For clients of Providing All Living Support, mid-November promises to be a time they will never forget.
More than 10 of the clients, spread across the organisation’s hubs in Numurkah, Yarrawonga and Cobram, will take part in the Tri-State Games as part of the PAL Panthers team.
The games, which will be held in Cobram and Barooga from November 12 to 17, will bring together individuals with physical or mental disabilities for a week of competitive sport and social gatherings.
PALS Panther team members, some of whom use wheelchairs, will compete in swimming, athletics, running and ball events.
Cobram Hub team leader Sharon Chapman said the games allowed PALS Panther members to show off their sporting abilities.
They will face competitors from Victoria, NSW and South Australia in an event akin to a smaller version of the Olympic Games, complete with an opening ceremony.
PALS has been involved in the games for many years, and Ms Chapman said it was a great inclusive event.
“The community is very supportive of the Tri-State Games. It brings people with disabilities and members of the community together,” she said.
The PALS Panthers team members have been training every Friday in the lead-up to the games, and Ms Chapman said excitement was growing.
“They get very excited and talk about it quite a lot,” she said.
“The games are about the participants believing in themselves to achieve and to try new things.”
According to Ms Chapman, for many of the PALS participants, the games were not about winning or losing. It was all about the pride of participating.
“Whether they win or not, it’s very important to them to participate,” she said.
Though the Tri-State Games is predominantly a sporting event, that isn’t the whole picture, with social events such as discos and dinners allowing participants to let their hair down and make new friends.
Ms Chapman said she hoped that the communities of Cobram and Barooga would come out in force to volunteer or cheer the competitors on.
She said families were just as proud of their loved ones participating as the participants were of themselves.
“The Tri-State Games are a very social event, and we have people who stay over in the motels for the week,” she said.
Ultimately, for Ms Chapman, the Tri-State Games is an opportunity for members of the PALS Panthers to grow as people, and she said she hoped they achieved their goals.
“I hope they put their best foot forward and have the belief in themselves, and it might open their eyes and inspire them to engage in different sporting activities,” she said.