Team USA Boccia

Team USA delayed but in great spirits!!

2011-08-27T09:34:00.000-07:00

Team USA has been delayed overnight and is being put up in a hotel in Dublin. All is well and we are wanting to make sure that all our families, friends and supporters know that we are safe and awaiting our return home trip tomorrow. See you state side one day late! Go TEAM USA!!

Close finishes in an attempt to come out of pool play

2011-08-26T16:38:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately as well as Team USA did in individual play, we were unable to advance out of pools. TJ Hawker missed the bracket rounds by 2 points. Although Austin Hanson had a 2-1 record coming out of pool he fell short of point differential to advance. Both men will participate in the Parpan competition in November in hopes of increasing the world rank standing and gaining a spot on the US paralympic team for London 2012. Team USA looked on today as Korea dominated much of the medal rounds finishing 1-2-3 in BC3 division and picking up a medal in the throwing divisions to win the world cup.
We want to again thank our family, friends and sponsors for this opportunity to compete for the honor of our nation. We represented you with total commitment, fair play and sense of pride! We want you all to know that we love you and will see you soon stateside. Go USA!

USA Rookies continue to turn heads on the world stage

2011-08-25T07:51:00.000-07:00

Labas had a hard fought match against Brock Richardson (Canada) keeping it close till the final end with a disappointing 1-3 loss. Cornelius Oatis also had a tough close match against Lukas Balazi (Slovakia) which resulted in a 2-6 score. Marck Harrison had his first win (3-1) on the world stage against our friends from Ireland (Jason Kearney). The 3 new rookies lunchroom conversation today has been around how to improve the practice schedule back home. BC3 division continues to improve in today's play as Sam Williams kept his composure during tie break to go on to get the win against Maria-Elleni Kordali of Greece. Lobmeyer kept each end close only giving up 1 point each end against an excellent player in Veronica Pamies of Spain. Austin Hanson is looking like his world class ranking (17th) today as he played a near perfect game against Armando Costa of Portugal (currently ranked 10th in the world) to win the round 6-2. Team USA is awaiting final results of the matches to see if any members make it our of their pool as point qualifiers. Stay tuned!!

If you haven't had the opportunity to see the facebook... check out Jim Labas (father of Luke Labas comments below)

A Father’s Reflections on His Son’s Accomplishments

from Jim Labas, father of Luke Labas

Thanks again for giving him the honor. He will never forget that, nor will I. Appreciating more each day what this sport does on so many levels.
Thanks,
Jim
So today, 3,603 miles from home, a 17 year old athlete carried the flag of his nation onto a floor of competition. He carried it as anyone who has the honor to carry our flag in a foreign land carries it. With pride, honor and a respect for all that it represents. He carried it for everyone back home, especially his Mom, brother and sister back in Indiana cheering him on. His brothers that salute it everyday, everyone that has supported him on this trip and are a big part of making it all possible, his friends and supporters at Turnstone. But mostly he carried it for anyone back home with any form of a disability.
The nine athletes that are here wearing Red, White and Blue represent the best that a core of resilience and determination has to offer. For anyone that faces challenges in everyday life that we with able bodies take for granted. For the extra time it takes just to prepare in the morning to start ones day. For the obstacles in everday life that a world that wasn’t designed for them presents. For dealing with something as simple as a mosquito bite that can’t be scratched, because one cannot will their body to do that simple task, so they just mentally deal with it as they just mentally deal with so many discomforts, aches and pains every single day of their life. But at this time, during this week, in this city in Northern Ireland, they will meet their own. They will meet 200 athletes from 32 other countries that have the same mental tenacity to deal with everyday obstacles and push through the road blocks in their way. They have found a way to compete. An avenue to channel their will to better themselves and push beyond what was their past performance to something even better. They will feel their heart beating through their chest as a key throw is needed at a critical time to score and they will mentally deal with it. They will force their bodies to do more than they are comfortable doing so that they don’t feel they let themselves, their teammates, their coaches and their supporters back home down. How could they? They will focus as any athlete does. They will focus on what they have trained for and practiced. They will push their bodies to excel on a world stage. They will do what everyone with a disability does every single day of their life. Adapt, improve, give it their all and push on. Great Britain, Hong Kong and Brazil are the first on the list. Let the games begin. Proud of you Luke Labas.

Team USA looking good going into individual play

2011-08-24T02:32:00.000-07:00

Team USA started out the morning with head to head competition against their teammates in the BC2 and BC3 divisions. Labas and Oatis pulled out incredibly close 1 point ends on their own jacks to go into a 4-4 tie break situation. The tie break went down to the wire with Labas pulling out the win over his teammate Oatis. As the young rookie Labas had so intuitively suggested the night before competition "well at least we know we are going to get a win for Team USA". Labas went on to loose his 2nd match to Joao Paulo Fernandez in a very tight 2-3 match. Oatis battled hard in his second match as well keeping it to a 2 differential. Marck Harrison worked hard to block out Zhiqiang Yan of China who unfortunately kept moving Marck's balls that had been strategically placed. Marck played Pablo Sebastian Gonzales this morning giving up 2 points in the first end and only 1 point in ends 2-4. Marck continues to improve in blocking out his opponent and covering up. In the BC3 division, Hanson and Lobmeyer went head to head in what prove to be a repeat match of nationals. After the 3rd end it was tied 6-6. Hanson pulled out in the 4th end, placing his jack in the right short corner and scored 5 in the end giving him the win. In the BC 1 division TJ Hawker pulled out a win in the fourth end with the final 6-3 against Leena Sarela from Findland. Jennifer Jay fought hard to a 1-7 loss against Kam Lung Wong of Hong Kong. Patrick Elliott made his debut on the world stage with the entire Team USA squad looking on. As an unranked player he was forced to go head to head against Pinto Dirceu of Brazil. Patrick took away great strategy from the match and is looking forward winning against Domingos Vieira of Portugal. Stay tuned for future developments of today's individual competition!

Finals today onto individual competition!!

2011-08-22T13:22:00.000-07:00

Patrick Elliott works hard preparing his jack ball shot under the watchful eye of his coach Mark McMillian. Patrick has been cheering on his teammates for the last several days as he awaits his individual competition tomorrow. Patrick is competing in the BC4 category. It has been over 10 years since Team USA has had a athlete compete in the BC4 division. We wish Patrick and all the athletes on team USA the best of luck as they prepare for individual competition tomorrow!

When it is all said and done it comes down to inches in this sport!! Pairs captain Austin Hanson watches as the referee checks the score against Belgium. Belgium and Portugal (both in the USA pool) went on to take the silver and bronze respectively in the World Championship today.

Many more pictures and information on the Blaze Sports America link http://www.blazesports.org/category/blog/

Team USA fights hard in todays team and pair competition!

2011-08-21T15:20:00.000-07:00

Team started out the morning against number 1 seed Great Britian and had an unbelievable game holding the veteran players to 9-1. Hawker, Labas and Oatis all contributed with many great blocks making it difficult for the veteran Great Britian team to score. Pairs players Hanson, Lobmeyer and Williams gave it their all against Belgium, Portugal and Argentina. Unfortunately they were unsuccessful in advancing out of pool. The team rests tomorrow and prepares as they look forward to individual play beginning Tuesday. Go Team USA!!

2011-08-21T12:25:00.000-07:00

Team USA stops momentarily for a quick pic before the parade of athletes last night. They received many comments on their sharp looking red, white and blue! Results of todays team and pair competition to follow soon.

Training complete onto competition!

2011-08-20T15:56:00.000-07:00

USA successfully completed all classification of their 4 new athletes. We then had a very successful mid day training schedule and rounded off the day with the parade of nations and opening ceremonies. The parade of athletes were escorted in by 3 Irish bagpipers. Veteran athlete Lee Lobmeyer carried the Team USA sign and flag bearer was Luke Labas of Fort Wayne. Pairs drew Portugal (2nd in world), Belgium (7th) and Argentina (19th). Their goal is to sweep all three games tomorrow and move out of pool into elimination rounds on Monday. Team drew Great Britain, Hong Kong and Brazil in pool play. We are attempting to load pictures to the blog, however due to internet connections have been unsuccessful. Stay tuned as we work to resolve these issues a send photographs!

Team USA preparing for competition in Belfast

2011-08-19T16:59:00.000-07:00

The United States Boccia team has arrived safely to Belfast and are hitting the training courts in preparation for the World Cup. We want to let our families and friends know that we are all well and training hard!!
The 2011 World Cup is the last major international Boccia competition before the 2012 London Paralympic Games and has 191 athletes from 33 nations.

The 2011 National Boccia Team members are:

BC1 Division

TJ Hawker Toledo, OH

Luke Labas Fort Wayne, IN

Cornelius Oatis Columbus, OH

Jennifer Jay Pinellas, FL

BC2 Division

Marck Harrison Columbus, OH

BC3 Division

Austin Hanson Topeka, KS

Lee Lobmeyer Topeka, KS

Sam Williams Elmhurst, IL

BC4 Division

Patrick Elliot Peculiar, MO

Team USA prepares to leave for World Cup

2011-08-16T18:13:00.000-07:00

Team USA is packed and ready for Boccia! Continue to watch this site for details as to how they are doing at the World Cup!

Individual Competition Continues Tomorrow with 2 Athletes Advancing Out of Pool Play

2010-06-07T15:00:00.000-07:00

Day two of individual competition gained a few wins and some heartbreaking losses for Team USA athletes. Jen Jay lost two close matches, Japan 2 - 4 and Croatia 2-3 to be bumped out of her pool. Brigid Mason, Sam Williams, Lee Lobmeyer and Andy Olivarez played some serious boccia but weren't able to advance out of their respective pools.
On the win end, Austin Hanson was victorious winning 8-1 against Hong Kong and 10 - 0 vs. Columbia. Austin advanced out of his pool and goes into the finals tomorrow.
TJ Hawker won his first match of the day against Jose Vasquerizo of Spain 4 - 0. Going into game two, Hawker was up until the last end when his competitor, Lukas Balazi of Slovak, tied the score throwing the game into a tie break. TJ lost the tie break however due to point differential, has advanced out of his pool.
Hawker and Hanson are in the race for the medals...Go Team USA!

Team looks good starting individual play

2010-06-05T14:04:00.000-07:00

Today's competition began with BC2 athlete Brigid Mason facing off against Korean athlete Soyeong Jeong who is ranked 10th in the world. Brigid was up 1 - 0 after the first end but lost her match 1 - 15 after Ms. Jeong played long. Her second match of the day was a 1 - 7 defeat to Peter Hudecek of Slovak Republic. Brigid was able to put the ball on the jack in two ends however Peter was able to bust it up to gain the advantage.

The match of the day was 9th world ranked USA athlete Austin Hanson vs. 36th World Ranked USA athlete Sam Williams. Williams battled hard and played strategically ultimately losing to Hanson 11 - 0. Both Williams and Hanson take on Colombia and Hong Kong over the next two days.

New athlete Lee Lobmeyer played an excellent match against 7th ranked Luis Ferreira da Silva of Portugal and although she did not win the match, she held her opponent to 5 points losing 1 - 6.

All USA BC3 athletes are poised to advance out of their pool.

TJ Hawker, Jennifer Jay and Andy Olivarez will begin their individual matches tomorrow after today's day of rest.

Go USA!

Team USA advances

2010-06-04T16:38:00.000-07:00

Team USA pairs advanced out of pool and gave a great effort to come back from a 3 point deficit to loose to Japan 5-3. Today pairs players were able to catch up on some rest and watch Korea handily defeat Portugal in the pairs gold/silver match. With a pool of over 60 athletes in the BC3 division Hanson, Williams and Lobmeyer all ended up in the same pool during the seeding-what are the odds!! Due to a ruling that only 2 from the same country can be in the same pool, Lobmeyer was moved to a different pool of play. USA team members will now be competitors on court as Austin Hanson will go up against Sam Williams in what will prove to a great match!! Team USA will be cheering for..dare we say it both athletes! We look forward to begin play in individual rounds tomorrow. Look for updates as the day goes on.

Update on the team!

2010-06-03T10:06:00.001-07:00

USA Pairs players handed a loss by Belguim with final score of 1 - 6. Hanson And Lobmeyer battled the first 3 ends to try to make up the defecit of Belguims 6 points but could not pull it out. Lobmeyer was replaced by Williams in the fourth end and USA Pairs were able to come back with 1 point to take away the shut out from Belguim. With the loss came some tense moments until it was confirmed through point differential that the USA Pairs would advance out of pool play. They will be taking the court shortly to face Team Japan. More to report at the conclusion.

TEAM USA (Jennifer Jay, Andre Olivarez, Brigid Mason and TJ Hawker) lost their 3rd match to Norway this afternoon losing what was the closest game yet for our US Team. USA scored the 1st point in end one. Norway came back and scored 2 points in end 2 and 1 point in end 3 to move ahead 3-1. In end 4, TJ Hawker pulled out 2 next to the jack to tie the score 3-3 and the game was on. Unfortunately Norway´s skill came through and they scored in the last 2 ends to win the match 7 - 3. TEAM USA will not advance to finals and the athletes will begin to focus on individual competition which begins Saturday.

Unbelievable day for pairs

2010-06-02T17:15:00.000-07:00

Austin Hanson lead the US team to a 4-2 win over Slovakia and a 6-4 incredible win over team Canada. USA is 2-0 for the day and looking forward to winning against Belgium tomorrow to advance out of pool play. Both Sam William and Lee Lobmeyer contributed excellent shots to provide team USA with two fantastic wins!!

Parade of Athletes a Colorful Display

2010-06-01T14:57:00.000-07:00

The high temperatures and humidity did little to dampen the excitement felt at the sports complex this evening as Team USA prepared to march in the opening ceremonies. Decked out in patriotic red and white polo's with navy slacks, the team enthusiastically waved American flags as they entered the venue.
Joining in the opening ceremonies were the international group of referees including America's own Mary Knudsen (Texas) and Harold Johnson (New York).
Tomorrow begins the competition and Team USA is ready for action. Pairs players Hanson, Williams and Lobmeyer, will face Slovakia at 11:30am and Canada at 2:40pm. Team players Hawker, Olivarez, Jay and Mason will take on Ireland at 10am and Australia at 4:15pm. Wish us well and stay tuned for the report at the end of the day.

2010-06-01T05:04:00.001-07:00

We just completed a great morning of practice! Looking forward to tonight's parade of nations and mentally preparing this afternoon for tomorrows competition. Go USA!

Team USA is gearing up for the World Championships

2010-05-31T16:01:00.000-07:00

Team USA has landed in Lisbon and is preparing hard for competition to begin this Wednesday!! We had an uneventful travel except for JJ's flight which was struck by lightning and had to be grounded.We had an excellent practice today and await another practice schedule on Tuesday as well as opening ceremonies. We are anxious for competition to begin Wednesday. To all our families, friends, and supporters we look forward to a great week of competition. Go USA!!

Introducing newest member of Team USA- Lee Lobmeyer

2010-05-22T17:00:00.000-07:00

2010 CPISRA World Championships | Lisbon, Portugal

2010-05-20T10:52:00.000-07:00

Announcing the 20010 Boccia TEAM USA who will be competing at the 2010 CPISRA Boccia World Championships (May 30 - June 5) in Lisbon, Portugal.

Lee Lobmeyer - Topeka, Kansas

Austin Hanson - Topeka, Kansas

Timothy Hawker - Toledo, Ohio

Jennifer Jay - Pinnellas Park, Florida

Brigid Mason

Andy Olivarez

Sam Williams - Elmhurst, Illinois

USA is getting ready for the World Championships

2010-05-17T18:45:00.000-07:00

Keep tuned in!! over the next several days Team USA will begin giving you all the vital information you will need to stay tuned to the World Championships in Lisbon Portugal!

TeamUSA Video

2009-10-30T06:41:00.000-07:00

Team USA captures silver

2009-10-29T19:45:00.000-07:00

Team USA pairs capture a silver medal in competition after a well played match against Canada. Captain Austin Hanson, Sam Williams and Charlie Fleisch are bringing home hardware- hope we make it through customs. Team USA would like to thank BlazeSports America, USP and all of our followers, supporters, fans and family for your continuous support. We will see you all stateside.

Team USA

Cool pic of the day...

2009-10-29T07:05:00.000-07:00

U.S. Consulate staff member Kevin Markl poses with Team U.S.A.

Team USA racks up wins in pairs competition

2009-10-28T18:56:00.000-07:00

Coming off a bronze medal finish in individual play, captain Austin Hanson continues to lead his teammates Sam Williams and Charlie Fleisch toward the goal of improving the United States world ranking. The pairs posted wins against Mexico 10-0 and Argentina 5-2. A win against Brazil tomorrow would clinch minimally a silver medal in pairs. Team USA will then square off with what could likely be the gold medal match with Team Canada. Go team USA!

US Consulate Supports Team USA

2009-10-28T18:31:00.000-07:00

US Consulate staff representative Kevin Markl came out to support Team USA and was impressed with the level of competition that he observed. After pairs play, Mr. Markl was introduced to the team and expressed his appreciation for the invitation and opportunity to view the sport.

Team USA captures first medal

2009-10-27T18:50:00.000-07:00

Austin Hanson;Topeka Kansas, lost a grueling semifinal match 4-5 to move on to capture the bronze medal in the bc3 individual division!! Team USA completed an evening of training prior to tomorrows start of teams and pairs competition.

Celebrating a birthday and a win!

2009-10-27T13:44:00.000-07:00

Chris Ludwig celebrates his birthday with his first international win over team Mexico.
Photo by Marybeth Jones; Team Manager Blaze Sports America.

Team USA Athletes Advance to Finals

2009-10-26T19:08:00.000-07:00

BC1 athletes TJ Hawker and Jennifer Jay and BC3 athlete Austin Hanson rocked the house with their matches today advancing to tomorrows finals. Christopher Ludwig, newest member to Team USA and the international scene celebrated his golden birthday today with a 4 - 2 win over Team Mexico.

Opening Ceremony and practice...

2009-10-26T06:40:00.000-07:00

TEAM USA completed equipment checks and warm ups for individual competition shortly after arriving in Montreal. Opening ceremonies began at 7:30pm Saturday (Oct 24) night. Please check out some of the picture highlights.

Ms. Corneel van der HeidenChair CPISRA Boccia Committee speaking to the delegations

Sam Wiliams and Bruce Ashby practicing for the start of competition

Team USA Delegation at opening ceremonies

We are on a roll...........

2009-10-25T18:53:00.000-07:00

Today's individual games had many great moments!! Leading the BC3 division Austin Hanson posted 3 wins! Sam Williams had 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss. Charlie Fleisch is 1:2 today. In BC2 division Brigid Mason and Chris Ludwig are 0-2 after some hard fought matches. Rounding out the team, TJ Hawker had some incredible play today and is 2-0. Jennifer Jay is at 1-1 and Andy Olivarez is 0-2. We wish these competitors a great Monday of competition.
After the last games of the pools, Bc3's posting the number 1 or 2 side in their pool along with 2 wildcards from the remaining 3 pools will advance out into brackets. BC1 and BC2 competitors will advance out pools and begin bracket rounds on Tuesday. This Tuesday will prove to be a great day of competition with individual finals followed by an evening of practice for team and pair play beginning Wednesday. Our team goal is focused on team and pair play to advance our world rankings, ending ultimately in a spot for the 2012 paralympics in London. We want to wish our teammate Chris Ludwig a Happy Brithday as he is turning 26 on Monday the 26th!! Congrats Chris. Who do we play for.......U.S.A.!

Competition Starts TODAY!!

2009-10-25T05:22:00.000-07:00

After a great day practicing and an exciting opening ceremonies Team USA gets down to business today. BC1 and BC2 divisions each have 2 individual games today. BC3 division are playing 3 individual matches. Results to follow...

Team is settling in

2009-10-24T04:23:00.000-07:00

Team USA has landed safely in Montreal. We begin a day of equipment checks, team practice and opening ceremonies tonight. Christopher Ludwig from Wheaton,Il will lead the team in opening ceremonies tonight as the flag bearer. Go Team USA!

Meet the Team...

2009-10-22T07:14:00.000-07:00

We are proud to introduce the 2009 Boccia TEAM USA who will be competing at the 2009 Boccia Americas Cup this weekend (October 24-29) in Montreal, Canada...

Charlie Fleisch - Massapequa, NY

Austin Hanson - Topeka, Kansas

Timothy Hawker - Toledo, Ohio

Jennifer Jay - Pinnellas Park, Florida

Greg Lallky - Kansas City, Missouri

Christopher Ludwig - Wheaton, Illinois

Brigid Mason

Andy Olivarez

Mark Paramadani - Farmingdale, New York

Sam Williams - Elmhurst, Illinois