Month: June 2018

Excellent 10K pushes by Fife Athletes

Congratulations to Graham McIntyre from Leven and Callum Sloan from Dunfermline who recorded personal best performances in the Kilmarnock 10km (Roon the Toon) on Sunday 10th June. The event is organised  Kilmarnock Harriers and AC. by It was a tough course for the Disability Sport Fife wheelchair racing squad members but they coped well and received very positive feedback from their coach Pamela Robson.

For Queen Anne HS teenager Callum it was his first push over 10K and he completed the course in a creditable 47.39. Graham is still coming to terms with his new racing wheelchair and was pleased with his time of 32.39.

Both athletes are now well and truly ready for the Disability Sport Fife Track and Field Championships to be held at Pitreavie Athletics centre on Wednesday 13th June. The Championships are once again supported by the Fife Sports and Leisure Trust.

Richard Brickley MBE – President Disability Sport Fife

Young Fife Volunteer recognised by Volunteering Matters

Briony Clark has become the 15th Disability Sport Fife volunteer to be acknowledged by UK agency Volunteering Matters for her significant contribution to the development of disability sport in Fife. Briony was one of DSF’s original peer mentor volunteers.

Briony has been involved with GOGA in Fife since it was launched 18 months ago and since she left school she has spent large amounts of her free time supporting others at the Michael Woods Sports & Leisure Centre.

Briony is one of the most talented all round sportwomen in Fife. Briony excelled as a footballer at school and is now an active member of Glenrothes Strollers. She is also very competent in racquet sports, athletics, bowls and is an exceptional swimmer. Some of her sporting activities have been curtailed because of work commitments but not her enthusiasm for volunteering.

Briony volunteers weekly at multi sports, run jump and throws and many sports events throughout the year. Briony is patient, confident and skilled with participants with severe and complex needs in particular. Briony has the ability to pursue a coaching pathway but for the moment is happy to be a peer mentor volunteer and a particularly good one at that. Briony is enthusiastic, reliable and exceptionally popular within her peer group.

Richard Brickley MBE – President Disability Sport Fife

 

Third Place Finish for Scotland’s Footballers in Barcelona

The Scottish National Cerebral Palsy Football team returned home from the International Trophy CP Football Ciutat de Barcelona organised by the Catalan Sports Federation of Cerebral Palsy (FECPC) with a very creditable third place finish after four days of competition.

Scotland were drawn in a tough qualifying group against Argentina, Denmark and CP United. The Scots got off to a flying start with a solid 6-3 victory of the CP United club side.

In their second fixture they faced a more difficult test against an Argentinian side currently ranked 5th in the World. The Scots have been out of the international picture for the last two years and this lack of match experienced showed with a 6-1 victory to Argentina.

This put the pressure on the Scottish team for their final group match against Denmark. However, the Scots rallied and secured a deserved 5-0 win against the side ranked 18th in the world.

This result meant Scotland were drawn to face the SW CP United in the 3rd/4th play-off match. The Scots had grown in confidence as the competition had progressed and this was demonstrated with a comfortable 9-0 win over the English club side.

This was an excellent return to the international scene for the Scottish National Cerebral Palsy Football team and we now hope to build on this success and see Scotland back competing at World and European Championships.

The following players were named in the squad to compete for Scotland in Barcelona;

Barry Halloran, Motherwell
Martin Hickman, Glasgow
Scott Martin, London
Lewis McIntyre, Kilbarchan
Jamie Mitchell, Livingston
Mark Robertson, Roslin
Robert Millar, Dunoon
Blair Glynn, Tranent
Stephen Young, Dunfermline
Ross Russell, Bishopbriggs
Blair McGregor, Glasgow
Dean Thornton, Glasgow
Ian Paton, Kilmarnock
Matthew Wynne, Eaglesham

The players were supported at the competition by Head Coach Greig Taylor, along with Assistant Coaches Graeme Robertson and Scott Christie.

Our sincere thanks go to the Scottish FA, NorDan UK Ltd, The Blue Eyes Sports Foundation and Fresh Interior Solutions for their generous support of the Scottish National Cerebral Palsy Football team.

If you are interested in getting involved with the Scottish National Cerebral Palsy Football team or providing much needed funding to help the team achieve their goal of World and European competition, please contact Gavin Macleod on 0131 317 1150 or at gavin.macleod@scottishdisabilitysport.com.

Tayside Triathlete thrives in Eton Dorney Open

Ciara Roulston shone for Tayside at the Eton Dorney Open Paratriathlon. The Artic One sponsored event, was Ciara’s first Paratriathlon. Not only was the event a great development experience, it also saw Ciara take home 1st place in the Super Sprint.

Ciara is an emerging triathlete based in Kirriemuir, whose dedication to individual training has been irrefutable. Relatively new to the sport, Ciara has gone from strength to strength in terms of her training. Ciara’s approach and attitude to training is first class and she does a great job of looking for support and guidance from supporting organisations. This combined with her work ethic is sure to culminate in additional gains to her performance over time.

Ciara commented “I couldn’t be happier with how my first race went. To come away with a first in my first race, I’m still in shock.  I’ve trained hard and know I have to train harder still. I have plenty to work on but am taking lots of positives from this event.”

Ciara Roulston attended her first Paratriathlon event at the Eton Dorney Open Paratriathlon. The event, supported by Artic One, saw Ciara competing in the Para Super Sprint.

UKSA announce team for 1st Inas European Summer Games in Paris

Britain’s best athletes cross the channel in July to take on some of the World’s best at the inaugural Inas Summer Games as part of the UK Sports Association (UKSA) Great Britain Team.  UKSA is proud to announce its athletics, cycling and swimming Teams, with further announcements in Tennis, in collaboration with the Tennis Foundation to follow.

British representation spans the 4 sports of athletics, cycling, tennis and swimming and includes previous internationals Declan Manning and Nathan Fleetwood as well as six others making their GB international debuts for UKSA.

Supported by a dedicated team of coaching professionals, expectations are high as athletes continue to prepare to demonstrate their sporting prowess.

Tracey McCillen, Chief Executive, UK Sports Association comments: “We really have seen some excellent performances from the British Team already. We set competitive standards for the event and this has without a doubt shown that British athletes are ready to rise the challenges that this performance environment will throw at them.

“The Inas Summer Games will be challenging, but we have selected a Team of strong talented athletes who are ready to do the job. We have a dedicated group of coaches supporting the Team and I am delighted that one of those coaches is a former Paralympian who started his career as an Inas competitor. Congratulations to all athletes and coaches on their selection to the UKSA GB Team.”

The full Athletics, Cycling and Swimming Team members are:

Athletics:

Declan Manning (Bungay, Suffolk)
Nathan Fleetwood (Lanark, Lanarkshire)
Sam Fernando (Gateside, Fife)
Chris McMillan (Leicester, Leicestershire)
Charlotte Cox, (Cambridge, Cambridgeshire)
Jane Coia, Team Manager/Coach
Tommy Patterson, Deputy Team Manager/Coach
Kevin Manning, Coach

Cycling:

Ruairidh Brown (E. Kilbride, South Lanarkshire)
Kiera Byland (Bolton, Grt. Manchester)
Tom A Hara, Team Manager/Coach
Graeme Brown, Coach

Swimming:

Rachel Tweedie (New Mills, Derbyshire)
Jessica Tweedie, Team Manager/Coach
Dan Pepper, Coach

Tennis announcement to follow

The UK Sports Association (UKSA) is the only official Great Britain member of Inas, the International Federation for athletes with intellectual impairment, Down syndrome and autism.

Hosted by Fédération Française du Sport Adapté on behalf of Inas Europe, the Inas Summer Games will take place in Paris, France from 14 July to 22 July 2018.  With 9 sports in contention, it is expected that over 1000 participants will take part.

The Championships will incorporate the Inas European Championships in Athletics and Swimming and the Inas World Championships in Cycling and Tennis.

RDA Carriage Driving Scottish Qualifiers

For the second year running, it was a blisteringly hot day at Hopetoun House for the RDA Qualifiers.  Teams from Garioch, Forth Driving, Argyll and Annandale & Eskdale produced some close competition.

West & Central qualifying success came for Alison Colvin (Forth Driving ) was 2nd in the Open Qualifiers, driving Rosie, Linda Farquhar (Forth Driving) was 1st  in the Intermediate Qualifiers, driving Rosie and Emma Hunter (Forth Driving) was 2nd  in the Novice, driving Ozzy.  Unfortunately, only two Forth drivers are able to go down to Hartpury and as Alison has been twice before, this year will be the turn of Linda and Emma.

The Fliskmillan Trophy is for new comers to competition or for those that love to compete but are struggling to remember a dressage test or learn the cones/obstacle course.   Ellen Kennedy, Jamie Buckley, and Holly Cartwright, all from Argyll and Lizzie Jackson from Forth Driving , put in tremendous efforts for West & Central.  They all put aside their competition nerves and faced the dressage section.  Then it was back in again to focus on the very challenging obstacles and cones course.  We were thrilled to watch and I hope that they were all thrilled with their achievements.   The winner of the Fliskmillan Trophy was Lizzie Jackson from Forth Driving.

The RDA Challenge Trophy for the group achieving the Highest Cumulative Score in the RDA classes, was won by Annandale & Eskdale.  They were delighted to receive the trophy from Mrs. Sam Orde, RDA Chairman.  Sam had a lovely day meeting and chatting with everyone involved.   She was very impressed by the inclusion of the RDA in the larger competition, giving everyone a real sense of the preparation, excitement and atmosphere of this wonderful event, in such a wonderful setting.

Runners Up at Home Nations Championships

The Scottish Para Lawn bowls team competed against England and Wales in the Home Nations Championships which took place at Clarence Park Bows Club in Weston-Super-Mare from the 8 – 10 June 2018.  The competition included singles, pairs, triples and four bowls formats with each match worth two points to the overall team score.

It was an ideal time to have an international fixture (following the Commonwealth Games) so that coaches could trial new players in this environment as the IBD World Championships in 2020 comes into focus.

Although finishing runners up wasn’t the result we were all looking for, the competition served a great purpose and was hugely beneficial.  There were some fine individual performances and the new players in the team performed well.

Standings

Place

Country

Points

1

England

41

2

Scotland

20

3

Wales

15

 

Scottish Para Lawn Bowls Squad

Player

Classification

Town

Local Authority

Ian Graham

B2

Dunfermline

Fife

Mary Stevenson

B2

Barrhead

Renfrewshire

Melanie Inness (R)

B3

Balerno

Edinburgh

Maria Spencer

B3

Dunfermline

Fife

Robert Barr

B3

Glasgow

Glasgow

Sandy McIntosh

B3

Inverness

Highland

Billy Allan

B6

Cowdenbeath

Fife

Fraser Mathieson

B6

St. Ninians

Stirling

George Guthrie

B6

Glasgow

Glasgow

Ian Donaldson (R)

B6

Dumfries

Dumfries & Galloway

Barbara McMillan

B7

Cowdenbeath

Fife

Derek Hartley

B7

Tullibody

Clackmannanshire

John Hughes

B7

Stewarton

East Ayrshire

John Wardrope

B7

Ayr

South Ayrshire

Garry Brown

B7

Kirkmuirhill

South Lanarkshire

Rosemary Lenton

B7

Dumfries

Dumfries & Galloway

Brendan Handling

B8

Stranraer

Dumfries & Galloway

 Coach

 Town

Local Authority 

Bob Dick (Head Coach)

 

Cupar

Fife

Christine Morrow

 

Dalmuir

Clydebank

Sarah-Jane Ewing

 

Dunfermline

Fife

Bob Christie

 

Brechin

Angus

Chris McGready

 

Grangemouh

Falkirk

Eric McMillan

 

Cowdenbeath

Fife

 

 

(R) Reserve

 

 

 

 Three Nations Results 2018

Cycling Legacy Development Officer, Glasgow 2018: Maternity Cover

Salary: £20,000 – £25,000 (depending on experience)

Contract Type: Maternity cover until end of February 2019

Reporting to: Scottish Cycling Events Manager

Closing Date: 12 noon, Monday 25th June 2018

Do you have a passion for cycling and want to work in one of the most exciting and fastest growing sports in the UK? Scottish Cycling is looking to appoint a dynamic individual to take on the role of Cycling Legacy Development Officer (Glasgow 2018).

Scottish Cycling is delighted to offer an opportunity in the role of Cycling Legacy Development Officer to cover maternity leave until March 2019, with possible opportunity to extend.

In partnership with the Glasgow 2018 European Championships, the role provides the opportunity for both Scottish Cycling and Glasgow 2018 to create and develop opportunities for cycle sport, whilst also supporting the delivery of successful cycling events as part of the European Championships.

The Cycling Legacy Development Officer is the main link between Scottish Cycling and Glasgow 2018 and ensures that opportunities presented during the 2018 Championships and beyond are maximised for cycling across the country.

The role of Cycling Legacy Development Officer will work closely with members of the Development and Performance teams within Scottish Cycling and the Glasgow 2018 Cycling team to deliver on the following key areas:

  • Support the delivery of the Glasgow 2018 Championship, with specific focus on Commissaires and event volunteers.
  • Implement the Cycling Legacy plan in conjunction with Glasgow 2018 and Glasgow Life, with a focus on Commissaires, Event Volunteers and Facility Development.
  • Use the delivery of the European Championships to continue developing cycle sport across many areas including, but not limited to: the event volunteer database in Scotland, training opportunities for the event volunteer and commissaire workforce and club development.
  • Support the implementation of the Championship cycling facility legacy opportunities.
  • Work with other members of the Scottish Cycling staff team to support the delivery of the targets as defined in Scottish Cycling’s Strategic Plan and annual Business Plan.

Application Form

Job Description

Equality Monitoring Form

Interviews will take place week beginning 9th July 2018

Better Movers and Thinkers & Bilateral Integration

On Thursday 7 June 2018 Scottish Disability Sport, in partnership with sportscotland, hosted the Better Movers & Thinkers and Bilateral Integration Workshop through the SDS National Coach Development Programme. The workshop was a huge success hosted in the Central region at Grangemouth High School. We were very fortunate to have the esteemed Dr Andrew Dalziell tutoring the workshop and sharing his knowledge and expertise in this field to coaches and volunteers from across the country .

Key Outcomes from this workshop included:

  •  The importance of developmental factors in athlete performance.
  • The impact that developmental factors can have on athlete’s performance
  • The importance of Executive Function Skills (EFs) to everyday life
  • Practical workshop demonstrating physical intervention exercises that can aid performance

With the ongoing success of the SDS National Coach Development Programme and the video conferencing links, Cheryl Lappin (Scottish Disability Sport RDM), Heather Lowden (Scottish Disability Sport Coaching and Education Manager) and the SDS regional team will be hosting additional disability specific workshops throughout 2018 – 2019. Details will be circulated in the coming months.

To find out more information on SDS Coach Development Programme or disability sport in Central Scotland, please contact: Cheryl Lappin – cheryl.lappin@scottishdisabilitysport.com / Phone: 07577 830360.

Valued Volunteer – Darren Thomson

SDS would like to celebrate and recognise the dedicated and committed volunteers who work tirelessly to make Disability Sport in Scotland happen. To round off Volunteers Week, today we would like to turn the spotlight on Darren Thomson, a dedicated and self-effacing volunteer who has been involved with boccia for over 25 years, the last seven of which as an international referee.

Darren established a boccia club in Dundee 15 years ago and still coaches every week.  Last night he attended a coach development workshop and this weekend he will be found at sportscotland National Sports Training Centre Inverclyde, officiating at the UK Boccia Championships.  He is renowned for his calmness under pressure whilst officiating and as a result has been selected to referee at the BISFed 2018 World BOCCIA Championships in Liverpool from 12th-18th August.

Darren has given tirelessly of his time, effort and commitment at a local, regional, national and international level on ensure the continued development of boccia for all players whether as a coach or official.

If you would like to find out more about boccia, please contact admin@scottishdisabilitysport.com