CPSARA
CEREBRAL PALSY SPORTING AND RECREATION ASSOCIATION NSW INC
CPSARA aims to provide both sporting and recreational opportunities for people of all ages with Cerebral Palsy and other neurological conditions.
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There are many sports, events and levels of competition for you as an athlete to pursue. Participation in sport can be just for fun and fitness but can also be pursued to International and Paralympic level!
get involved
parent mentor program
The aim of the Parent Mentor Program is to connect new para sports parents to parents who have been in the sport for a number of years through their child's participation.
This program works as a way of creating a social network for parents, to socialise, to gain support and information about their child’s chosen sport. Parents create a network of support while also having a social group at events! Think of it as a mums with bubs group but at the track or pool!
This program will allow for parents to meet other parents from the sporting community so as not to feel left out or alone while spectating and watching their athlete while also providing a platform for ‘mentoring’ parents with any questions they might have.
As a member of the parent network, you will get access to a private social page for parents. This is a platform for members to ask questions about upcoming events while also letting everyone know what row you will be spectating from and what picnic snacks you’ve brought, so you don’t all bring the same!
A big focus of sport at all levels is inclusion, sportsmanship and friendship. At CPSARA, we would like to extend this to the support teams of our athletes; the mothers, fathers, grandparents and carers.
Would you like to join this network or become a Parent Mentor?
Please contact CPSARA by email: secretary@cpsara.org.au. Simply just click the button below.
OUR parent mentors
personal stories
Cathie Sherrington - Athletics
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Cathie is mother to Paralympian CPSARA athlete, Tamsin Colley.
Cathie has a background as a physiotherapist in aged care and rehabilitation settings. She now works as a research professor at the University of Sydney's School of Public Health where she leads studies investigating the benefits of exercise for older people and people with disabilities.
She joined the CPSARA executive as she would like to help make it easier for people with physical disabilities and their families to find and participate in sporting opportunities. She would like more people to experience the enormous benefits Tamsin and others have obtained through sport participation. She also hopes to use her research expertise to undertake projects that design and evaluate strategies to encourage greater participation in sport for people with physical disabilities.
Heather Berry - Athletics/Football
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Heather is the wife of Brian Berry, president of CPSARA, and mother of Daniel Berry, who represented Australia in both Football and Athletics.
Daniel sadly passed away in 2013 after a recurrence of a brain tumour.
Heather is a mathematics tutor and a netball umpire co-ordinator at her local indoor sports centre. In her spare time, she likes to help out with athletics, including the role of para team manager at the Australian All Schools Athletics.
Heather has been involved with CPSARA since Daniel joined in 2008 and has helped out behind the scenes since then. She has now joined the committee so that she can help out ‘officially’ and is doing it in memory of Daniel.
She wants to keep helping to raise awareness of the sporting opportunities for people with a disability as that is what Daniel would have been doing now, if he was still alive.
Kerry West - Athletics/Swimming
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My name is Kerry West and I am a physiotherapist and have worked with children with cerebral palsy and other physical disabilities for over 20 years. Having been very involved in sport as a young person myself I have always been passionate about helping the children I see through my work become involved in sport and have often struggled to find suitable opportunities and to know what sports are available.
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Over the last 8 years I have been more personally involved in disability sport as my 16 year old daughter has CP and competes in athletics in the throwing events. I am also involved in swimming as a medical classifier. It is great to see many young children with CP come through the classification process and participate in swimming through school and other pathways.
I joined the CPSARA committee so that I can contribute to sharing information about sporting opportunities with more children and families, as well as increase awareness amongst health professionals especially physios.
Lian Anderson - Athletics/Alpine Skiing
Bios to come