Month: December 2020

SDS Young Persons Sport Panel Website Article

 By Laura Pilkington and Maria Lyle

Q: What is your disability?

Laura: My disability is Brittle Bones Disease (more technically known as Osteogenesis Imperfecta). The name gives away one of the symptoms, which is my bones break more easily. Brittle Bone disease also means I am short in stature, have bone deformities, loose joints and scoliosis, which is a curvature of the spine. I also have a difference in leg length with my right being longer than my left.

Maria: I have Spastic Diplegia Cerebral Palsy. It affects both my legs. I also experience tightness down the right side of my neck and hand.

Q: How did you get into sport?

Laura: I got involved in sport quite late not till I was about 11/12. I had always loved being in the water and enjoyed swimming on holiday in the summer; I also did swimming at school and really enjoyed it. None of my family were that keen on swimming so was hard to persuade someone to go with me! So, when I was thirteen, I decided to join a club; it wasn’t originally to become competitive but after I got asked to do my first competition I was hooked and ten years later, I am still loving it.

Maria: My mum was my primary school PE teacher. One day we were to do the multistage fitness test (bleep test) as our lesson. I wasn’t very keen on the idea of the lesson as I normally struggled a lot with physical activity. However, I managed to complete the whole test and be one of the only people who hadn’t been eliminated. That was the first time I felt a sense of achievement. From then I joined the local running club and haven’t looked back since.

Q: What challenges have you faced while being involved in sport?

Laura: One challenge I have faced is definitely the number of injuries I have had; so far, every season I have had to have some time out of the water due to injury. Having to build back up after an injury was something; I found very frustrating and challenging. Although, through strength and gym work as I have gotten older it has reduced the amount of muscle/ligament injuries I have had. Over the years I have learnt to focus what I can do when injured and to deal with what I can control, which has made it a little easier. I have also faced challenges in sport within my mental health, over the last few years it is something I have struggled with and at times it has had a big impact on my training and competitions. I have been seeing positive improvements in the last few months though, and I hope that continues into the new year!

Maria: My biggest challenge has been my mental health, specifically anxiety. Around the time I started high school, I started to become aware of how people viewed me, especially as someone with a disability. I’d think people didn’t like me. This resulted in me removing myself from social situations that made me feel anxious. I put all my time, effort and thoughts towards my running career. However, I couldn’t escape from my anxiety and it started to affect my performances on the track. In 2018, it became too much for me and I was really upset. I felt very isolated and down most of the time. Along with the support of my parents, coach and governing body (British Athletics), I got professional help. I realised that I needed to face up to my worries and push myself out of my comfort zone. I needed more of a balance in my life and sport isn’t everything. I’m in a much better place now. From time to time, I still suffer a bit from anxiety but I’m grateful for the support I have from my inner circle.

Q: What advice would you give to someone wanting to get involved in disability sport?

Laura: Just try it, if you don’t you it will never know and there are multiple sports out there. Try a lot of different ones and find out what one you enjoy the most. Also, speak to your local disability sport branch manager and they can advise what opportunities are in your area, so you know all your options! Getting involved in sport was the best decision I made so don’t be afraid to give it a try.

Maria: From my experience, you have to go out and look for opportunities rather than wait for them to come to you. Contact you regional SDS branch to find out what opportunities are in your local area.

Q: How have you adapted your training during lockdown?

Laura: My sport is swimming so without a pool I had to find other ways to keep fitness levels up. During lockdown, I got involved in team workouts on Zoom, went on pushes in my wheelchair, got the old childhood trike out as well as using the weights I had at home. That was all going well until I was on a push and fell out my chair and broke my leg…! A couple of days after, I got back into the workouts but this time upper body only. Being able to still make progress towards my goals as well as still being able to enjoy some form of exercise was a big relief for me, as I was worried, I would struggle without that outlet.

Maria: Before the first lockdown was announced, myself and my coach expected this to happen. I was given some gym equipment to borrow so I could try to replicate my usual strength programme. I’m also quite fortunate that I don’t live in a city and have plenty of open spaces to continue my running training. I actually have a grass track that I can use that is only a 5-minute walk from my house. It was hard at times as sprinting is a technical sport that requires a lot of analysis. However, I would film my runs and send them over to my coach so we could discuss them.

Q: Who is your biggest influence on your sporting career?

Laura: This is a hard one as there has been so many people throughout the years that have helped me in so many ways. I’d say my current coach Andrew has had a big influence on me in general and within swimming. He is a great coach to work with and has helped me achieve so many things within swimming over the years, even if he does like to be annoying! I am definitely thankful for all his support.

Maria: I would have to say my mum. My mum was my PE teacher at primary school and got me into athletics. When I was younger, she would give up a lot of her time to take me to competitions and training session. I’m very grateful for all her support and wouldn’t be where I am today without her.

Level 1 Boccia Officials Course

Wednesday 17 and 24 February 2021 for 90 mins on line, followed by 3-hour face to face session

SDS has decided to pilot a blended (on line and face to face) approach for  the 6-hour Level 1 Boccia Officials course.

The virtual classroom will take place on Wednesdays 17 and 24 February 2021 between 7.00 and 8.30 pm.  Date, times and venue of the 3-hour face to face session  will be confirmed with candidates at the online sessions and when delivery can be done within the public guidelines.

The course covers

  • Boccia Basics
  • Equipment
  • Terminology
  • Roles and Responsibilities of an Official
  • Violations

… and by the end of the course you should be able officiate a full game of boccia.

To register interest in attending please contact admin@scottishdisabilitysport / 0131 317 1130.

Paths For All – Autumn Step Count Challenge

What better way to stay active as the days become colder and darker than a step challenge with a little bit of team competition thrown in!

SDS staff and board members had great fun participating in the Paths For All – Autumn Step Count Challenge between the 5 October and the 29 November 2020. Three teams of 5 were formed from SDS consisting of one board team and two staff teams. Everyone took to the challenge straight away and enjoyed trying to keep the gap as narrow as possible between each team! As we know with a challenge as long as 8 weeks consistency is key and all three teams gave it a really good shot and kept adding to their total step count for the duration! Week by week the step tally continued to fly up with an impressive amount of physical activity taking place between walking, exercise classes, cycling and even some domestic chores added in!

Well done to the SDS Board team who won the gold medal for SDS by racking up an impressive 3,4832,254 steps in total and finishing in the top 100 in 91st place out of 524 teams. Taking second place on the podium for SDS was the SDS Hawks team with a total step count of 3,257,203 and not far behind in third place with 2,764,381 was the SDS Squirrels, finishing in position 271 overall.

Well done to everyone who took park in the challenge and went above and beyond to support their teammates and engage in some friendly banter with the other SDS teams along the way!

A special mention must go to Richard Brickley OBE MBE, who was part of the SDS Hawks team who was awarded the overall Paths For All Autumn Step Count Challenge Champion! Richard clocked up a huge number of steps over the 8 weeks but was also hugely inspiring and motivating to the rest of his team members – a very worthwhile winner!

East Football Player Selected for British Blind Sport Programmes

West Lothian’s Neil Atkinson has been chosen to be part of the British Blind Sport (BBS) See My Voice programme.

A national sports leadership programme for young people with a visual impairment, the project will support leaders to develop life skills that will inevitably increase confidence, enhance their employability prospects and ultimately have the potential to change lives.  This will be second cohort and follow an extremely successful inaugural programme where many young people with sight loss were provided with meaningful volunteering opportunities that have helped to equip them with leadership skills and increased confidence.

Atkinson, who is also part of the BBS Youth Advisory Panel (YAP) which acts as a voice for young people with a visual impairment to become more involved with sport in the UK.  As this project develops, BBS hope that the YAP will be in a position to influence a range of sports organisations on how they can operate more inclusively when working with individuals with sight loss.

The current Napier University student’s commitment to developing sporting opportunities and volunteering is undoubted, having acted as a volunteer with Royal National Institution of Blind (RNIB) since the age of 16 using his experience of visual impairment and sport to welcome new members, make them feel comfortable and encourage them to develop and thrive regardless of their level of impairment and experience.  This led to him becoming a Connect Lead with RNIB, a role which has enabled Atkinson to develop particular sporting opportunities in areas where provision is limited across Scotland; for example, partnerships were established and developed with key organisations, including the SDS, SFA, Dundee United Community Trust & Rangers Community Trust, to offer visually impaired football sessions for individuals with varying levels of sight loss.

A keen sportsman, Atkinson currently plays with North West Scorpions and helped the team claim their first British Partially Sighted Futsal League title in 2019 before following this up with a hat trick to help his side win the 2019 FA Cup Final.  Prior to this and despite his visual impairment, Atkinson played mainstream football from a very young age until his early 20’s and is now coaching in youth football in Scotland via the coaching pathway.  Furthermore, a qualified Personal Trainer, Atkinson has used his skills to voluntarily support the SDS Regional Swim Squad with land training sessions.

A significant contribution to the sporting community already, Neil Atkinson will undoubtedly encourage, motivate and inspire many young people with a visual impairment to follow in his footsteps and become involved in sport and physical activity in the future.

If you are interested in finding out more about opportunities in visually impaired sport, please contact SDS Regional Development Manager (East) on 0770 939 3514 or neal.herbert@scottishdisabilitysport.com.

A young Powerchair User Bowling a Table Cricket Ball Down the Ramp

Grampian Schools Embrace Table Cricket

Table Cricket participation is set to sky rocket in Grampian thanks to support from Cricket Scotland and funding from Lord Taverners.

The funding has enabled Cricket Scotland to give participating schools their own table cricket kit & provide virtual training to upskill teaching, support and Active Schools staff with the tools & knowledge to run their own sustainable sessions.

The Grampian programme was piloted in Moray region by Kim McNeill, who worked closely with Cricket Scotland and who developed weekly table cricket and Super 1’s opportunities and competitions for pupils across the local authority area. They were very popular amongst pupils and staff, and requests came in from schools in Aberdeenshire & Aberdeen City to replicate the programme in more schools.

Staff and volunteers from the following schools took part in a pilot virtual learning initiative in November, with a view to introducing the sport to their schools in the New Year: Carronhill; Mile End; Orchard Brae; Mearns Academy; Mackie Academy; Anna Ritchie; Westfield; and St Andrew’s Schools. Table cricket provision is designed to enable those with severe and complex needs to succeed in more sport and physical activity opportunities, whilst pupils with less severe impairments can enjoy the sport through the Super 1’s programme, which will be rolled out in early 2021.

For the first time, we also hope to be able to offer a cricket event as part of the Grampian Schools Disability & ASN Sports Calendar and aim for this to feed in to Cricket Scotland national competitive events.

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.

Toni Shaw Waving from Poolside at an international meet

Grampian Champion, Toni, Picks up National Award

A Grampian Para Swimmer has scooped up a title at a national awards programme.

Aberdeen’s Toni Shaw, who swims with University of Aberdeen Performance Swimming, took home the sportscotland Young Sportswoman title at the 2020 Scottish Women in Sport Awards, which were held virtually on the 26th November.

The award was a well-earned recognition of the effort and dedication Toni has put in over the years, especially in more recent times where she represented Scotland as the youngest team member competing at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Over the past couple of years, she has also broken a number of Scottish, British and European records, and was part of the world record breaking 4 x 100m medley relay team.

We look forward to seeing Toni continue to progress towards her goal of attending the Tokyo Paralympics, and inspiring newer swimmers and paraswimmers progressing up the pathway.

Well done to Toni!

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.

GB Taekwondo Talent Search

To mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities, GB Taekwondo are launching a brand new talent search. Desirable but not essential is a background in Kickboxing, Karate, Tang Soo Do (karate based Korean martial art), Muay Thai or Thai Boxing.

Athletes, from other dynamic, explosive and sporting backgrounds will also be strongly considered. “Essential,” says talent scout, Derek Morgan, on the lookout for athletes with the potential to compete at the 2024 and 2028 Paralympics in Paris and Los Angeles “Is a strong motivation to ‘fight’; and enjoy a combat environment.”

Applicants should be aged 14 onwards and possess an ability to meet the K43 and K44 para classifications. These include athletes with unilateral arm amputation (or equivalent loss of function) or loss of toes which impact the ability to lift the heel properly.

Successful candidates will operate at -61kg, -75kg and +75kg (men) and -49kg, -58kg, +58kg (women).

Taekwondo is one of only two new Paralympic sports at Tokyo 2020, 12 years after the inaugural Para Worlds and another four before the sport was created.

To submit your expression of interest to GB Taekwondo, please follow the link below

http://www.gbtaekwondo.co.uk/talent-pathway/expression-of-interest/para/

PARA DYG Prospectus_Dec 2020

Be Active Be Well programme – winner of the UK Coaching Coaching for an Active Life Award

SDS and SAMH are delighted to be winners for the Be Active Be Well programme for the UK Coaching Coaching for an Active Life award. Many thanks to everyone who was involved as it was a real team effort.

The Be Active Be Well programme has been tremendously successful in ensuring participants of all ages became and stayed active throughout the UK’s coronavirus lockdown.

In March 2020, it became evident to SDS that people with disabilities, mental and physical health problems and those shielding from the virus would be affected detrimentally by the measures. By swiftly moving our activity programme online and through promotion by Branches, SDS encouraged potential participants and participants to be active every day through daily physical sessions and weekly mental well-being sessions.

Participants have indicated that the variety of physical activities on offer met their needs and that they found them enjoyable, motivating them to return to the programme day after day and week after week. With isolation a core problem of the lockdown, Be Active Be Well sought to address this through activity, social contact and new friendships.

One of the key reasons for the success of the programme is the quality of the tutors delivering such amazing sessions each week. Thank you – Robert Nesbitt, Bob Smith, Gill Penfold, Ella Beaumont and Helen Singleton. And behind every successful programme are the key workers who make it all happen seamlessly, so thank you Victoria Clark.

BABW also provided Disability Inclusion Training for coaches and volunteers through its member branches – redeveloped for the virtual classroom environment – and the delivery of two virtual Para Sport Festivals.

All in all, the programme reached over 600 people, of whom 83% were female, 51% were wheelchair users, 31% had a physical disability and 16% a learning disability. Watch an overview of the programme here:

SDS is delighted that the BABW programme is being extended into a winter season. For further details please see here.

A big thank you to UK Coaching for all the planning and organising to make the awards happen in 2020.

International Day of People with Disabilities

As part of International Day of People with Disabilities, SDS would like to take the opportunity to celebrate all the brilliant athletes and participants that take part in our many projects and programmes.

These projects and programmes would not take place without the many volunteers and coaches who support the delivery. SDS continues to strive to have a culture of inclusion and accessibility within Scottish Sport through recognising what athletes and participants with a disability can do.

We all recognise the benefits sport can bring especially physically, socially and psychologically and it is even more important particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic that people with a disability remain engaged, connected and physically active.

The Be Active Be Well programme is currently available. For further details please see here.

Meet the SDS Young Persons Sport Panel

Each month, two of the SDS Young Persons Sport Panel will pair up to write an article for the website so we can all get to know them a little better! This month we hear from Thomas Boers and Rory McKinna.

Thomas’ Report on Rory:

With everything going on, most people sit bored at home. Not Rory though. No, he’s definitely keeping busy. He’s at college twice a week studying product design as it’s a very hands-on course. Out of everyone at City of Glasgow College, his class is in most often. Can’t say I’m not jealous! Right now he’s busy designing a lunchbox for a company called Joseph Joseph. And that’s just school.

There’s also sailing, the garden (which has never looked so good), his various businesses and a “small” flock of around forty chickens! But seeing as it’s winter right now, it’s too cold for them. Them being both the sailors and the chickens. So the sailing has been moved online and the chickens into a polytunnel. This way they’ll keep on laying eggs throughout winter.

The sailors have moved from the cold waters to the comfortable waters of the internet, by virtue of Virtual Regatta, an online sailing simulator. Through practically any device you can imagine, it simulates sailing races and keeps the sailing community together in these trying times. Added benefit; since you’re on your own you don’t have to worry about the use of profanities, so you can quite literally swear like a sailor! They even race for actual prizes!

Rory’s also been attending several conferences. Normally they would be in person, but again, strange times, so they’ve been moved online. Reduced risk for spreading the disease, but sadly also reduced chance for mingling with people. This would be the way to get sponsorship deals, but even now it’s going okay.

With Christmas fast approaching, another one of Rory’s businesses is picking up: his Christmas tree-rental, a concept I was incredibly intrigued by. He’s got several pot-grown trees that customers can rent and put in or outside their homes to be decorated and loved throughout the holidays. And then after all the festivities are over and the neighbours start to judge the decorations that are still up, Rory will collect the tree and grow it on for next year! It’s amazing, and he’s really picking up steam. The most busy time to deliver the trees seems to be around the 2nd week of December, and by the 1st week of January most have been collected. It seems like most people tolerate decorations two weeks before and two weeks after Christmas. I personally disagree with that and think that it’s acceptable the whole year round! But Rory is probably the expert on the topic.

So, the lockdown outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful. And since we’ve no place to go, just stay home just stay home just stay home.

Rory’s Report on Thomas:

With everything going on, most people sit bored at home. Including Thomas (in a good way though)!

Thomas is currently studying forensic science at Robert Gordon University, the work for which is his main priority at the moment. After finishing a lab report, he is now preparing a presentation on (and I can honestly say I have never heard this one before) culpable homicide and murder! However, almost all of Thomas’ work must be conducted from his home, which he shares with several flatmates.

On this note, upon interviewing Thomas, he had just recovered from an early Christmas dinner that he and his flatmates held as one of them was returning home early and would have otherwise missed out on the festivities. Now debating whether it was worth while taking the decorations down, only to put them back up in a couple of weeks, Thomas launched a survey asking if Christmas decorations:

  1. Should go up two weeks before Christmas.
  2. Ten days before Christmas (the Dutch tradition, as Thomas is from Holland).
  3. Are acceptable all year round.

Apparently the results were overwhelmingly in favour of all year round, although Thomas reckons that the respondents were answering sarcastically, which I hope is true!

Unfortunately, there was little to talk about regarding Thomas’ sport, wheelchair basketball. Due to the pandemic, all competitions and training have been postponed and will not return until next year. Despite this, Thomas is keen to get back on the court. Which he’ll need to be, as he’ll have to work off two Christmas dinners!