Monthly Archives: October 2015

The Sporting Pedigree of “You Can Do It! The FYD Story”

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The launch of You Can Do It ! The FYD Story has been successful, the first order of books has sold out and we are going to re-print as fast as we can.

Stuart R Harrison & Morag Rosie

Stuart R Harrison & Morag Rosie

The background to my collaboration with Morag Rosie is very interesting, not in the least that she comes from a family with a powerful sporting pedigree. Her father, James MacLean was a professional footballer with Cardiff City. 

James MacLean, Cardiff City FC

James MacLean, Cardiff City FC

Morag  competed nationally in deaf sports competitions and she was successful at first with swimming, badminton and then table tennis. She competed right up until she started a family and sports became a lifelong hobby.

Her eldest daughter Fiona is a successful Deaflympian having competed in both badminton and tennis. She won two silver medals for mixed doubles and singles badminton at the 1985 Los Angeles World Games. More recently, she was Chef de Mission of the GB Deaflympic team in Sofia 2013. Her own daughter Bethany has also followed in her Mother’s sporting footsteps to the Deaflympics and Deaf Tennis World Championships earlier this year.

The FYD story makes several references to the brainchild of Morag and her colleagues at FYD/Breakthrough – Communication Through Sport (CTS). Using sport as a mechanism for developing sucessful partnerships between deaf and hearing people.

UK Deaf Sport Trustee Piers Martin, Minister for Sport Tracey Crouch MP, Craig Crowley MBE.

UK Deaf Sport Trustee Piers Martin, Minister for Sport Tracey Crouch MP, Craig Crowley MBE.

One of those to benefit from CTS is former President of the International Committee of Sport for the Deaf, Craig Crowley, who has been proactive this afternoon by meeting the  UK government Minister for Sport Tracey Crouch MP. The recognition of the Deaflympics was a primary item on their agenda. Craig was accompanied by UK Deaf Sport Trustee, Piers Martin.

If you have a couple of minutes, you can watch Fiona in action as C.de M. at the  Sofia Deaflympics, commenting on the performance of her daughter Bethany who was competing in the tennis competition !

Coming up for air.

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Sunday 18th October 2015.

Two Big Ears has readers in more than half the countries around the world. People have been wondering what’s going on, why has TBE been so quiet for the past 6 months ?

Has he got lost ? Has he run out of steam ?

TBE has been diving deep, he has been holding his breath. He has not had much time to post blogs because the resources normally set aside to research new topics and talk to the world has been borrowed elsewhere to allow a new project enough time and energy to be completed.

Later on today, Two Big Ears will take it’s first step into the world of book publishing. At 11am GMT, sees the launch of a new book written in collaboration with Morag Rosie, a former Director of a UK charity Friends for Young Deaf.

The launch party will be attended by over 100 guest who spent yesterday celebrating the work of the charity known simply as “FYD” and the legacy that it has created. It takes place, most appropriately, in Stratford Upon Avon, the home-town of William Shakespeare,one of the greatest writers to have ever lived.

The book is called You Can Do It! – The FYD Story. It is written from the biographical perspective of Morag and it charts the formation and development of FYD by giving a fascinating insight into the impact of its work on both deaf and hearing young people around the world.

FYD had a massive impact on the Deaflympic Movement and when it reached Australia in 1993, the late John Lovett, former leader and President of CISS had become:

“…much more understanding that the FYD Training programme does not threaten the very existence of the Deaf Community, but can be seen as enhancing harmony between different kinds of deafness and producing leaders with positive attitudes and creating positive awareness of Deafness.”                      ( D Barry in You Can Do It! The FYD Story, page 84)

The book will soon be available to purchase and you can request an order form by emailing  FYDstory@gmail.com

Two Big Ears must dash, needs to get ready for his big moment but he will be back shortly.

Meanwhile you can follow him on twitter @FydStory

Bye for now.

Full Exposure of the Deaflympics Down Under!

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A new exhibition celebrating the achievements of Australia’s Deaflympic history has been unveiled in the National Sports Museum (NSM) at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

“We’re delighted to give our visitors a deeper understanding of the unique sporting challenges that Australia’s deaf athletes meet and overcome on their pathway to Deaflympic success,” says National Sports Museum Curator, Helen Walpole.

For the full story check here.

G’day.