Month: November 2017

Big Hit Badminton Festival

As part of GOGA in Fife (Get Out Get Active), Disability Sport Fife (DSF) teamed up with Active Schools and Badminton Scotland to organise a “Big Hit” Festival at the University of St Andrews Sports Centre on Tuesday 21st November between 10 00 and 12 00. GOGA in Fife is supported by Spirit of 2012 and has a focus of encouraging inactive individuals with additional support needs to be active more often.

The Festival on the day was coordinated by Jane Russell of Badminton Scotland with support from Alex Bird from Active Schools. Caitlyn McAleese, Active Schools Coordinator, Madras College Primary Cluster, was the Fife Council staff member who approached DSF about setting up the Festival. Caitlyn coordinated arrangements in the lead up to the event.

Sports Leaders from Madras College, prepared by Jane, delivered a two hour programme of appropriate skills, games and fun activities. 26 pupils with additional support needs from Madras College in St Andrews and Castlehill Primary in Cupar participated. The follow up to the half day Festival will be the introduction of lunch time badminton sessions in 2018 with input from Madras College staff and sports leaders.

A morning of active recreation was enjoyed by all. Learners were supported by learning support assistants, teachers and sports leaders. It is hoped to host a follow up GOGA in Fife tennis Festival for North East Fife schools in 2018, once again in the magnificent University of St Andrews Sports Centre.

Richard Brickley MBE – President Disability Sport Fife

 

DSF Prominent in Outstanding Fife AC Performance

Disability Sport Fife members played a significant role in the outstanding results recorded by the four Fife AC members who finished ninth overall at the Scottish Athletics National Short Course Cross Country Championships at Kirkcaldy High School on Saturday 11th November.

Almost 150 athletes from 36 of Scotland’s leading athletics clubs participated. Cameron Boyek from Central AC was the first athlete to finish in a time of 12.01. Fife Athletic Club leading athlete Logan Rees crossed the finish line in 6th place in 12.16 and he was followed by Owen Miller in 56th place in 13.11, Sam Fernando in 73rd place in 13.23 and Derek Rae in 75th place in 13.27. Fine performances by every Fife athlete and a most creditable finishing overall position.

Logan, Sam and Derek are coached by Ron Morrison in St Andrews and Owen is coached by Steve Doig in Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy. All DSF members are on heavy endurance and strength training programmes over the winter in preparation for the 2018 athletics season. Cross country races are part of that programme and all DSF members thrive on the challenges presented by this very different and hugely enjoyable form of distance running.

Disability Sport Fife greatly values the very strong partnership it enjoys with Fife AC in event organisation and athlete training. There are more DSF members than ever before training with Fife AC as club members and Fife AC officials play a prominent role in the organisation of DSF Cross Country and Track and Field meetings throughout the year. DSF recognises Fife AC as a truly inclusive athletics club

 

Richard Brickley MBE – President Disability Sport Fife

Scotland confirm entry for CPISRA World Games 2018

Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) is the member body of the Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (CPISRA) and we are delighted to confirm that a Scottish multi-sport team will be entered into the 2018 World Games, set to take place in Sant Cugat, near Barcelona, from the 5th to 17th of August 2018.

The event is seen as an ideal opportunity for aspiring world class athletes with cerebral palsy to compete in a high performance multi-sport event and we look forward to working with our partner Scottish governing bodies (SGBs) to select a team capable of delivering success for Scotland.  The Games offer ideal preparation for more high profile competitions, such as the Paralympic or Commonwealth Games.

Scotland are preparing to take a small team of athletes with high performance potential in the following sports:

  • Boccia
  • Athletics and racerunning
  • Table tennis
  • Swimming

SDS is currently writing selection policies, in partnership with the SGBs of the aforementioned sports, which are set for release in December.

 

For more information on the Games please see the following link: http://cpworldgames.com/

Young Fife Boccia Player Receives New Boccia Balls

Disability Sport Fife (DSF) enjoys a very special relationship with the members of the Order of St John Fife. For over two decades Order members have financially supported individual DSF members and teams and have even funded the purchase of a DSF mini bus. Thousands of pounds have been raised by Order members in support of DSF projects and programmes and the beneficiaries have been hundreds of DSF members past and present.

Earlier this year Order members presented DSF with a cheque for £500 and it was decided to spend part of the money on the purchase of boccia balls for the ever improving young Tyler McLelland from Glenrothes. Advice was sought from Boccia UK Coach Claire Morrison and Claire recommended that soft boccia balls from Spain were the best available internationally for Tyler. Claire arranged the purchase and Tyler has not let them out of his sight since they arrived. They command a prominent position at home.

Recent surgery to his arm has prevented Tyler practicing but in the new year he hopes to return to full training. The young Auchmuty HS pupil hopes to follow in the footsteps of Rio Paralympian Kieran Steer from Crossgates who recently retired from the sport. Tyler’s mum Emma is now pursuing a coaching pathway and is going forward for her UKCC Level 1 Boccia Award in February next year.

Order of St John members Lesley Macdonald, Ewen Macdonald, Mary Gilmour, Stuart Morris, Elizabeth Laing, Findlay Macrae, Lawson Rennie and James Clark recently visited the DSF office at the Michael Woods Sports and Leisure Centre to meet up with Tyler, mum Emma and little brother Jack. Tyler explained why the soft Spanish boccia balls will help him with his game and even outlined some of the intricacies of the sport that is played globally by players with high levels of physical impairment. Tyler just cannot wait to get back playing after an already lengthy lay off.

Richard Brickley MBE – President Disability Sport Fife

Disability Sport Fife logo

Nine Year Group Wins for Woodmill HS pupils

Over 60 junior athletes with additional support needs competed in Round 1 of the East Series Cross Country Championships at Peffermill in Edinburgh. Disability Sport Fife had the largest representation of athletes in one of the most popular occasions on the annual calendar of events. The East Series is organised by Scottish Athletics and Scottish Disability Sport and the penultimate race is held in Fife at the Beveridge Park and organised by Disability Sport Fife and Fife AC.

Athletes from Bell Baxter HS, Balwearie HS, Woodmill HS and Lochgelly HS took part. Cross country is very popular in Fife and prepares the young athletes for the 2018 Track and Field season. Owen Miller and Sam Fernando from Balwearie HS and Bell Baxter HS respectively established themselves in the East Series Cross Country events before becoming outstanding middle distance athletes with Fife AC.

In the girls 1K race Fife produced four year group winners through Gemma Seaton S1 (Woodmill HS), Saskia Taylor S3 (Woodmill HS), Megan Wilson S4 (Woodmill HS), Derry Reilly S5 (Lochgelly HS). In the equivalent for boys Nathan Smith S2 (Woodmill HS), Michael Robertson S3 (Woodmill HS), Ryan Downie S4 (Woodmill HS) and Scott Combe S6 (Woodmill HS) were the year group winners.

In the 2K race for girls, Michelle and Louise Harley S5 from Lochgelly HS finished first and second respectively. Edwin Barron S3 (Woodmill HS), Shakeel Ul-Haq S4 (Lochgelly HS), Arran Howe S5 (Bell Baxter HS) and Matthew Blair S6 (Woodmill HS) were year group winners in the 2K race for boys.

Nine year group race wins for the young athletes from Woodmill HS in the first of the 2017/2018 East Series of cross country races. A really impressive start and the pupils are already looking forward to race two next month.

Richard Brickley MBE – President Disability Sport Fife

SWiS Coach of the Year – Tina Gordon

Tina Gordon has been selected as Coach of the Year at the recent Scottish Woman in Sport (SWiS) Awards, recognising the incredible impact the former Lothian Phoenix coach has had on the sport of wheelchair basketball. Current Lothian Phoenix Head Coach Niall Ritchie highlighted this, stating that: “Tina’s coaching has had a lasting impact on many athletes, coaches and officials across the country. Phoenix was one of those clubs fortunate enough to benefit from her guidance and time.”

Tina has supported many players to progress through the pathway from identification to club engagement and ultimately on to National representation – with current Paralympian Robyn Love one of the most high profile players who has benefited from Tina’s expertise and passion for coaching. However, the work that Tina undertakes at grassroots level is imperative to the ongoing growth of the sport and an area of work that is high on her agenda – relentlessly supporting Scottish Disability Sport programmes such as the annual Para Sport Festivals and further SDS engagement days.

Tina, currently wheelchair basketball development officer at Basketball Scotland, has been acknowledged for years of driving the development of the sport, while enthusiastically empowering players and coaches to reach their potential and achieve all they can in wheelchair basketball. Tina demonstrated her passion for the continued development, stating that “it may be an individual award but I feel strongly that it reflects the growth of wheelchair basketball that the sport and those within the sport are being recognised at the top level.”

Tina’s most recent achievement saw her guide the Scotland under 19s to a third place finish and bronze medal at this year’s School Games – the first ever celtic nation to achieve this! This was particularly pleasing for the Bathgate-based coach as it highlights the successful development work that is being driven in the sport of wheelchair basketball north of the border. The coaching team at the School Games was an all-female cast with Tina leading the way and ably supported by assistants Gemma Lumsdaine and Jen Scally – underlining the significant impact Tina has had on her peers in coaching.

A truly deserved winner of the SWiS Coach of the Year Award – well done Tina!

Fundraise for SDS with your Christmas shopping

There are only 41 days left till Christmas! If you are shopping online, please remember you can raise funds for us at the same time by using easyfundraising.org.uk.

Over 2,400 well known retailers including Amazon, M&S, Boden, Waitrose, House of Fraser, Vodafone, Virgin Atlantic and many more, will donate a percentage of what you spend to Scottish Disability Sport when you shop with them.

Each purchase generates a donation. So instead of going directly to a retailer’s website, go to easyfundraising first and choose the retailer you want to shop with – then everything you spend earns a donation for Scottish Disability Sport. It’s completely free to use and your shopping won’t cost you a penny more. On average, each retailer will donate 5% of the cost of your shopping – and those donations soon mount up. Please register to support us when you shop online –https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/invite/5L90A3/3M52M8/

Records Tumble at 40th Junior Championships

No less than 13 Championship Records were broken yesterday in Grangemouth at the 40th SDS Junior Swimming Championships for swimmers with a physical or sensory impairment.

The event is one of the oldest on the SDS Calendar and the fact that so many records were broken is a testament to the rude health that para-swimming finds itself in. The next generation of swimmers coming through our branches and regions smashed personal best times across the classes and entries were up overall and from key areas where targeted development has taken place, such as the Scottish Borders, Tayside and Highland to name just three.

West of Scotland’s Abby Kane – the Rio Paralympic silver medal winner from Largs – was one of the stars of the show in claiming 5 gold medals and 4 Championship Records (CR) at the event. The only CR to escape her is the 50m breast-stroke record currently held by Fife’s Lara Ferguson – a Paralympian in Sydney and Athens – and shows the level the young swimmers are aspiring to. Abby was pushed all the way by Beth Johnston from the Scottish Borders, who was the previous CR holder for the 4 events Abby claimed yesterday. The quality of swims these two produced in their 5 races, alongside the many other fine performers on the day, was something to behold and all who were in attendance recognised this event will be seen as one of the very strongest in its history, with swimmers of the highest calibre competing.

Fife’s Oliver Carter definitely fits the bill in this respect too. The progress of this remarkable swimmer from Carnegie can be charted by a quick analysis of his times in this event alone. Every year Oliver has competed and every year his times improve almost exponentially. Oliver smashed the 1-minute barrier in the 100m Freestyle event he got so close to last year and – similarly to Abby – went on to claim 5 golds and 4 Championship Records. One of the records was the 25-year-old record in the 50m breaststroke held by another Fife Paralympian, Iain Matthew. The fact that Iain was the 1992 gold medallist in the 100m Breastroke at the 1992 Barcelona games only serves to highlight the quality of Oliver’s swim. The only CR escaping Oliver was Robert Dalgleish’s 50m Backstroke record from 2011. Robert from Lothian was on hand to witness some of these swims and kindly presented some medals to our successful swimmers alongside Jim Anderson OBE and Colette Martin. Robert joined his great friend and rival Stefan Hoggan in attendance, Stefan was fulfilling a role as Announcer-in-Training, shadowing the best in the business, Paul Noble MBE, who has undertaken this role for SDS at both the junior and senior events for years.

Lewis McCulloch from Port Glasgow Otters had another phenomenal Championship, following on from his Best Male Performer award last year. Lewis bettered the CR in all five events he competed in. He was extremely unfortunate to miss out on the Best Male Performance for 2017, the award, this year, going to Oliver in recognition of his exceptional performances in his races and the records he broke.

A big thanks should go to Falkirk Community Trust, all staff at Grangemouth Sports Complex and the many officials and volunteers from Scottish Swimming, marshalled by Jean King, and the SDS Branches who support the event so much.

Photo: Oliver Carter (Fife) & Abby Kane (West of Scotland) – Best Male & Female Performers of the 2017 Championships