European Championships
Wheelchair Basketball

July 3 - 10, 1999
Roermond, The Netherlands
Jo Gerrishal

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Saturday's news, July 10:

Evangelical Broadcasting Corporation records games
The tournament of the EC Wheelchair Basketball will be broadcasted extensively on television Monday, July 26th. The EO (Evangelical Broadcasting Corporation), who have followed the games all week, from early in the morning till late at night, will make a 30 -minutes compilation. It starts at 19.55 hours (prime time!) on Netherlands 2. And there will be more about the sport for the disabled: on August 2nd - same time, same channel - a transmission named 'Heading for Sydney' can be seen, in which wheelchair tennis, football for CP-ers, Quad rugby and sitting volleyball will be discussed. And on August 9th - again at Netherlands 2, 19.55 hours - there will be a broadcast on development of the sport for the disabled in the Netherlands Antilles. It seems that the SPGN will start playing an active roll in the development of this sport in the transmarine territory. In fact the EO broadcasts are a jubilee: for ten years now, the EO has been broadcasting a number of documentaries on the sport for the disabled every year. The editors of this newsletter would like to congratulate the people from the EO.

The IWBF presents itself
Ron Coppenrath is General Secretary of the IWBF Eurozone, the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation. This association organizes women's, men's and children's teams in Europe. Its participation in the EC was appointing the technicals, for example the referees. The IWBF is an international association; apart from the Eurozone there are 3 more zones: America, Afro-Arab and Asia-Oceana. The international organisation is the one who draws up the main rules; the Eurozone elaborates these. Ron Coppenrath: "We organise Eurocup-events for clubteams on 3 levels: champions, cup matches and development groups. Right now we are developing wheelchair basketball in eastern Europe. Since the war in former Yugoslavia there is a great need of such organisations in this area. In Croatia and Bosnia things are really starting to run now. Perhaps these countries will be participating in the next EC too!"

Thank you
Just a few more games and the finals today, and then the EC organizers can look back upon a successfull event. Participants, volunteers and organising committee feel satisfied. The audience could enjoy many exciting, spectacular and most of all sporty wheelchair basketball matches. The final match at 6pm between Germany and France will also be a great show. The IWBF, the NBB and the SPGN were the ones who put up this EC. They too look back with satisfaction upon a successfull championship. Hans Janssen, President of the SPGN, and managing director Gene Savelkoul would like to thank everyone that has done his best for the event.

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Friday's news:

Player's shirt Rik Smits raffled
In the interval of the final game between the two best men's teams on Saturday, the present children will raffle for signed photographs, a cap and a player's shirt of Rik Smits. At their arrival all children (under 16) will fill in a lot; managing director Gene Savelkoul will draw one during the half-time. A nice souvenir of a great day!

KMS-team draw with French team
What is impossible in the EC, happened yesterday at the Oranjerie: the match between the KMS team and the French men's team ended in a 49-all draw. Our correspondent tells us that an exciting match took place, in which the KMS-team proved not to be inferior to their opponents in any respect. Strange rumours are circulating about the composition of the teams. For example, the coach of the French and even the referee himself are said to have participated. Whatever happened, it was a pleasant evening, the wheather was fine and there were a lot of people present. A succesful initiave!

Crossover games
From today, the crossover games will be played. The matches have resulted in the following games:

13.30 hours: Finland - Italy
15.30 hours: Israël - Sweden
17.30 hours: Netherlands - Germany
18.00 hours: Slovenia - Austria
19.30 hours: Great Britain - France
20.00 hours: Spain - Switzerland

Little things come rolling in...
Dear everybody,
The German team lost a wheelchair. It was standing in the main hall. It's an active Meyra wheelchair and the colour is deep-blue. Has anyone seen this wheelchair, please contact the German team. Thank you!!!

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Thursday's news

1000 balls in a net...
One of our main sponsors must feel extremely sympathetic towards wheelchairbasketball: Scholte Grondverzetmachines, a civil engineering company from Echt (N) is putting 1000 (yes, that's right: one thousand!) basketballs at the participating countries'disposal. The gift has a special purpose: it should stimulate youngsters to play wheelchairbasketball. You can get more information from the liaisons.

The younger the better...
Students from Roermond have really discovered the EC now. What about Daniel Gortz, a 10-year old boy from the Montessori school? We caught him yesterday during the match Switzerland-Finland behaving like a professional supporter. Daniel is a real basketball fanatic, who hopes that the Netherlands will become European Champions! Up till now he has had to content himself with supporting other teams, of which Switzerland is his favorite one - who lost the match, by the way...

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Wednessday's news

Wheelchair event at the Kloosterwandplein in Roermond.....
Next Thursday, 8th July, basketball fans will be treated to a most unusual match: at 19.00 hours the KMS-liaisons (KMS = Royal Military School) will play against the French men's team. The match will take place in an unusual spot too: at the square in front of Theaterhotel De Oranjerie. If the wheathergods are willing to co-operate and if the audience shows up in large numbers, it's bound to be a great night. By the way: the KMS-liaisons have already been training secretely, once, supervised by Ben Klerks, coach of the Dutch women's team.

The German Air Force Training Regiment 1, Budel Presents Itself
Since 1963, there has been a base in the small municipality of Budel in the Netherlands where service personnel of the German Air Force introduce young constripts to life in the military. The conscripts receive instruction and training in a number of diverse areas of military everyday-life. After these initial weeks they return to Germany, where they complete the remaining period of their service. In addition to the above-described task, the Air Force training Regiment has the privelege of being affiliated with various organisations in Germany and the Netherlands to promote close contacts with the local communities and charisties. One such organisation is the "Stichting Promotie Gehandicaptensport Nederland". Wich will naturally be actively supported by members and servicemen of the German Air Force Training Regiment 1, Budel when it holds the European Wheelchair Basketball Championship in Roermond. The training regiment is pleased to be able to contribute to the European championship by providing food and beverages for the members of the organisation they are afflilited with. Finally there remains for us German servicemen to hope for exciting, cheerful and eventful matches during the championship. And may the best team win!
Jarosch, Press Officer LAR1 Budel

Little things come rollin'in....
* Student, visiting the Jo Gerris Hall looking for signatures, asks an employee if he is a famous figure. When the answer is no, the disappointed boy slinks away.

* The Evangelical Broadcasting corporation of the Netherlands (EO) will be recording various matches during the championship for a tv-program that will be broadcasted on Monday 26th July (Netherlands 2, 20.05 hours). So keep your video stand-by!

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Tuesday's news

Unique T-shirts of EC for sale!
If you want a souvenir of the fantastic days you are spending here, come to the press and information centre (in hall 1) and order an EC T-shirt there. On Thursday 8th and Friday 9th July you can come and get it, then.

Workshop Sceer
Did you ever ask yourself who are the persons in wheelcairs? Very often we don't think enough about their needs and possibilities. Often we are so busy in our daily activites that we run next to a person in wheelchair and we didn't even noticed that. We heard from SCEER members that we should be more careful if we want to describe someone with spinal cord injurie. We should be aware that this kind of persons are still very much alive and that they can o what ever you could imagine. For example, the most of them were practising spors.Agter they have been injured most of them practise sport for disabled. And it is good for them not only to keep them fit and strong, stimulate respiratory organs but also to keep them out of isolation and give them large chance to contact and comunicate. I should agree with Mr.W. van Ek (NL coach) when he wanted to describe someone in wheelchair (but it could also include any other disabled person even healthy); "You could see effect of sport to the person in wheelchair: these are social effects of sport (no isolation, large chance to contact, pleasure of sport); psychological (developing, speed up the procedure of rehabilitation); and body effects (stronger muscells, general condition, stimulation of healthy muscells, stimulation of respiratory organs)."All these effects are crossing eachother so it is necessary than to see all efffects put together. If you want to make a portrait of a person in wheelchair you should think about body and spirit than you should mixed it up together and you'll know how to describe someone who sies in wheelchair.We think that it is the answer to a question we heard today from one of the participants to a workshop.
By Eva, Monika, Ildi, Ivana

Students encourage Germany with their shouting
The first part of the match Germany-slovenia was a fabulous spectacle. The audience room was packed with enthusiastic students of the Montessori school from Roermond. Nearly all primary school students were for our neighbouring country's national team. According Karlijn, student from the 8th class, this was mainly because they could see that this team was winning! In fact holidays had already started for these children, but they came to accompany the younger students from the 3rd, 4th and 5th classes. As the youngest children were very tired of shouting, jumping and applauding, they left after the first part of the game. I talked to their companions Eva, Janne, Fon, Fleur, Karlijn, Natascha and Martijn from the 8th class. 'We thought it strange that so few people had come with the foreign teams; if we had not been present the audience room would have been practically empty, which was a pity. But we wouldn't have gone here ourselves if it hadn't been for school. The Germans have been winning untill now: fair enough, the others were so agressive!' What they like most about wheelchair basketball is the clashing of the wheelchairs. "You don't see that in normal basketball. Looking at this is much more fun. It's a shame that so little attention was paid to it; we didn't get any information at school either. We didn't even understand the rules, let alone the toddlers, but who cares: we enjoyed ourselves. When someone scored a goal we understood all right!"

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Monday's news

Who are persons in military uniforms?
We asked Mr. Maas (the Dutch soldier) who takes care for the Spanish team. He explaned that every team has his own two soldiers who take care of them. During preparation for the EC wheelchair basketball they've been checked in language and were asked if they expirienced working with disabled persons. He said:"I was one of volountieres during Sport festival for disabled persons two years ago. We got basic informations about wheelchair basketball (rules and medical classification). We tried to sit in a wheelchair and try to play the way they are. Now I can see disabled persons in different way than I was before. It is unbelievable for me to see them so independent. "These soldiers should have take care for the team to get them all informations about scheduale, transport, training time, games, meals.. "We should do everything for the team to be on the right time in the right place. And we are responsible for it." So, for now all teams should be aware that their soldiers are keeping fingers crossed each time they are playing.
By Monika, Ildi, Eva, Ivana

Italy European Champion Basketball
You might forget about this, but there's more basketball going on in Europe. This weekend the EC Basketball finals took place in Paris; Italy won the first place. This good result of their fellow countrymen may inspire the Italian team in Roermond to great deeds as well. The Dutch were lucky that their opponents did not know of this before Saturday's opening match!

Internetsite
From today on daily results will be published on the internetsite. The site had been installed for some days, but now it will be actualised every day, due to the co-operation of Spirit Solutions from Roermond, a company that provides the internet of the community of Roermond as well. Welcome at the site!

EC evokes paternel feelings in soldier
A soldier with a little child in his arms. It's not the first thing you would expect to see at an EC Wheelchair Basketball. Still, soldier Wulffraat (liaison of the women's team Great-Britain) was caught yesterday when he was taking care of the child of a team companion. We seriously doubt if this is a part of the practise program of the KMS (Royal Military School). But we found it was worth mentioning, so we decided to use it as an opening article. Now your know. As for soldier Wulffraat; he's bound to make a wonderful father... in due time.

Little things come rollin'in...
* the organizer can look back upon a magnificent co-operation of the Airport of Dusseldorf (G). The airport brought into action some extra personnel to make sure all players and their companions would be received and transported in a satisfactory way. The airport also arranged some extra parking space for the busses. Chapeau!

* speaking of busses; from today rolling in and out of the Hermes busses will be easier as the bridge was adapted by a few volunteers who did a great job sawing and improving parts of the construction.

* many appreciate the catering service provided by LAR 1 very much. The spontaneous reaction of managing director Gene Savelkoul's grandson proved that. Seeing all the good food on the tables he cried out: 'I want soldier's soup!'

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Sunday's news

A Sparkling start of the EC
Yesterday the EC officially started with a great opening ceremony. The public showed up in large numbers (there were over 350 spectators!) and treated the players, companions, volunteers, organisation and dancers to a warmhearted applause. After a few speaches all national teams entered the hall, forming a parade, while the Original Maaskapel from Wessem accompanied them with their music. Before long, the players and their companions felt at home in this good ambiance, the reactions on the various dancing performances proved that.

The opening match - Italian and Dutch men's teams - also was quite a spectacle. In this technically high-level match the sportsmen immediately showed that the fight for the prizes has definitely begun. Although the Dutch team won a convincing victory (score 72 - 42), the Italians proved to be strong opponents. No big surprise that the public was so enthusiastic about the well-planned attacks from both sides. Both of the teams caused spectacular moments under the baskets. A fine first day of this sportsweek, and a very promising one, too!

Can I have your signature?
This question was put to the sportsmen of the Dutch team yesterday by an 8 year old boy. He had enjoyed the first game so much, that from now he will be wheelchairbasketball-fan for life! His name is Ricardo Hermanns, who lives in Dronten. The members of the Dutch team were very enthusiastic to help him; one of them, who had already taken a shower and dressed up, even put on his costume again to make a picture with young Ricardo.

Young audience at the EC
From Monday 5th of July, parts of the audience room will be taken by students of primary schools from the region. Boys and girls from 8 to 12 years will encourage the players - the ambiance will be good and relaxed, then. Approximately 150 youngsters of the Montessori-school and primary school 't Mozaiek will visit the hall tomorrow, and they sure will make themselves heard!

Match of the day
The Dutch women's team won a sixth place at the World Championship in Sydney last year. Because of this result the ladies of Rolling Dynamite were not automatically ranked for the Paralympics 2000. Their only chance to get into those ranks is by winning a first or second place in Roermond. Victory will not be achieved easily, because they are not the only team determined to go to Sydney next year...

Today at 13.30 hours the Dutch women are playing their opening match against Germany. The national coach Ben Klerks thinks the German women's team are a strong opponent. The results obtained by them in the last tournaments show that they too could be likely winners. This women's opening match promises to be a very exciting and spectacular one.

Little things come rolling in...
Ben Klerks, coach of the Dutch women's team could e heard in the live-broadcast of the local radio broadcasting company L1-radio. During the interview he was given a quick and extremely short training about how to talk to the media. A little memo-note, passed to him by sergeant Erik Hendriks from the KMS in Weert, worked miracles.

Lost property
* Player's uniform of the Indiana Pacers (number 45), a player's cap and some signed photo's of one Mr. Rik Smits. For further information please apply to the Press and Information centre in the hall.

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Saturday's news

WELCOME AT THE EC WHEELCHAIRBASKETBAL
After months of preparing, preparing, preparing, at last the big moment's come. Today is the start of the EC Wheelchair Basketball 1999. Until Saturday next week, 12 men's and 4 women's teams will be fighting for the European Championship in the Jo Gerrishal in Roermond.

In the men's section group competition will be played until Thursday, then the half finals and finals will be played. The women will play a complete competition until Saturday. The group winners in the women's section can name themselves European Champions.

Starting from this opening day the public can enjoy a sparkling and spectacular show. And a good start it will be: right after the opening ceremony the international match between the Netherlands and Italy is planned- two countries with a very good reputation in the field of wheelchair basketball: last year the Dutch team won the silver medal at the WC in Sydney. Their opponent Italy has also proved to be a top team, in many tournaments. As you can see: the first match will be played by two countries that have only one goal - winning!

Before the opening match the EC will be officially opened by Mr. Tukker, president of the IWBF, and Mr. Brouwer, vice-president of the Dutch Basketball Bond. This will take place after the national teams and the organisation have been presented to the audience. The Maaskapel from Wessem accompanies this part of the ceremony with their music.

Spanish sports physician takes care of medical supports
He has taken special days off, just to be present on this EC. In fact Pedro Lanau from Barcelona in Spain is on vacation here. In daily life he is a doctor on the intensive care in a hospital in Barcelona. During this European Championship he takes care of the medical support of the Spanish men's team.

In fact I'm not so very busy during the competions. Most of the work is the preparation. I have to make sure that the players are in best shape. His greatest concern during the EC is to be sure that the players remain in good health. That's why Pedro Lanau hopes the temperature will not become too hot these days. If it's hot, playing basketball gets heavier. Also the seats can get very incomfortable for the sportsmen. Besides this they don't get a good night's sleep, which also effects their condition. Pedro Lanau doesn't do any basketball anymore, although as a young boy he was very active in this sports branch. Now he is fascinated especially by (wheelchair)basketball. But he likes to watch other sports, too. And of course he hopes his team will perform well during this EC.

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European Championships Wheelchair Basketball

July 3 - 10, 1999 Roermond, The Netherlands Jo Gerrishal

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