'Anybody can succeed': Boccia Canada looking to grow sport on P.E.I.

Simone Collins aims her blue ball at the target and tosses it. It lands close to the ideal spot. Although she's new to the sport of boccia, she's already quite good at it.

The 11-year-old lives with mild cerebral palsy and a chromosome disorder. She's been practising boccia at home for a few months now, but today is her very first time facing off against a competitor.

"As a parent, it's really great to see a sport that she's able to do really well," says Anna Collins, Simone's mom.

"She can't participate in something like the hockey sports or even baseball that some of her friends do, so this was great to have an option for her to do."

There isn't an official boccia program in the province, according to the executive director of ParaSport and Recreation P.E.I., and that's what she is trying to change.

"I think it's something that, we can definitely easily implement here in P.E.I.," said Tracy Stevenson. "I didn't realize how big the sport was and how big it could be."

The sport, which is similar to bocce, was originally created for athletes with disabilities such as severe cerebral palsy, although it is quite inclusive and can be played by anyone.

Some describe it as a mix between curling and lawn bowling. The goal is to propel the ball toward a target and have it land as close as possible to the mark.

"If you can't throw the ball, you certainly can kick it and then there are other people who may have no motion and any of their limbs and they can actually use a head pointer or a ramp to propel the ball," said Peter Leyser, the executive director of Boccia Canada.

"There are a lot of para sports that those with severe disabilities just can't participate in. But certainly from this, if you have no motion and you can't use