Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) sent a team of nine players to Surrey Sports Park in Guildford for the 2016 GB Boccia Championships which were held on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th July. The Championships were hugely significant this year as they represented the final competition for the players selected for ParalympicsGB, ahead of the Rio Games.
Scotland has a tradition of excelling at the event and this year was no different with four medals won across the BC3 and BC4 classification groups.

In the BC1 section, world number one David Smith retained his British title defeating England’s Andrew Morgan in the final. Rhodrie Tudor (WAL) claimed the bronze medal. Scotland’s representative in this class was SDS Academy athlete Reegan Stevenson, but last year’s beaten finalist was unable to qualify from the pool.

In the BC2 section it was England’s veteran Nigel Murray who claimed the gold medal, defeating teammate Aran Guthrie in the final. Northern Ireland’s Claire Taggart claimed a bronze medal ahead of her maiden Paralympic Games later this year. Scotland’s Joshua Rowe failed to progress from his pool of three following some tough matches. Josh will remain in Surrey with the rest of his GB team mates for a training camp.

In the BC3 section Scotland are considerably strong with the three players selected to represent Paralympics GB coming from our shores. Patrick Wilson, will be joined by McCowan brothers, Scott and Jamie on the plane to Rio. However, it was Jacob Thomas (Wales) who played the best boccia in this class as he edged out Scott McCowan in a closely contested final. This was the fifth time the pair had met at this stage of the competition. Brother Jamie secured his first medal at this event as a BC3 player defeating England’s Rich Amos to win bronze. Jamie, who has previously won the Gold medal competing as a BC4, was delighted with his achievement. 2015 Champion, Patrick Wilson, unfortunately failed to qualify from the pool following defeats by Rich Amos and team mate Scott McCowan.

It was an all Scottish affair in the BC4 section final with Stephen McGuire beating Kieran Steer to pick up yet another British title. The reigning British and World Champion was in devastating form all weekend and is looking in great shape heading into the Paralympic Games in September. Kieran reached the final following a terrific performance against GB team mate Evie Edwards (England) in the semi-final. Evie went on to win the bronze following a tie-break end with England’s Joshua Wilkins. Scotland’s Jamie Docherty unfortunately failed to qualify from the pool, where he met Stephen Maguire.

The final medal results for the GB Championships were as follows:
BC1
1. David Smith (ENG)
2. Andrew Morgan (ENG)
3. Rhodrie Tudor (WAL)

BC2
1. Nigel Murray (ENG)
2. Aran Guthrie (ENG)
3. Claire Taggart (NI)

BC3
1. Jacob Thomas (WAL)
2. Scott McCowan (SCO)
3. Jamie McCowan (SCO)

BC4
1. Stephen McGuire (SCO)
2. Kieran Steer (SCO)
3. Evie Edwards (ENG)

SDS would like to congratulate all the players, coaches and support staff on an extremely successful GB Championships and our thanks go to all at GB Boccia and Boccia England for hosting and organising this event.

Finally, we would like to wish GB Boccia every success at the forthcoming Paralympic Games.

The British Paralympic Association today committed to focusing harder than ever in the next five years on combining excellence on the field of play with inspiration off it, as it revealed ‘Inspiring Excellence’, its new Strategic Plan for 2016-2021.

The plan outlines the intended vision, mission, values, strategic priorities, organisational structure and planning for the period from the Rio 2016 to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and commits the BPA to a four year programme of targeted planning and continued development.

Tim Hollingsworth, Chief Executive of the BPA, said: “Our principle role is to inspire excellence in the team at the Games and in turn that excellence can inspire a better world for disabled people. It is that dual focus which is so fundamental to the BPA and to the wider Paralympic Movement.

“The Strategic Plan rightly focusses our attention on our primary responsibility: to use lessons learned from London, Sochi and Rio in order to ensure that we are best prepared for the challenges and opportunities of preparing our winter and summer teams for competing over the course of the next four years.

“We recognise the unique opportunity our Paralympic teams provide to unite and inspire disabled and non-disabled people alike and further shift perceptions. But we know there is still a long way to go and we remain in the foothills rather than the summit.”

Inspiring Excellence is available to download here https://we.tl/QCPDvWRnMv

Race Running was ‘invented’ as an athletics event by Connie Hansen, Danish Paralympic Wheelchair Racing multiple medallist and engineer. The race running bike was developed at the request of Mansoor Siddiqui, a Danish athlete with cerebral palsy who competed in the ‘foot pushing’ category of the Paralympics athletics until it was taken out in 1992. Mansoor wanted an event that meant he could move forwards instead of backwards. As a result, a three-wheel bike with saddle, chest plate and no pedals was developed. The sport is for people with severe and complex cerebral palsy for whom there is no other way of participating in the sport of athletics.

This athletic event has seen tremendous growth over the years, in particular over the last five, and is now recognised by CPISRA (world governing body for sports people with cerebral palsy) as one of its key sports.

Recently, there has been further development to investigate the development of an evidence-based classification system, the training effect on these athletes and the general health and wellbeing of people who participate in race running. If an evidence based classification can be developed, then there is the hope that in the future this may be become a Paralympic athletics event, allowing those athletes for whom there is currently no Paralympic pathway access to the movement.

For the past 19 years, an annual Race Running Camp and Open competition has been held in Copenhagen, Denmark. This year was the 20th anniversary of the event and also incorporated the 3rd Open European Race Running Championships. 82 Race Runners from 11 countries attended for the full week, the largest race running event in the world this year. A team of five Scottish athletes took part in the camp and championships. Alongside the Scottish athletes, coaches and supporters were a team of researchers from Edinburgh and Queen Margaret Universities who collected data using a variety of tests as the start of developing the evidence based classification system.

The athletes who attended were Matthew Doig, (Perth and Perth Strathtay Harriers), Gavin Drysdale (Ayr and Red Star AC), Lauren Gallagher (Glasgow and Red Star AC), Harris Menshawi (Forth Valley Flyers and Red Star AC) AND Elain Boyd (Edinburgh). They participated in the camp from Monday to Thursday and then the Open Championships on Friday and Saturday.

All five athletics set at least one personal best and Gavin, Matthew and Elaine were multi medallists (Matthew and Gavin five golds each and Elaine one gold and two silvers). For Lauren and Harris, it was their first time at the Camp and Championships. Both were internationally classified and set multiple personal bests in their events.

This is the largest Scottish contingent to attend the Camp and race running is steadily developing across Scotland. There are athletes participating in race running from as far south as Dumfries and Galloway to Shetland in the North as well in the West and across the East. For further information contact Peter Drysdale at mpdrysdale@aol.com.

Photo: L-R, Gavin, Harris, Lauren, Matthew and Elaine

The British Paralympic Association (BPA) today announced the 11 athletes and two guides who will compete for ParalympicsGB as Para-triathlon makes its debut onto the Paralympic programme at Rio 2016.

Amongst the ParalympicsGB team is the current European Champion Alison Patrick. Alison is a member of West Lothian Triathlon Club and competes in the PT5 classification for athletes with a visual impairment, along with guide Hazel Smith from Edinburgh. The pair have been extremely successful during the Rio 2016 cycle.

Jonathon Riall, Team Leader and Head Coach for Para-triathlon, said: “The last few years have been a race to qualify slots and to ensure that we are ready to take on anything that the rest of the world throws at us in competition. Standards are rising quickly in this sport because it is so new.”

“I believe we have selected the best possible British team, which has the potential to win medals and make its mark as Para-triathlon debuts at the Paralympic Games. I am looking forward to seeing them take to the biggest stage in disability sport.”

For a full report please see the link below: http://rio.paralympics.org.uk//news/article/british-para-triathletes-ready-to-enter-the-history-books

A team of 10 boccia athletes and four competition partners have today been announced by the British Paralympic Association (BPA), for the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Scottish Disability Sport is absolutely delighted to have such a high representation within the team with six players and two ramp assistants.

The selected team also includes Ayrshire brothers, Jamie and Scott, who play together in the BC3 pair’s competition and against each other in the individual competition regularly on the international circuit. Linda McCowan, mother of the brothers, will take on the role of ramp assistant for Jamie, while Dad Gary is Scott’s ramp assistant, meaning the whole family will be in competition in Rio.

Speaking today, Jamie said: “I’m made up to be competing at my first Paralympic Games, it was a really special moment for the family to share when we heard the news. I’ve learnt a lot from Scott’s experience at London 2012, and it will help form part of my preparations for Rio. I’ve been working really hard on improving every aspect of my game and I can’t wait to go out there and compete.”

Joining the McCowan family in the BC3 category will be Patrick Wilson from Edinburgh, who won a 2014 World Championship silver medal in the BC3 pair with Scott McCowan. Patrick is the youngest member of the squad and competes in his first Paralympic Games.

In the BC4 category, World Champion Stephen McGuire (South Lanarkshire) and Kieran Steer (Fife) are joined by England’s Evie Edwards. The trio won a team silver medal at the 2015 BISFed European Championships.

Joshua Row (Perth) makes up the Scottish contingent and he will compete in the BC2 singles and the BC1/BC2 team event. Josh has also had success on the international stage where he was part of the BC1/BC2 team that won bronze at the BIsFed Boccia World Championships 2014.

Finally, Scottish Disability Sport is delighted that former Pathways Manager, Claire Morrison, will be in attendance as Head Coach and will lead the BC1, BC2 and BC4 players at the Games. Claire has worked tirelessly over this Paralympic Cycle and will ensure the players are at their very best to compete at the highest level.

Today’s announcement highlights the strength of the Scottish programme and everyone at SDS wish the GB Team all the very best.

Selected athletes are:

BC1 David Smith (competition partner: Sarah Nolan)
Home town: Eastleigh

BC2 Nigel Murray
Home town: Leamington Spa

BC2 Joshua Rowe
Home town: Perth

BC2 Claire Taggart
Home town: Larne

BC3 Patrick Wilson (competition partner: Kim Smith)
Home town: Edinburgh

BC3 Jamie McCowan (competition partner: Linda McCowan)
Home town: Dundonald, Ayrshire

BC3 Scott McCowan (competition partner: Gary McCowan)
Home town: Dundonald, Ayrshire

BC4 Stephen McGuire
Home town: Hamilton

BC4 Kieran Steer
Home town: Crossgates, Fife

BC4 Evie Edwards
Home town: Ipswich

Two sporting superstars showed they have more than one string to their bow by trying the sport of archery.

Aileen Neilson and Michael McCreadie have competed at 10 Paralympic Games between them and are currently members of the GB Paralympic Curling Team. They both shot plenty of golds during the session. Competition was fierce with Michael forging ahead and Aileen coming a close second.

If you would like to find out more about archery information can be found on our Archery fact sheet here.