of the Ontario Junior team in preparation for Eastern Regionals in PEI in June.
  Carter Plumb and ramp operator Jennifer Knight of Cruisers Chewboccias and Team Aspire Junior Development. Carter competed against the some of the toughest Boccia players in the country. Although he did not make it to the finals Carter accomplished all his goals he set out for the competition. Congratulations on your success!


• Storm athletes (Wheelchair Basketball) and coaches will be in Mississauga competing at the Ontario Parasport Games May 13-15th.
• Para-Athletics athletes will be partaking in the Ontario ParaSport Games on May 14th.
• Boccia athletes from all across Ontario are coming together to compete in a pairs tournament at the Ontario ParaSport Games May 14th & 15th. Good luck to all Cruiser Chewboccias competing!
• Cruisers Sports will be at the Abilities Expo taking place on May 13 & 14 at the International Centre, Hall 5. Stop by our booth and say hello any time, or join us for a live demo of the Multi-Sports Program on Saturday at 2:15 to 2:45. For more information and to register for the event for free, visit Abilities Expo Toronto.

Draw for a handcycle

We’ve been donated this used handcycle from someone affiliated with Cruisers long ago and will do a draw for a member to win it!

This contest is open to Cruisers members in good standing (log into Wild Apricot and make sure all your fees are paid up!) Just reply to this email to enter, and let us to that you’d like to enter – it’s that simple. We will do a draw over Facebook Live to pull the name of the winner from all received entries.

The fine print:

• Contest closes Tuesday, May 10th, 2022 at 11:59pm.
• One entry per registered Cruisers member.
• To enter, just reply to this email and let us know that you would like to enter the contest.
• Draw will take place at the Board meeting on May 11th.
• Ken is not included with the cycle.
• Cruisers Sports IS NOT responsible for the cycle storage, maintenance, or operation, and that any user of the handcycle assumes all responsibility including safe operation and upkeep. 
• Any injuries, maintenance, use, etc. is the responsibility of the member who wins it.

TL;DR

Alexander J. Szerenyi Award scholarship is open again for 2022 – apply before June 30th. We’ve updated our vaccine policies. Cheer on your fellow Cruisers at the Ontario ParaSport Games across Mississauga, May 13-15th. Dates announced for the Cruisers Classics and the Beacham Summer Fun Day. We received a great grant from Jumpstart for our Boccia program. Win a handcycle (but not Ken). Stay safe, and have fun!