Month: March 2020

SDS Young Persons Sport Panel and Young Start Residential

SDS Young Persons Sport Panel and Young Start Residential 29 February – 1 March 2020

The SDS Young Persons Sport Panel and Young Start Programme gathered in Largs for a 2 day residential with a packed agenda. We were delighted that Aileen Neilson, the ambassador for the programme, was able to join us for the weekend. The young people came together to consider the following:

  • Video making skills
  • SDS Strategic Plan Consultation
  • Mental Heath Awareness

The two days began with an excellent session led by Scott Tait of Wee Flee Productions on creating videos on smart phones – who knew mobiles could do so much! Please see below for one of the videos made over the weekend and more will be posted in the near future.

https://youtu.be/1QjAmwhR_hw

After this workshop the group participated in the SDS Strategic Planning Consultation and provided some very insightful feedback to help shape the SDS plan 2021 onwards. The voice of the young people is essential to future planning and they are key drivers in future vision of SDS.

It was then time to let off some steam after a full afternoon of workshops and the young people took part in various sporting activities such as badminton, basketball and archery before heading off to dinner. The evening concluded with an impromptu guitar and singing session – who knew there was such musical talent amongst the group!

Day Two began with some with some gentle stretching to set us up for a productive day ahead.

Robert Nesbit and Kirsty Ewen from SAMH delivered a fantastic workshop on mental health where we discussed what mental health is and the importance of it to everyone’s wellbeing.  The young people hope to develop a mental health toolbox for positive mental health that they can share with other young people in the future.

Craig Smith then led the group through future planning of programme and what it would look like over the next three years.

The weekend finished with a viewing of all of the great videos the young people made over the two days, which will appear soon on the SDS YouTube Channel.

The Evaluation of the two days indicated that it was an exceptionally worthwhile weekend for all involved and the group really felt they had left with new skills, fun memories, influencing future direction and good ideas for the next stage of the programme.

Ninth Place Finish for Wheelchair Curlers at World Championships

The Scottish Wheelchair Curling Squad concluded their 2020 World Wheelchair Curling Championship campaign with an 11-1 victory over the Czech Republic and a narrow 4-7 defeat to South Korea. This final result meant that the Scots missed out on the final stages of the competition and had to settle for a ninth-place finish.

The Scots had travelled to Wetzikon, Switzerland in confident mood, having taken the silver medal at the 2019 World Championships in Stirling. Hugh Nibloe’s rink got of to a slow start with defeats to Russia and Slovakia and finished the group stage of the competition with a record of 4 wins and 7 losses.

However, Scotland avoided relegation from the top group of wheelchair curling nations and will have the opportunity to get back on the ice at the 2021 World Championships. They also remain in a strong position to qualify ParalympicsGB for the 2022 Winter Paralympic Games in Beijing, China. Winter Paralympic qualifying points are accrued over a three year period in the build up to Beijing and Scotland will be looking to add to the impressive start they made to that process when finishing runners up to Paralympic Champions China in last year’s World Championship final.

The Scottish Squad at the 2020 World Championships in Wetzikon, Switzerland, were as follows;

Team Scotland:

Hugh Nibloe (Stirling)

Robert McPherson (Bellshill)

Gary Smith (Edinburgh)

Charlotte McKenna (Bridge of Allan)

Meggan Dawson-Farrell – Alternate (Tullibody)

Sheila Swan – Coach (Perth)

 

Images : Graeme Hart

Glasgow University Students Fundraise for SDS

Glasgow University Sports Association (GUSA) have undertaken a year long funding campaign, having chosen Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) as their Charity of the Year. The Glasgow students have undertaken a wide variety of fundraising events which has brought in an amazing £1,972 which will go towards supporting the SDS national events programme to provide access to competitive sports for athletes and players with a disability from across Scotland.

Everyone at SDS would like to take this opportunity to thanks all the students involved in this mammoth fundraising effort for all their hard work in support of our Association. The funds raised will have a real impact on the opportunities we offer across Scotland.

DSF Excel at Kirkcaldy & Central Fife Awards

I attended the 2019 Kirkcaldy and Central Fife Sports Council Annual Awards at Fife College on Thursday 5th March along with fellow Disability Sport Fife Trustee, Paul Noble MBE. These were the 12th Sports Council Annual Awards and the second of three Sports Council Awards evenings scheduled for Fife. The East Fife Sports Council Annual Awards are scheduled for next week at the Corn Exchange in Cupar.
Former Raith Rovers and Rangers player Marvin Andrews was the guest speaker. The evening ran like clockwork with George MacDonald from the Sports Council acting as MC. There was as always musical accompaniment and amazing support from Fife College staff. As usual the Sports Council had an excellent team of volunteers working behind the scenes plus representatives from organisations and businesses who support various elements of the Awards. The evening turned out exceptionally well for several DSF members, coaches and volunteers.
Derek Rae from Kirkcaldy and Fife AC was voted Sports Personality of the Year by Fife Free Press readers from a field of four exceptional high quality performance candidates. Derek is a regular awards winner at his local Sports Council Annual Awards evening but this year he really surpassed all previous years. Derek won silver at the WPA world marathon championships last year in London.
In his absence Owen Miller from Fife AC and Dunfermline was awarded the Disability Sports Person of the Year award by Elaine Roberts from PLM Optometrists. Owen also won the Dunfermline and West Fife Sports Council disability sports award earlier in the year following his exceptional performance in Dubai at the WPA World Para athletics championships. National representatives Tyler McLelland (boccia) and Mike Drever (Para shooting) were runners up in this highly competitive category. Owen was also a runner up in the Special Achievement Award section presented by Fife College.
A few days before she takes up her new post with Scottish Athletics, Pamela Robson from Burntisland won two awards for her exceptional contribution to Para athletics locally and nationally in the year past. Pamela is the DSF lead athletics coach and a Trustee of Disability Sport Fife. Pamela was a runner up in the in the Coach of the Year award presented by Heather Birrell from Dundas. However late in the evening in a very competitive field she was presented with the Fife College Special Achievement Award by James Bissett. This award selection is made by Fife College staff and the field included all eleven category winners on the night. What an accolade for the former Balwearie HS teacher.
Exceptional Disability Sport Fife peer mentor volunteer and former pupil of Balwearie HS, Adam Faulds from Glenrothes, was recognised with a runner up award in the Service to Sport category supported by Scottish Clubsport. Adam provides an amazing number of volunteer hours weekly in support of DSF members. Adam is widely respected by fellow volunteers and coaches.
Young Ruby McDonald from Glenrothes Amateur Swimming Club was awarded the Garry Innes Memorial Shield. Helen McKay also from Glenrothes SC was a runner up in the Service to Sport Award. Helen is a former DSF swim coach.
Throughout the evening there were outstanding stories of excellence across a wide range of sports. Central Fife has high quality performers in abundance. The role played by Fife Free Press staff in promoting inclusive sport in the area is a model of exceptional practice.
Richard Brickley OBE MBE Chairman DSF (SCIO) Board of Charity Trustees

2020 Tayside Parasport Festival

Scottish Disability Sport were delighted to return to Dundee & Angus College for our 6th Tayside Parasport Festival on Wednesday 4th March where we welcomed a record number of attendees.

70 pupils with either a physical disability, visual or hearing impairment from 30 different schools across Tayside enjoyed a fun packed day of sport and physical activity. It is especially exciting to offer this opportunity during the Paralympic year as we look forward to Tokyo 2020 taking place between 25th August to 6th September where thousands of athletes from over 100 countries will compete and inspire the next generation of young people with a disability.

The Parasport Festival is designed to introduce pupils with a physical disability or visual or hearing impairment to try new and exciting sports. It has been identified that these groups are significantly under-represented when it comes to participating in weekly sport or physical activity.

Our event was supported by 24 sports coaching and development students from Dundee & Angus College who did a fantastic job encouraging and supporting the pupils throughout the day to ensure everyone felt at ease and participated to the best of their ability.

The day started with an introduction from Scottish Disability Sport Tayside Regional Manager Graeme Doig, followed by athlete talks with Nathanael Scott from Forthill Primary School and Gregor Anderson from Arbroath High School, who shared with their peers their sporting experiences and achievements at the Dundee Dragons Wheelchair Sports Club and previous Parasport Festivals to hopefully inspire and relax other pupils, especially those attending for the first time.

In the morning session, pupils enjoyed seven different sports including football delivered by coaches from Dundee United Community Trust, powerchair football from Tayside Dynamos, tennis from West End Tennis Club, badminton from Badminton Scotland, bowls from Balgay Bowling Club and curling from Scottish Curling. Pupils with a visual impairment also got a chance to play goalball which is a Paralympic sport specifically for people with a visual impairment and was great fun to be involved in.

The afternoon session included boccia from Leisure and Culture Dundee and Scottish Boccia, wheelchair sports with the fantastic coaches from Dundee Dragons and athletics from Dundee Hawkhill Harriers including a RaceRunning demonstration from Perth Strathtay Harriers athletes Matthew Doig and Wiktoria Mucha.

It was great to see so many pupils with smiles on their faces all day long learning new skills, increasing confidence and making new friends. The day also included a parent / teacher engagement workshop and guest tour involving regional and local councillors, sport, health and education officers who had the opportunity to watch everyone in action.

Thank you to all involved in the day especially the Celtic FC Foundation for supporting Scottish Disability Sport to make this festival happen.

For more information on disability sport in Tayside, please contact graeme.doig@scottishdisabilitysport.com.

Parasport Festivals Kick Off supported by Celtic FC Foundation

The SDS Parasport Festival Series funded by the Celtic FC Foundation kicked off this week with two phenomenal events taking place in the West of Scotland and Tayside.

SDS works with many partners at local, regional and national levels and the Parasport Festivals are just one example of how all partners come together to make a difference in the lives of the young people who participate at the events.

To make these happen, Scottish governing bodies of sport and  local sports clubs deliver the fun sport activities. They are always very ably supported in their delivery by Young Leaders from Local Authorities and students from nearby further and higher education institutions.

The purpose of these events is to introduce mainstream school pupils with physical disabilities and hearing and visual impairments to a wide range of sports that they may not experience at school, and then offer tailored support to enable them to regularly participate in their chosen sport.

To date almost 2,000 young people have benefitted from attending these events with an average transition rate into weekly activity of 13%.

If you or anyone you know would like to attend a para sport festival, there are still opportunities to participate in the events listed below:

Region Date Venue
East of Scotland Friday 27th March 2020 Forrester HS, Edinburgh
Grampian Friday 18th September 2020 Aberdeen Sports Village
Highland Saturday 26th September 2020 Dingwall Sports Centre
Central Scotland Wednesday 28th October 2020 Grangemouth Sports Complex

If you are unable to make any of these events but would like to get involved in disability sport please get in touch by emailing admin@scottishdisabilitysport.com or telephone Scottish Disability Sport on 0131 317 1130.

See reports from the West of Scotland and Tayside events below.

Fun was the Theme of the Day at the West of Scotland Parasport

On the 2nd March 2020 the 11th West Parasport Festival was held at the On-X Linwood for the first time. We had children and young people from P5-S6 mainstream schools from the West with physical disabilities and visual and hearing impairments attending to try out various sports. There were 59 participants from 43 schools from 12 out of 13 local authorities in the west of Scotland.

The On-X was the new venue due to changes at Ravenscraig, although different the new venue provided an opportunity to offer swimming for the very first time.

The event was a great success and couldn’t have happened without the partners listed below who delivered their sport in a fun way to engage all pupils.

Thanks must go to the 25 Young Sports Leaders from Renfrewshire Leisure and 20 students from West College Scotland who supported the event and brought their positivity and enthusiasm to support deliverers and participants on the day. Paralympic and Deaflympic role models Danielle Joyce and Sam Ingram were on hand to support activities and tell everyone about their journey.

Andrew MacKenzie (SDS West Regional Development Manager) said: “The event was great, and we are so happy the participants are getting to try so many different sports. The smiles on their faces told the story very well. Bringing these opportunities for the children and for sports to promote their sessions and build on the pathways really shows how good the Parasport is. Having Paralympians at the event really shows that you can make it to the top of your level and hopefully this will encourage children to stay in sport, whether they go to the top level or for fun.”

A special thank you to the Celtic FC Foundation for supporting the event, hosts Renfrewshire Leisure, the West Branches, West Active Schools, all the sports, Renfrewshire Young Sports Leaders, West College Scotland students and the On-X staff for their support. With a big thank you to the parents, teachers and helpers for supporting as well.

We look forward to following up with all participants who attended to support the next step of their journey in parasport.

If you or anyone you know would like to get involved in disability sport please email admin@scottishdisabilitysport.com or alternatively telephone Scottish Disability Sport on 0131 317 1130.

2020 Fife Badminton Championships

Congratulations to all the finalists at the Disability Sport Fife Badminton Championships held at Kirkcaldy Leisure Centre on Wednesday of this week.
The championships were organised by Disability Sport Fife and supported by Fife Sports and Leisure Trust. Sports Leaders from Kirkcaldy HS umpired magnificently throughout the day.
70 junior and senior players from throughout Fife with physical or learning disabilities registered for the event, 20 more than last year. DSF coaches Julie Hogg and Alex Bird have spearheaded the interest in the sport across Fife.
Results were as follows:
Mens Open:
Winner – Robert Anderson Runner up – Steven Anderson
Ladies Open:
Winner – Mary Wilson
Mens B competition:
Winner – Stephen Russell Runner up – Allan Robertson
Mens C competition:
Winner – Tristen Rankine Runner up – Graham Law
Ladies B competition
Winner Caitlin De Soyza Runner up – Jaz McNeil
Womens C competition:
Winner – Colleen Melville Runner up – Emma Mason
Boys S1/S2
Winner Aiden Stewart – Balwearie HS Runner up – Callum Rowley – Lochgelly HS
Girls S2
Winner – Georgie Hodge – Lochgelly HS Runner up – Shelby Spence Balwearie HS
Boys S3
Joint Winner – Dawoud Murtaza Balwearie HS Joint winner – Ninian Gilfinnan Lochgelly HS
Girls S3
Winner Somi Herriot Lochgelly HS Runner up – Chloe Highley Lochgelly HS
Girls S4/S5
Winner – Samantha Christie Balwearie HS Runner up – Amy Dignan Lochgelly HS
Boys S4/S5
Winner – Greig Nicoll Balwearie HS Runner up – Ryan Baird Lochgelly HS
Novice juniors
Winner – Andrew Chapman St Columbas
Well done to all players who took part. There were lots of close games and plenty of enthusiasm.
Richard Brickley OBE MBE Chairman DSF (SCIO) Board of Charity Trustees

Junior Football in Fife for Pupils with ASN

The Fife 7s League, in partnership with the Scottish FA and Kirkcaldy HS, continues to flourish. Now in its tenth year, the League has introduced more young players to competitive football than any similar initiative.
In addition to the 7s League, schools can access the long running DSF 5s Championships, held annually in March as part of the Disability Sport Fife Sports Festival. Disability Sport Fife (DSF) has extended its football partnership with Glenrothes Strollers and Fife Sports and Leisure Trust to offer football coaching for junior players on Tuesday evenings.
For the sixth year the Fife Council / Scottish FA Football Development Officers and DSF are offering a strand of the Fife Football Performance Academy that is inclusive and provides for players with additional support needs in schools across Fife. Specialist coaching will be provided by selected coaches appointed by the Scottish Fife Football Development Officers. Schools that respond positively will receive a further circular with dates, times and venues and an invitation to nominate according to the Academy criteria.
DSF hopes to increase the number of schools involved in the programme this year. The Academy programme will start after the Easter holidays. Schools wishing to be involved must not hesitate to return the “expression of interest” form recently circulated to DAS schools. The closing date for expression of interest forms to be returned to the office is Wednesday 18 March.
Richard Brickley, OBE, MBE
Chairman, DSF (SCIO) Board of Charity Trustees

Sport First – Focus on Boccia

Two years ago, Ross MacNeil started a journey in the Paralympic sport of boccia that would have a huge impact on his and his family’s lives.

Ross had struggled his entire life with cerebral palsy and, after leaving school, developed depression and high anxiety due to the lack of a social outlet. He was having frequent outbursts of anger and felt out of place.

Sport helped Ross to turn his life around, to the point where his father now says: “Boccia has made Ross the person he is. It’s really changed his attitude in life.”

So how did he discover the benefits of sport? Read the full article here:

https://sportfirst.sportscotland.org.uk/articles/focus-on-boccia