On 2 October 2016, at the Scottish Disability Sport AGM, the Scottish launch of the Get Out Get Active programme took place.

This is an exciting new UK programme funded by Spirit of 2012 with three Scottish localities, Grampian, Fife and Forth Valley, taking part.

For full information please download the GOGA leaflet.

 

It’s official. The international Tennis Federation (ITF) has confirmed that four British players, including Paralympic gold medallist and Wimbledon men’s singles champion Gordon Reid,, will compete at the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters 2016 in London (30 Nov-4 Dec).

Tournament success throughout the year has ensured Reid (world No.2), Andy Lapthorne (quad world No.4), Jordanne Whiley (world No.5), and Lucy Shuker (world No.8) will all fly the flag for Britain at the ITF’s year-end wheelchair tennis singles championship at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London.

Reid, from Helensburgh in Scotland, said: “I know you are only as good as your last match and that the competition will be really intense at the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters. I’m just going to knuckle down and work hard to give myself every opportunity to win this title. That would be a dream finale to my year.”

Competition will be tough in all of the disciplines, with Joachim Gerard (Belgium), Jiske Griffioen (Netherlands) and David Wagner (USA), the respective reigning men’s, women’s and quad champions, all returning to defend their titles.

The top eight ranked men’s and women’s players and top six quad players at the ITF ranking list cut-off of 10 October qualify for the Masters making it one of the most prestigious events on the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour.

Photo courtesy of the Tennis Foundation.

 

 

The remaining two member branches to complete their Minimum Operating Requirements (MOR) were celebrating at this year’s SDS AGM as they were notified they had been successful in their efforts to ensure that their branch was fully aligned to the SDS MOR criteria.

Perth & Kinross Disability Sport (PKDS) and South Lanarkshire Disability Sport (SLDS) have worked hard in improving their branch operations across the five main headings of the SDS Strategic Plan 2012-2017:

• Branch, Local & Regional Opportunities
• Developing Talent & Performance
• Education & Coaching
• Governance & Infrastructure
• Communication & Leadership

For Perth & Kinross this achievement has been an immediate positive by-product of their appointment of a professional officer (Caroline Ness) through their position as an official charity of the 2014 Ryder Cup. Lynn Melville – the current Chair of the organisation – said

“PKDS are delighted to obtain the branch Minimum Operating Requirements and provides us with a robust and strong structure behind the charity and allows us to continue with our exciting development plans. Well done to Caroline Ness for all her hard work and the branch trustees who have supported this process.”

For South Lanarkshire it is testament to the hard work undertaken by the board of trustees of the charity in making stronger links to the local authority and trust through Patrick Murphy the Development Services Manager of South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture.

SDS had set a target of all branches achieving MOR before March 2017 and these presentations confirm this success well ahead of schedule. The process now continues with ongoing evaluations and a re-accreditation process to ensure branches remain fully fit for purpose.

Congratulations to PKDS and SLDS on their respective achievements.

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Saturday 8^th October 2016 – [EN]GAGE Sports Centre, Napier University, Edinburgh

Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) were supported by local branch, Lothian Disability Sport (LDS) to deliver the annual Scottish Boccia Open Championships for players out with the bisfed classification, attracting around 60 players to Edinburgh on Saturday 8^th October.

The event saw players from across Scotland, as well as entrants from England (Derek Sked) and Northern Ireland (Caroline Millar), compete in sections for players with a physical disability (class A), players with a learning disability (class B, male and female) and a junior section for players under the age of 16.  The large entry allowed for some excellent competition throughout the day in all sections, providing players the opportunity to test themselves against their peers from across the country – some renewing old rivalries and some experiencing the competitive stage for the first time.  This competitive element was particularly evident in class B as numbers allowed for four groups in both male and female categories, meaning that the group winner only would qualify for the semi final stage – this was tough for some players who managed to claim a number of victories and were disappointed as first place was decided on shots difference.  Lothian continued their proud record of dominance in the female section as Jodie Lavin (Lothian Special Olympics) defeated experienced campaigner Kirsty McCallum (No Limits, Lothian) in a tightly contested final, 3-2.  Philippa Robertson (Lothian Special Olympics) produced some excellent shots in the bronze medal match, defeating Harriet Davis 6-5 meaning that the region recorded a clean sweep in the medal stakes.  James Muirhead of Kirkriggs Boccia Club adapted superbly to the transition between junior to senior competition, claiming an impressive victory in the male class B section at the first time of asking – narrowly defeating Tayside Special Olympics player David Carlin in a tie break after the players were locked at 3-3 after four ends.  Forth Valley’s Darren Rooney proved victorious in the 3^rd/4^th place play off, defeating Scott Bruce (Lothian Special Olympics) 4-3 in another display of impressive boccia.

Class A provided a slightly more UK-wide feel as entrants from England and Northern Ireland supplemented the entry from across Scotland.  Last year’s winner Derek Sked (England) replicated the form from 12 months ago to claim victory in convincing fashion with a 7-0 win against Northern Ireland’s Caroline Millar at the final stage meaning he would take the gold medal across the border once again.  The bronze medal match was contested by two East of Scotland Boccia club players as Heather Nicolson and Adam Stafford battled out a closely contested match with Nicolson building on her victory at last weekend’s Borders Boccia competition to claim victory 6-3.

The junior category was another hotly contested section with Dumfries & Galloway player Morgan Deer displaying consistent and impressive form throughout, culminating in a 6-5 win against Michael Gilhooly  (Kirkriggs Boccia Club) in the section final.  Calum Thomson capped off an enjoyable day, defeating Kaitlin Dow 6-4 in the bronze medal match.  Additionally, the most improved junior is also recognised at these championships with Dundee Boccia Club working closely with clubs across the country to identify a youngster who has developed their game over the previous 12 months.  This year’s selected recipient of the shield was Patrick Boyce of Kirkriggs Boccia Club.

The championships were supported superbly by the staff at [EN]GAGE who provided an excellent environment for players to express themselves on the court.  Thanks is also extended to the dedicated and knowledgeable band of officials who allowed the day to run smoothly from start to finish, alongside announcer Richard Mann whose expertise on the microphone added to the atmosphere throughout.  Lastly, the clubs, coaches and players continue to support the event in their numbers and continue to produce the performances that seem to make the event a greater

Angus-based athlete Gemma Lumsdaine travelled to Westminster last week to address guests at the House of Lords in an event to launch “Supporting Tomorrows Superstars”, a campaign which is raising money to buy a new wheelchair rugby chair for each wheelchair rugby club across the UK and Ireland.

The campaign is run by children’s rugby charity Wooden Spoon, and Gemma, who plays wheelchair rugby, spoke about the benefits of disability sport in general. Gemma also outlined how wheelchair rugby in particular has helped her as it is geared towards athletes impaired in both upper and lower limbs.

Gemma described giving the speech at the House of Lords as nerve-wracking but ensured she made the most of the opportunity to promote disability sport to the audience which included sportsmen, dignitaries, charity funders and ex-Paralympians.