Month: September 2019

Young Fife Para swimmer making an impressions as a swim teacher

Disability Sport Fife welcomes Cara Smyth to the DSF teaching/coaching team after several years being mentored by Kay Maxwell at the DSF Thursday swimming session at Carnegie Leisure Centre.

Cara from Dalgety Bay is a well established DSF Para swimmer. Cara enjoyed a very successful swimming career as a junior and is now firmly established in the senior ranks and focused on an equally successful career as a senior swimmer. Recent surgery resulted in her training being put on hold but she is now well and truly back to training and competing withCarnegie Swimming Club.

Running in tandem with her swimming career Cara signed up for the SDS mentoring programme and in no time had successfully completed her Level 1 Swimming award. Attendance at subsequent workshops and courses plus working alongside Kay has prepared her well for independent teaching opportunities. As well as the taking on the DSF session on her own, she is a coach/teacher at Carnegie swimming club.

Cara’s teaching/coaching journey to date has been appropriate and well structured. DSF is confident that Cara will turn out to be yet another conscientious, skilled and well respected DSF coach/teacher. Success is based on the strength of its programme of weekly sessions and the quality of the coaches, volunteers and peer mentor volunteers involved.

Welcome to the DSF and GOGA in Fife team Cara. Wonderful to have you on board. Yet another DSF member turning her hand to teaching/coaching. DSF is committed to challenging the mind blowing statistic that only 2% of coaches in the UK have a disability.

Richard Brickley OBE MBE Chairman DSF (SCIO) Board of Charity Trustees.

Another Season of Progress for Young Athlete

Congratulations to Callum Sloan from Dunfermline who recorded a PB for 100m at the Muller Para-track Grand Prix at Kirkby, Liverpool last weekend. Callum is coached by DSF lead athletics coach Pamela Robson and supported by DSF athletics coach and GOGA in Fife team member, Gayle Sloan.

The Sloan family reported that the event was brilliantly organised by GB Para athletics world champion Hannah Cockcroft plus Nathan Maguire. This was the first Muller Para-track Grand Prix and was also the first event of this type held in the North of England.

There was an amazing mix of athletes from established champions like Sammi Kinghorn, Hannah Cockcroft, Libby Clegg and Richard Chiassaro – to name a few. There were also less experienced British athletes and others who are new to the sport. Callum was delighted to have the opportunity to race against competitors from across the UK.

Callum certainly felt all his training is paying off because he had PBs in 100m (19.6), 400m (78.9) and 800m (2.58).

Callum was happy that this was an excellent way to finish his track season. Next up for Callum is his final race of the season in the Jedburgh 10K at the end of October.

Well done to Callum on yet another year of progress and development.

Richard Brickley OBE MBE Chairman DSF (SCIO) Board of Charity Trustees

Young Athlete wins Double Silver at British Champs

Congratulations to Cameron Adam from Dunfermline and Fife AC who returned from the British Championships for athletes with cerebral palsy in Doncaster with two PBs and two silver medals.

Competing in the T37 class, Cameron recorded 16.2 for 100m and 34.6 for 200m. Cameron also competed in shot and had a best throw of 6.1m.

This was Cameron’s first entry into the British Championships and he enjoyed the experience immensely. The opportunity to compete against other athletes with cerebral palsy was different and very inspiring.

Cameron’s progress as a sprinter has been significant under the guidance of Steve Doig at Fife AC and of course Pamela Robson at the DSF Thursday session at Pitreavie Athletics centre.

Richard Brickley OBE MBE Chair DSF (SCIO) Board of Charity Trustees

Fortieth Inter Schools Gala – Lochgelly HS

The fortieth Inter Schools Gala for swimmers with additional support needs was held at Lochgelly HS on Thursday 26th September. As well as being a qualifying event for the 2020 SDS National Championships for swimmers with additional support needs at Tollcross International Aquatics Centre, swimmers were competing for team points for the Russell Hogg Trophy to be presented by Julie Hogg.

Pupils from Kirkcaldy HS DAS were competing for the first time and despite their many recent challenges, Woodmill HS pupils and staff turned out in significant numbers. There was a strong overall entry from Balwearie HS, Bell Baxter HS, Madras College, Auchmuty HS, Kilmaron, Glenrothes HS, Lochgelly HS and Queen Anne HS. Ten schools in total were represented which is a record for the Inter Schools gala.

Lochgelly HS swimmers successfully defended the title and retained the Russell Hogg Trophy for yet another year with an overall points total of 62. Woodmill HS finished runners up with 51 points, Madras College 3rd with 45 points and Glenrothes HS 4th with 35 points. Balwearie HS were 5th, Queen Anne HS 6th, Belll Baxter HS 7th, Auchmuty HS 8th, Kirkcaldy hS 9th and Kilmaron 10th.

Cerys Venters Scott (Carnegie Swimming Club) was voted top girl and Keir Fisher (Auchmuty HS and Glenrothes Amateur Swimming Club) top boy.

The Inter Schools Gala is organised by Disability Sport Fife with enormous input from Lochgelly HS staff and pupils. Many thanks to officials Fiona, Jim, Anne and Hilary from Glenrothes SC plus DSF volunteers Lara Ferguson, Emily Greig and Gayle Sloan. Lochgelly HS sports ambassadors were amazing timekeepers. Thank you to lifeguard Andrew for looking after pupil safety. A most enjoyable time was had by all.

Richard Brickley OBE MBE Chairman DSF (SCIO) Board of Charity

West of Scotland Schools Boccia

Pupils from across the West of Scotland took part in the Schools Boccia competition at Easterhouse Sports Centre on Tuesday 24th September 2019.

It was a great turnout with 19 schools being represented across the region. Schools travelled from as far afield as Stranraer and Cumnock and everyone enjoyed their day.
Results are below:

Physical Disability sections

Gold: Stephen – Annan Academy
Silver: Abi – Moffat Academy
Bronze: Taha – St Mungo’s High School

Gold: Daniel – Grange Academy
Silver: Michael – St Andrew’s Academy
Bronze:  Ben – Dalmilling Primary

Gold: Kieran – St Oswald’s Secondary
Silver: Declyn – Firpark Secondary
Bronze: Cleo – St Oswald’s Secondary

Learning Disability Sections

Gold: Rhys – Craigmarloch
Silver: Blake – Craigmarloch
Bronze: Grace O’Brien – Craigmarloch

Gold: Cameron – Stranraer Academy
Silver: John – Hollybrook Secondary
Bronze: Amy – Cumnock Academy

Well done to everyone who participated, there was some great boccia on display.  Keep practicing and hope to see everyone next year.

Ayrshire College students were officiating on the day and did a great job.  They were very enthusiastic and professional and interacted with the pupils extremely well.  Scottish squad players Reegan Stevenson and Ross Munro were also helping on the day and offered advice to pupils.

Thanks also goes to the Celtic FC Foundation’s ‘Inspiring Sport’ project who funded the event, and to Easterhouse Sports Centre for hosting and their help on the day.

Growth in Grampian Schools’ Swimming Gala

After a drop in attendance in 2018, we were delighted to welcome 50 swimmers from schools across Aberdeen City & Shire with physical, sensory and learning disabilities to the annual Norma Buist Gala, held at Aberdeen Sports Village for the 3rd year.

The event, named in honour of the late Norma Buist – who worked with St Andrew’s School and was a huge advocate of swimming – is the region’s qualifying event for the Scottish Disability Sport National Junior Swimming Championships, and spaces are hotly contested, particularly for the Learning Disability event!

There were some cracking races on the day from swimmers both experienced and new, with special mentions for newcomer Cassidy Guyan, who gave Lucy Thomas a run for her money, as did Jake Milne with seasoned Para Swimmer, Jason Cobb.

A great turnout of parents, teachers and support staff ensured that swimmers were well-supported during the event, and we thank them all for their encouragement of all swimmers & positive attitude during the entire event.

The feedback has been exceptional, and we’re thoroughly looking forward to next year’s event, which will be held on the 18th September 2020.

The event would not be possible without the efforts from a team of volunteers from Grampian Disability Sport, members of the Aberdeen City & Aberdeenshire Active Schools teams, local club representatives & Scottish Disability Sport. Special mentions go to Marie Cheyne for her tireless efforts in producing & communicating the competition schedule, and for the post-event admin, Pauline Stirling for running the show on the day, S14 superstar Conner Morrison for presenting medals & inspiring the next generation of athletes, and finally, to Kerry Buist – daughter of Norma – who also presented medals & thoroughly mucked in with the operation of the event.

Well done to all & good luck to all of the swimmers selected for the National Junior Swimming Championships, which will be held in November!

Success for Relaunched Grampian Powerchair Football

After a break of more than two years, Powerchair Football is now firmly a part of the Grampian para sport offering, thanks to a joint effort.

A group of enthusiastic players had been missing out on the sport since the previous coach was unable to continue to lead Grampian Strikers due to work commitments. However, after support from a local coach with an interest in Para Football, the Scottish Powerchair Football Association, Sport Aberdeen (who released the existing strikers, balls and brackets), Aberdeen Sports Village (who were keen to host the sessions) and Tayside Dynamo Powerchair Football Club (who provided coaching resources & helped run a Grampian taster session), the sport has now returned to Aberdeen and the first session was very successful.

Future aspirations for the participants include entering them into the Scottish Powerchair Football League once a regular player contingent is established, and growing the sport to include a wider demographic in sessions including more adult & female players.

All football equipment at the sessions is provided so participants only have to bring their powerchairs, and the cost of £4 per person includes entry into other activities & facilities at Aberdeen Sports Village (including their new Boccia session, which starts this weekend & takes place before the powerchair football session).

A huge thank you to coach Norman Innes & everyone else involved in getting these sessions set up again.

If you, or anyone you know, lives with a physical, sensory or learning disability in Grampian & is interested in getting involved in sport, please get in touch with Alison on alison.shaw@scottishdisabilitysport.com or 07828 744 848.

Perry Retains European Title

The British men’s class 6 team of Paul Karabardak, Martin Perry and David Wetherill successfully defended their European title in the Team event at the European Para Table Tennis Championships in Helsingborg, Sweden.

Perry, who has relocated from Paisley to Sheffield to train as part of the British Para Table Tennis centralised programme, has been a key part of the team that has now won this event twice in a row. The result is an important milestone in the Scots journey to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

Although Perry did not play, he has been an important presence in the team.

“Obviously we have been knocking up as a three with our coach Andrew as well,” said Perry, “and it makes everyone have the perfect practice which has been good. So, I feel that regardless of who has played in the match everyone has come in well prepared and well-focused to go on and get the job done. Paul and Dave ensured that we came out on top, but we have prepared as a unit from start to finish and that is what a team does. It is brilliant to come away as two-time European champions and I hope that I can up my level in the next few years and come back to the next Europeans more in contention to get on the score sheet. But at the moment these guys are levels above and so I just have to keep pushing myself to hopefully one day match them.”

For more information on Martins journey, please visit his website https://martin-perry.co.uk/

Scottish Target Shooting – Chair of the Board and Marketing & Communications Director

Scottish Target Shooting (STS) is a unified governing body created in 2016 to help develop the sport of target shooting in Scotland. As a new governing body, we are looking to have a positive impact on clubs and help individuals of all abilities, across all the various disciplines of the sport.

Having just completed our last 4 year investment cycle this is an exciting time to get involved for the next 4 year cycle implementing our new strategic plan, focusing on supporting and growing the different varieties of target shooting from the grassroots up to Commonwealth and Olympic Games level. Scotland has an excellent track record in the sport and after winning 6 medals at the Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast and now having a world champion we also want to create a positive profile around the sport.

STS Chair of the Board

Marketing & Communications Director

Little known Scot with lots of friends and much to be proud of

I have been meaning for some time to write this tribute to the finest all round Scottish physically disabled athlete it has been my privilege to know in over four decades in Para sport. It was the late Jean Stone MBE who called me one day in the 70s to tell me about an Ayr Academy pupil with a below knee amputation who was pushing the boundaries in so many sports and was destined to become a Paralympian. In Jean’s opinion he was the best she had ever come across and in time I would arrive at the same conclusion. Dave McCrae is perhaps less well known than other Scottish Paralympians but mainly because he has spent most of his life living outside the country of his birth.

Dave excelled in swimming as a youngster and was club champion at Ayr swimming club in 1975. He captained his school rugby team for two years before receiving a life ban from the SRU because of safety I guess as opposed to any specific transgressions. Dave has always been a very competent golfer with a very respectable handicap of 15. He was a keen road runner on a blade for over ten years and turned in quality times over 5k, 10k, 10 mile and half marathon. Dave retired from recreational running in 2014 with a calf injury and has every right to be proud of his PB of 46 minutes for 10K. In his first of four successive Paralympic Games in 1980, Dave finished in 5th place in 100 metres final.

It was however in the sport of standing volleyball where David McCrae excelled at national and international level and became known as Scotland’s best ever volleyball Paralympian in a GB vest. At local level Dave won multiple national titles and Scottish cups with Kilmarnock volleyball club from 1978 through to 2000. Dave is proud of his achievement of earning a place in the Scottish Schools volleyball team in 1979. As a member of the Team GB Para volleyball squad, Dave won 105 caps between 1979 and 1999, won team bronze at the World championships in 1989 and the same at the Euro Cup in 1994. On four occasions the Ayr man was winner of the MVP/Best Setter Award at World or European Championships.

Dave McCrae’s record as a sporting ambassador and representative of Para athletes from all sports was similarly impressive:

  • British Paralympic Association (BPA) Athletes Committee, (Member 1990 – 2000, Chair 1994 – 2000)
  • British Paralympic Association, (Board Member 1992 – 2000)
  • International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Athletes Commission (Member 1992 – 2000, Chair 1998 – 2000)
  • International Paralympic Committee, Board Member 1998 – 2000.
  • International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes Commission Member 1998 – 2000.

Dave McCrae graduated with a Bachelor of Education, (Hons) Physical Education & Human Movement (1981 – 1985), Jordanhill College of Education/Strathclyde University. By my reckoning he was the first physically disabled student to be accepted and graduate as a teacher of physical education. Dave was awarded a Master of Science (Honorary) from Glasgow Caledonian University in 1999 and was inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame at Strathclyde University with football and rugby “giants” Craig Brown and Ian McLaughlin in 2013.

Dave McCrae enjoyed a very successful career with sportscotland before moving overseas to the USA and carving out an amazing career in transportation. Dave was Manager at the National Sports Centre Inverclyde, Largs, from 1985 – 1993 and then managed the SportScotland, Sports Medicine & Sports Science, programme from 1993 – 1995. Dave became the manager of the TeamSport Scotland, Sport for Disabled People programme from 1995 – 1998 and then moved south to become the Manager, of the UK Sport Lottery Sports Programme, Paralympic Sports, 1998 – 2000.

Dave’s new career in transportation began when he became the Assistant General Manager, Spectator Transport, at Salt Lake Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games, 2000 – 2002. Dave is currently Self-Employed as a Major Event Transportation Consultant, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. What an amazing career and what journey from Ayr to Baltimore.

Dave has been involved in major Games and events all over the world. From the Doha Asian Games in 2006 through to the London Olympic and Paralympic Games and projects and programmes in Vancouver, South Africa, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Glasgow, Dubai etc along the way.

Dave remembers with great fondness being selected as the joint Paralympic Games flag bearer along with fellow Scot Isobel Newstead in 1992. What an honour for this proud Scot and strong family man. Dave McCrae has settled in the USA with his Australian wife Sheridan but returns across the pond every so often for a catch up with his many friends back home. Son of Wullie and Marie McCrae of Ayr, Uncle to Andrew, Rona and Alisdair and master of Finn the “dug”, there will never be another quite like the man from Robert Burns country. Along with many others I am proud to know him as a friend and a great supporter of Scottish Disability Sport throughout his career.

Photo: Dave with Fellow Paralympian Caroline Baird MBE

Richard Brickley OBE MBE Chairman Disability Sport Fife (SCIO) Board of Charity Trustees.