Emma Goodchild

Emma is an inspirational 17 year old, who has athetoid cerebral palsy but doesn`t let this effect her passion for sport. Emma recently achieved a wild card place in the Boccia England National Championships, after missing out by a place at the North East Regional Championships last year, where she won a bronze medal and was spotted by a member of Boccia England. She played against Andrew Morgan, GB`s No.2 BC1 player, in the group stages, then David Smith, GB`s No.1 BC1 player, in the quater-finals. Emma travels to Newcastle, over an hour away, every Monday to train with Percy Hedly Sports Academy, and trains twice a week at her school Boccia club. Emma is also a qualified Regional referee and is to referee at the Cheshire International Boccia Championships 2011. She is also planning a Boccia tournament to raise money for her local cerebral palsy charity, and has completed a swim. Other than this she also enjoys athletics, and gave up sprinting to concentrate on the club throw. Last April, Emma took part in the North West Regional Junior Athletic Championships and won a gold medal in the club, and a bronze medal in the 60m sprint, in which she competed against juniors with other disabilities. She now has a throwing chair, and is aiming for the 2016 Paralympics, although can already throw the qualifying standard for next year. Emma has loved football since an early age and has been asked to attend a Regional Development Day by CP Sport. Emma is outgoing and extraordinary!