Month: October 2018

Reflections on Outstanding Year for Fife Swimmer

It is a useful exercise to reflect and celebrate as the year draws to an end and in this instance the subject is young Cameron Hemphill from Ladybank and Bell Baxter HS. Cameron has cerebral palsy and is one of Fife and Scotland’s up and coming junior swimmers. Cameron follows in the tradition of recent and past Fife swimmers who have demonstrated enormous commitment and dedication to training and have reaped the rewards accordingly.

Cameron’s club history involved an initial period with the Cupar and District club followed by a successful move to InCAS where he struck up an excellent relationship with coach Garrie Roberts. The summer period was a tough time for the Hemphill family when they found out that Garrie was moving on from InCAS. Garrie and Cameron had worked together for 18 months and not only was the partnership strong but Cameron’s progress was significant.

After a great deal of soul searching and consultation with significant others, the family decision was taken to change clubs. A successful approach was made to Morag Mitchell at Carnegie Swimming Club and on September 1st Cameron successfully made his move. Cameron is now a member of the Carnegie SC Performance Development White Squad.

Due to travel challenges and school priorities, Cameron has been unable to commit to early morning training sessions. Carnegie SC head coach Morag Mitchell and her coaching team have been incredibly accommodating in allowing Cameron to maintain his training hours and being flexible with the sessions he attends.

Cameron is now training with the Club 10.5 hours a week. His main Coach is Barry McMillian whom he works with for three sessions. Already they have struck up a strong relationship. Cameron is also coached once a week by Gary Hallam. On Tuesday evenings Cameron trains with the junior and senior performance squads that are coached by Morag herself. Cameron has settled in to the club well and is enjoying training immensely. In addition to Carnegie SC, Cameron is training with the Scottish National Junior Squad once a month.

Cameron has had an excellent swimming year so far. PB’s have been recorded at every major meet. The highlight of the year for Cameron was recording qualifying times for the Scottish Open at Tollcross in Glasgow in June this year. This was the last occasion that Cameron was coached by Garrie Roberts and he set PBs for 100m Backstroke (1:44.20), 50m freestyle (34.27), 110m freestyle (1:18.08) and 400m Freestyle (6:00.34). In the case of 400m freestyle it was a long course PB by over 12 seconds and for 100m backstroke a long course PB by over 8 seconds.

Since joining the Carnegie club, Cameron has competed in the club championships where he set PB’s for 50m back, breast and freestyle. Cameron also swam at the recent Carnegie SC Winter Graded Meet, where he set PB’s in 100M back, breast and freestyle. In his breast stroke the improvement was over 10 seconds and in backstroke over 6 seconds. Cameron won his first ever gold medal in a mainstream meet for his age group.

Cameron’s goals for the coming year are to perform well at the upcoming SDS junior swimming Championships at Grangemouth Sports Complex and also at the British Para-swimming Championships in Manchester at the start of December. In 2019 Cameron will be concentrating on the British International Para Swimming Championships at Tollcross and also the Scottish Open for a second time.

Cameron is one of a number of Fife based Para athletes who have access to a strength and conditioning programme coordinated by the Fife Sports and Leisure Gym gym manager Stuart Bizzarri through Disability Sport Fife. Cameron enjoys two sessions a week at the Michael Woods Sports & Leisure Centrea courtesy of the FSLT talented athlete programme. Like those before him Cameron is benefitting enormously from the strength gains he is experiencing.

Away from training Cameron enjoys cycling and spending time with his friends and family. Cameron is now in his fourth year at Bell Baxter HS and is as conscientious about his studies as he is about swimming. Exams are as important as swim meets and I have no doubt this very committed young Fife swimmer will perform to the best of his ability in both.

In the longer term Cameron is keen to take advantage of Disability Sport Fife volunteering opportunities as a peer mentor and working towards coaching qualifications. In Cameron’s own words he hopes “to ‘give back’ some of the excellent support he has had from Disability Sport Fife over the last few years”. If success is based on commitment and dedication then Cameron Hemphill has every chance of excelling at the highest level in Para swimming.

Cameron was awarded a Bill Pullar Bursary at the Disability Sport Fife Awards evening held earlier in the year. The award was presented by the Provost of Fife because Mrs Margaret Pullar could not attend due to ill health.

Richard Brickley MBE – President Disability Sport Fife

Michael Mellon wins Third Medal at Invictus Games

Mike Mellon’s 2018 Invictus Games in Sydney ended with a third medal as a member of the Team UK basketball squad. At the previous Games in Canada Mike won silver and bronze but he leaves Australia as the only Scot in Team UK and with two silvers and one bronze medal. An amazing journey, incredible energy and commitment from the all rounder from the “village of Cardenden,” as 1984 GB Paralympian Andrew Brennan recently described his beloved home town.

RAF veteran Mick Mellon was medically discharged in 2005 from his role as a senior aircraftman. Michael targetted the 2018 Invictus Games as part of his ongoing recovery journey. Mike is a highly respected member of Disability Sport Fife and Dundee Dragons Wheelchair Sports Club. Mike applied and qualified to compete in the 2018 Invictus Games in sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby. Mike had already won silver medals for sitting volleyball and wheelchair rugby when he lined up in the Team UK basketball team.

Team UK defeated Australia in qualifying but a critical loss to the Netherlands by only 18 – 21 resulted in Team UK having the more challenging route to the final stages of the tournament. Netherlands topped the pool with 4 points and UK and Australia had 3 and 2 points respectively. Team UK was drawn against the mighty USA in the semi final and despite it being a match to remember and a wonderful performance by Mike and his colleagues, Team UK was on the losing end of 41 – 35 result. Netherlands progressed to meet USA in the final following a victory against New Zealand but lost by 17 – 29. Team UK defeated New Zealand 32 – 6 in the bronze medal match and added another excellent medal to their 2018 Invictus Team Games tally.

Well done Team UK and of course our own Mike Mellon. Brilliant support yet again from Help for Heroes. All of us back home are fiercely proud of all that you have achieved and all that you have sacrificed to excel in Australia. Your amazing wife and family must be so proud of you and deservedly so. Your journey is by no means complete and you have much more to offer Para sport and the Invictus movement as a competitor and ambassador. Safe home from “Down Under” and once again congratulations.

Richard Brickley MBE – President Disability Sport Fife

Central Parasport Festival 2018 – A Huge Success

Tuesday 23rd October saw the success of the 2018 Central Parasport Festival, with children and young people with physical, visual and hearing impairments taking part in the event held at Grangemouth Sports Complex.

Pupils from P1 – S6 in mainstream schools travelled from across Central Scotland to take part in a variety of sports such as boccia, badminton, tennis, swimming, athletics, football, cycling, basketball and archery, all delivered by local sports clubs, national coaches and GB athletes.

The event was a great triumph, kindly hosted by Falkirk Community Trust and supported by the Celtic FC Foundation and BP Coast to Coast, it offered new and exciting sports on the day. Strong partnerships from Forth Valley Disability Sport, Active Stirling and Clackmannanshire Council supported the identification of pupils attending this year’s event.

We were delighted to welcome esteemed VIP representatives from local Councils, Trusts and sportscotland, the Provost Tina Murphy from Clackmannanshire and the CEO from the Celtic FC Foundation Tony Hamilton who features in the video below.

An Inclusion workshop was delivered in the afternoon by SDS staff to inform parents, PE teachers and Active Schools Coordinators and give additional insight into subjects such as classification and disability pathways in Central Scotland.

Inspirational speeches closed the event from young Scottish Swimmer Rosie Sheridan from Dunblane High school, who was identified four years ago at her first Central Parasport festival. She inspired her peers by sharing her sporting journey. Also Fiona Christie, Paralympic WH2 badminton player, enthused our attendees with her motivational words and showcasing her great talent.

Cheryl Lappin (SDS Regional Development Manager for Central Scotland) said: “The event was a fantastic success and a worthwhile experience for not only many pupils engaging in sports they may never have tried before, but also their parents and teachers alike. The message is certainly getting out there that the pathway from participation to performance for athletes with a disability is in place within Central, from a local level to an international level.  Most of all, it has been great to see so many pupils with a physical and sensory disability in mainstream schools engage in sports, have fun, and potentially move up the pathway.”

A special thank you to the Celtic FC Foundation and BP Coast to Coast for supporting this year’s event, as well as hosts Falkirk Community TrustForth Valley Disability Sport, Active Stirling, Clackmannanshire Council, Scottish Athletics, Scottish Swimming, Scottish Cycling, Badminton Scotland, basketballscotland, Scottish Archery, Tennis Scotland, Forth Valley Flyers, Falkirk Football Foundation, Stenhousemuir FC, Bannockburn Bowmen Archery Club, Denny High School senior pupils, Barclays volunteers, sportscotland and the Grangemouth Sports Complex staff for their support.

To find out more about this event or disability sport in Central Scotland, please contact:

Cheryl Lappin – cheryl.lappin@scottishdisabilitysport.com / Phone: 07577 830360

A selection of photos is below from Laurence Bissett – the full gallery can be seen at https://www.flickr.com/photos/whattheflagnog/albums

West Fife All-Rounder Wins Silver at Nationals

Congratulations to teenager Connor Brown from Dunfermline who won silver for disability kata at the JKS national championships last Sunday at Grangemouth Sports Complex. The Woodmill HS pupil has a brown/double white belt for karate plus a green belt for judo. Connor has a type of cerebral palsy that impacts on an arm and leg on one side of his body but remarkably he is able to use all four limbs in his martial arts.

Connor is an exceptional all round young sportsman excelling in cross country, track and field, swimming and rugby. His greatest challenge is making time for all his many sporting interests. After he leaves school in the summer of 2019 Connor hopes to pursue a career in sport and recreation.

JKS Scotland is currently the largest and most successful Shotokan karate federation in Scotland. JKS has 98 clubs across the country with a membership of over 5000 students. The Scottish Headquarters are located at Elgin Industrial Estate in Dunfermline. Inclusive head coach Paul Giannandrea includes students with disabilities in the Dunfermline programme and Disability Sport Fife considers JKS a key partner in the provision of inclusive karate. Sessions organised for West Fife CSS and East Fife CSS are particularly special.

Well done Connor on your most recent success in national sport. Best wishes as you head back to Grangemouth for your final SDS Scottish Junior Swimming Championships in a couple of weeks.

Richard Brickley MBE – President Disability Sport Fife

Michael Mellon wins Team Silver at Invictus Games

The Invictus Games is an international adaptive multi-sport event, created by Prince Harry, in which wounded, injured or sick armed services personnel and their associated veterans take part in sports including wheelchair basketball, sitting volleyball, and indoor rowing. The word ‘invictus’ means ‘unconquered’. It embodies the fighting spirit of wounded, injured and sick Service personnel and personifies what these tenacious men and women can achieve post injury.

RAF veteran Michael Mellon was medically discharged in 2005 from his role as a senior aircraftman. The 38-year-old from Cardenden in Fife, is Scotland’s only representative in Team UK in Australia. Michael has targeted the 2018 Invictus Games as part of his ongoing recovery journey. “The training camps and events have really opened my eyes on how people in similar conditions have coped and progressed with their lives. Being around these people has helped me start to get my life back on track. “After becoming medically discharged I thought my life was over. Every day I just wished I was still in the RAF and with my friends. But I love being with the lads again – I feel like I’m accepted when I’m around them.”
Michael Mellon is a highly respected member of Disability Sport Fife. 2017 was an incredibly busy but wonderfully successful year for Michael. Michael applied to compete in sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball, discus and shot at the 2017 UK Invictus Games and he attended his first training camp in December 2016.

As Michael was training for four events he had to attend camps almost every weekend. Trials were held at Bath University at the beginning of April and then Michael had to wait for five weeks before hearing if he had been selected. The official announcement came in the second week in May that he was off to Toronto for the 2107 Games as part of the UK Team.

The Tower of London was the venue for the main public announcement.
Squad training camps started immediately and Michael was at a camp almost every weekend from June right up to the week before departure for Canada in September. Michael also was selected to play for the Scotland rugby league team in the 2017 World Cup in July over 10 days in the south of France. Scotland played Italy and Spain in the group stages but failed to make the quarter finals. Scotland finally played a France select team before returning home.

For Michael the Invictus Games in Canada were an amazing experience. Michael made it into the finals for discus and shot, finishing 6th in discus and 5th in shot. Team UK made it through the prelims without losing a game in wheelchair basketball but unfortunately lost to Holland in the semifinal. In the bronze medal match against Denmark, Team UK was victorious. In sitting volleyball Team UK never lost a game in the prelims and also won their semi final. In the final, as we all saw on TV, Team UK played a strong team from Georgia and had to settle for a brilliant silver medal.

In November 2017 training camps for the 2018 Invictus Games in Sydney started. The number of athletes applying set new records for the UK Invictus. Michael attended trials for wheelchair tennis, wheelchair rugby, sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball and supported endless training camps throughout 2018. BBC 1 is covering the Games from Australia at 19 30 every evening. Michael is a devoted family man.

Michael’s Games began with two days of sitting volleyball. Team UK made it through to the final where they met defending champions Georgia …. yet again. The outcome was the same as in Canada with Team UK lifting the silver medal. Michael made a significant contribution to a superb Team UK performance. The Georgians are a very powerful team. Well done Team UK and the only Scot has won team silver in his first event. Wheelchair rugby and basketball to follow…….come on Michael.

Richard Brickley MBE – President Disability Sport Fife

Basketball Scotland – Digital Communications Officer

Are you seeking to develop a career in communications?

Do you have the skills to develop exciting and engaging content?

Do you have a passion for sport?

At basketballscotland we’re looking for an ambitious, energetic and creative Digital Communications Officer who can play a lead role in making basketball in Scotland bigger and better!

As part of a vibrant team, you will receive the support, development opportunities and autonomy to develop basketballscotland’s communication channels and your own career.

The successful candidate will:

  • Be able to develop outstanding social media content – including text, graphics and video
  • Have experience managing messaging across a variety of media channels
  • Have exceptional attention to detail

If you are interested, please review the job description and person specification HERE, which includes information on the application process.

Scottish Sports Association – Policy and Communications Officer

CLOSING DATE: 10am, Monday 19 November 2018
Full Time Position
£24,000-£30,000
Based in Edinburgh

The Scottish Sports Association (SSA) is searching for a Policy and Communications Officer. If you’re looking for the following, this unique role might be perfect for you:

  • The opportunity to make a difference
  • To support and shape Scottish sport
  • To utilise your excellent communication skills while developing new skills and experiences
  • To work with partners and develop relationships with individuals and organisations across Scottish sport
  • To work with a friendly, fun and dynamic team

We are looking for someone who:

  • Wants to make a difference to Scottish sport
  • Is energetic and passionate about sport
  • Is an outstanding communicator (in writing and verbally)
  • Is a ‘people person’ and can build and develop strong relationships with our members, partners and stakeholders
  • Can add value to our team and provide valued support to our members.

The SSA is the recognised independent and collective representative organisation for governing bodies of sport in Scotland; we exist to support and represent our members. We work to ensure the interests of our members are represented across Government, Parliament, sportscotland, the voluntary sector and the wider sporting world and always ensure that we provide high quality and valued services to our members.

We are looking for the right fit for our team with outstanding skills in key areas to join our team. While some experience may be beneficial, finding the candidate with the right skills and characteristics is our priority as we are happy to help to develop experience within the role.

The Policy and Communications Officer is a unique role within Scottish sport and is central to providing support and development across Scottish Governing Bodies of sport.

For more information see the Scottish Sports Association website here.

Canadian National Wheelchair Curling Team wins in Stirling

The 2018 Stirling International Wheelchair Curling Tournament was won by the Canadian national team, which was skipped by double Paralympian, Mark Ideson.

In the final, the Canadians beat the national team of Sweden by 7 shots to 6 with the Canadians coming from behind to secure the title by taking a double at the last end.

The event, which was made up of national teams from 11 different countries, was a great success with some fantastic curling on show over 4 days at the Peak.  Paralympic Champions China withdrew at a late stage with their place in the draw taken by a Scotland ‘B’ team, which featured Stirling Wheelchair Curling Club member Charley Mckenna.

Scotland finished 6th in the standings with the Scotland ‘B’ team rounding off their tournament with an 8 – 3 victory over a strong Swiss team.

Many of the teams will be back in Stirling for the 2019 World Wheelchair Curling Championships, which is held at the Peak from March 3rd to 10th.

All details of our event including the draw are on our website

http://stirlingwheelchaircurling.btck.co.uk/

Stirling Wheelchair Curling Club hold wheelchair curling sessions weekly every Wednesday from 12.30pm to 2.30pm. Please contact Jacky McLaren if you would like to try out the sport jackymclaren@talktalk.net

Larkhall Jazzy Movers Music and Movement

Larkhall Jazzy Movers is a brand new music and movement class for kids with disabilities and their parents or carers. Come a long give it a try, sing your heart out and shake your booty. Initially we are doing monthly classes, the second one is on Saturday 27th October at 1pm. Venue is Larkhall Leisure Centre.

If interested please get in touch either via Facebook or give Jan a call on 07900 265723.

As Jazzy Movers is a non-profit making class the cost per class will vary depending on how many kids attend.