Nominations are invited from those connected with SDS for he annual awards that will be presented at the Annual General Meeting on Sunday 25th September 2022 at the Stirling Court Hotel, Stirling. It is important that there is a clear indication why the individual/group is being nominated.
The Awards Panel will then meet to consider all applications and decide the winner for each category in advance of the presentations at the AGM on Sunday 25th September 2022.
Scottish Disability Sport, Forth Valley Disability Sport and the three Forth Valley Local Authorities are happy to share our Central Disability Sport Summer Calendar for 2022. This calendar includes opportunities for children, young people and adults across the Forth Valley area during the summer months.
For more information and booking places please contact the representatives per activities.
Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) is embarking on an exciting opportunity for boccia players with high performance experience to join the SDS Performance coaching team on a two-year volunteer coaching apprenticeship. This opportunity is available as a part of sportscotland’s Coaching Futures programme which aims to increase the pool of home-grown world class coaches and retain sports-specific knowledge within Scottish sport.
Context
Scotland has a history of producing a high percentage of World Class Programme (WCP) players and we currently have four players and three ramp assistants at this level. Moreover, we have several national players working towards the WCP showing real promise and aptitude for the sport.
This is being addressed with our national coaching team. However, the introduction of Coaching Futures apprentices with exceptional technical knowledge of the sport will provide more targeted coaching opportunities for our talent pathway players. This intervention will help Scottish Boccia address the coaching gap between home country level and that of the Boccia UK full time programme. Furthermore, by developing these coaches now, it will positively shape the future of high performance boccia coaching in Scotland.
We have seen significant changes internationally with the introduction of gender specific competition, rather than the previous mixed gender formats. As a result, the medal opportunities at a Paralympic Games has increased from 7 to 11, providing a golden opportunity to fast track female players with appropriate profiles for the sport.
There will be four coach apprentices.
Peter McGuire is a former Paralympian who competed at the London 2012 Paralympic Games finishing in 4th position in the BC4 pairs event.
A former Scottish and British Champion, Peter has also been European Champion and World silver medallist. Since retirement he has focused on coaching and over the past 9 years, he has successfully attained his Level 1 and Level 2 Boccia coaching qualifications, as well as successfully completing the UK Coach Advanced Programme.
Peter currently coaches at Scottish level and works with several emerging talented players and this progamme will be a useful addition to develop going forwards.
“Two words will guide me in this programme – dreams and belief. We have people that are living the dream, those that have lived the dream and those beginning their journey. We are all here to help each other fulfil those dreams whatever they are. The second one was BELIEF. I wouldn’t be there if I didn’t believe in the players. Believe in theirtalents, believe in their work ethic and most importantly believe that together we can achieve those dreams.”
Scott McCowan is a three-time Paralympian, having represented ParalympicsGB at three consecutive Paralympic Games. He narrowly missed out on a bronze medal at Tokyo 2020 in the BC3 individual competition in what was his best result. He has won medals at European and World level and is four-time British Champion.
Scott has completed his Boccia Level 1 Award and has a degree in Psychology and Sports Studies from the University of Stirling. Scott is currently a member of the Boccia UK World Class Programme and is still competing at the highest level. He aspires to compete in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games in what will be his will be his last cycle.
Scott would like to transition to performance coaching when he retires, and this programme will support that process.
“I am delighted to be part of the Coaching Futures programme. It was always my intention to move into coaching at the end of my playing career and this allows me to develop and learn the skills required whilst still competing. This means I can pass on my knowledge to the next generation whilst still trying to achieve success representing Scottish Boccia and Boccia UK. As a result, I should hopefully be a better coach by the time my playing career comes to an end which can only be a good thing for the development of the next athletes coming through. I can’t wait to get started!”
Jamie McCowan is a two-time Paralympian, having competed at both the Rio 2016 and the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. He is also two-time European Champion having achieved this accolade in both pairs and as an individual, across two classifications (BC4 and BC3). He has been crowned British Champion on two occasions, as a BC4 and then as a BC3.
Jamie has completed his Boccia Level 1 Award and has high performance technical expertise across two very different classifications. Therefore, he will bring huge value to our coaching team. Like his brother Scott, he is a member of the Boccia UK World Class Programme and is still competing at the highest level. He aspires to compete in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games in what will be his will be his last cycle. Jamie would like to transition to performance coaching when he retires, and this programme will support that process.
“This role means a lot to me as it will provide me with valuable coaching experience as well as an opportunity to give something back to this sport.”
Stephen McGuire is a three-time Paralympian who has represented ParalympicsGB in the BC4 classification in London 2021, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. He was the World individual Champion in 2016 and is the reigning British Champion, a title he has won more than 10 times.
Stephen is a member of the UK Boccia World Class Programme and is keen to pursue a future in coaching, and has already completed the UK Sport ‘Athlete to Coach’ programme. As a Coaching Futures apprentice he will bring a lot of high-performance experience, which he is keen to utilise in his coaching development.
“For almost 20 years my passion has been disability sport. Being a volunteer on the Coaching Futures programme has given me an opportunity to share my passion, help advise and aid the development of athletes with a disability. Boccia has a proud history within Scotland and I’m proud to be able to help keep that legacy going.”
The objective of this survey is to develop a better understanding of the organisations that are involved in supporting people with a disability to take part in physical activity and sport. The information will enable the development and publication of a stakeholder map which will be available to assist researchers, other stakeholders, policy makers and individuals with a disability to find out information about all organisations that help and support the development of physical activity and sporting opportunities for those with a disability.
A key part of the research is the stakeholder survey. As many completions of this survey as possible will be extremely helpful to all involved in disability sport as currently there is no overarching database of all stakeholders.
The Czech Open returns to the international calendar and Scottish Boccia has selected three players to attend the event which will take place in Prague from the 3 – 5 June 2022.
Fiona Muirhead (BC4), Tyler McLelland (BC4) and Kayleigh Haggo (BC2) will make their international debuts in the sport and will play within both the individual and pairs format of the competition. The group will be joined by Boccia UK BC4 player, Louis Saunders, who will team up with Fiona Muirhead in the pair’s competition.
The Czech Open provides the perfect opportunity for Scottish players to compete on the International stage, supporting their preparation as an elite level athlete ahead of potential future selection for Boccia UK programmes.
SDS Regional Development Manager (RDM) Andrew Mackenzie will take on the role as Team Manager, supported by Boccia UK Performance Coach, Claire Morrison.
SDS is delighted to see our players competing in international competition again following a difficult couple of years for the sport, and we wish them all every success.
With a big summer of sport ahead, SDS is proud to reaffirm our commitment to clean sport by backing UK Anti-Doping’s (UKAD’s) Clean Sport Week campaign.
Clean Sport Week is UKAD’s national awareness week, which runs from 23 – 27 May and champions clean sport, education and anti-doping initiatives with sports across the UK.
The theme for this year’s campaign is “what you see is 100% me” as we all want to see 100% hard work, determination and respect for the rules from athletes competing on the world stage. So, alongside UKAD, we are making it our mission to ensure all our athletes can say with confidence “what you see is 100% me” when competing this summer.
In the build up to Clean Sport Week, we have been working with UKAD to complete the Assurance Framework, which National Governing Bodies must do to show they are meeting their anti-doping responsibilities. In addition, we are ensuring all our athletes are prepared for their upcoming competitions by taking part in UKAD’s 100% me education programme and by inviting them to attend the Clean Sport Week webinar on Tuesday 24 May, which is open to all and will look at important anti-doping topics and advice for preparing for a Major Games.
We also encourage anyone in our sporting community that would like to learn more about anti-doping to sign up to UKAD’s free new Introduction to Clean Sport course via its website, here.
To find out how athletes can excel on the world stage sign up to UKAD’s Clean Sport Week webinar here, and follow @ukantidoping on social media to see a range of educational and exciting content throughout the week.
To find out more about UKAD’s Clean Sport Week initiative click here.
Salary: £45,502 per annum Permanent, full-time Based in Glasgow (temporarily home based)
sportscotland is the national agency for sport in Scotland. Our vision is an active Scotland where everyone benefits from sport. Are you passionate about Equality, Diversity and Inclusion? Do you have the skills and drive to facilitate real strategic change? If so, this might be the next role for you!
We are currently looking for an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manager to join our Strategic Planning team who will champion EDI in sportscotland and across the sport sector.
We have set the ambition that inclusion underpins everything we do. We have a new approach to guide us in delivering this. We need an enthusiastic, skilled equality, diversity and inclusion expert to help us achieve this goal.
As the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manager, you will work with internal staff and a range of partners including equality groups, national agencies, governing bodies of sport, local authorities and leisure trusts.
With skills and experience in facilitating strategic change, you will need strong communication and influencing skills and be able to engage people with very different levels of expertise in this area.
In return for the above, we offer employee benefits such as flexible working, generous holidays, Cycle2Work, fantastic discounts, a great pension scheme (19.3% employer contribution), support with your personal development and much more.
Please apply online and attach your CV and covering letter detailing why you meet the requirements.
We are a Disability Confident employer. If you have any difficulties with your application because of a disability please contact hr.recruitment@sportscotland.org.uk and we will discuss how we can help you.
Closing date for completed applications: 31 May 2022
SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health) have launched a new initiative to use the power of sport to help people manage their mental health.
The initiative will harness the huge benefits of physical activity and sport with clubs, organisations and activity providers encouraging people to connect with their local community to raise self-esteem and reduce isolation.
The launch event was held at the Oriam in Edinburgh, with the Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health and Sport Maree Todd in attendance.
Abby Cook, Forth Valley Disability Sport GOGA Officer and Young Start graduate represented SDS at the launch to share her story about how sport changed her life. She is now encouraging others who experience poor mental health to discover sport as she says it not only builds physical strength but helps your mental health to grow stronger. Abby struggled with anxiety and an eating disorder in her early teens after a condition she had since birth Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), which causes your joints to easily dislocate causing a lot of pain, worsened and left her unable to walk and needing to use a wheelchair.
She said: “I was a competitive swimmer up until the age of 13 and loved cross country running. Physical exercise was my life but it was taken away from me overnight when my condition became so bad that I ended up being housebound for six months and unable to attend school. I became very anxious, depressed and ashamed of my disability.
“I came across Forth Valley Disability Sport when I was at breaking point and looking for a way to meet like-minded people in my local area. Sport wasn’t the main motivator for joining, I found the social aspect helped save my life. It’s the chats with someone before and after you take part in a sport that really helped me, I found myself meeting new people and really looking forward to going back each week.”
Snowsport England and Snowsport Scotland are starting a talent search for the para snowboarding stars of the future, in particular women between the ages of 16-25 with an upper limb difference.
It Could Be You!
Snowboarding is a great sport that is active, social, creative and you can do it in some of the most beautiful places in the world. If you do any sports that require balance and a strong core then you’ll be well suited to snowboarding. The obvious sports with similarities to snowboarding are skateboarding, surfing and wakeboarding, but people from backgrounds such as horse riding, cycling and gymnastics have also become amazing snowboarders.
If you like the idea of snowboarding then sign up and you could be picked for one of the week long Fast Track sessions this summer (2022). The group lessons will involve instruction from a qualified instructor over 4/5 days at one of the indoor snow centres across the UK. No prior snowboard experience required!
Tell Me More About Para Snowboarding
Learning to snowboard could be just the start. If you’ve got a head for speed and a competitive streak, then competitive Para Snowboarding takes the format of racing, both against the clock and head to head. The courses can include banked corners, undulating terrain and jumps. Similar to BMX and mountain bike trails. Training for this sport is varied and never gets boring, along with time on snow you will use acrobatics facilities, practice other board sports and use gyms.
There are three levels of competition for para snowboard internationally. Starting at Continental Cup before graduating to World Cup and then the biggest stage of all: The Paralympics. At the moment there are women in the Upper Limb category at Continental and World Cup levels but, there aren’t enough to feature at the Paralympics which is why you are needed to help make history!
Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) enjoy a close relationship with Scottish Swimming and continue to work collaboratively to support and develop opportunities for participants with disabilities to get swimming across the country.
Participation opportunities are available to all individuals who would like to swim. The inclusive nature of swimming enables people of all abilities, regardless of experience or background to come together, become connected and get involved.
This week we will be putting a Spotlight on Swimming, our partnership with Scottish Swimming and the inclusive opportunities that are available for people with disabilities. We truly believe that Everyone Can Swim.
Getting Involved in Swimming
Parasport Festivals: Swimming is a mainstay of the SDS Parasport Festivals with many children and young people given a taste of swimming for the first time under the watchful eye of Scottish Swimming staff who are quick to identify and support anyone who is keen to take the sport further. Parasport Festivals have been a key method of engaging school aged young people at grassroots level and supporting them into club activity.
Keep an eye on our Social Media channels for information on upcoming Parasport Festivals.
Learn to Swim & See My Ability – Everyone Can Swim!
Learn to Swim is an inclusive programme that was launched to provide opportunities for young people to become confident, safe and happy swimmers, and to raise standards and achieve consistency in swimming programmes across Scotland.
See My Ability is an inclusive programme that encourages children with a disability to learn to swim. Swimming provides the opportunity to learn a life skill whilst interacting and having fun in a group environment. This should be no different for a child with a disability and where possible your child will be included in a class with their peers.
There are many inclusive opportunities to swim across the country and you can use the Scottish Swimming Club Finder to find an opportunity near you here:
SDS can also support and advise you if you would like to get involved in swimming, where we can work in partnership with Scottish Swimming to find an appropriate and inclusive opportunity for you.
Everyone can swim, and these leading performers all started off somewhere – could this be you?
Toni Shaw
Paralympian Toni Shaw came through the Learn to Swim programme at the age of 8, where she soon developed a talent for swimming where she joined Cults Otters before progressing through the pathway to the University of Aberdeen Performance Swim Club. Her classification is S9 and her favoured events being the 400m Free, 100m Free & 100m Fly.
By the age of 14 Toni held 14 Scottish national swimming records where she was then selected to compete at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, and in 2019 she was to set a new World Record time in the S9 200m butterfly at the Para-swimming World Series in Berlin in 2019 when she was just 15 years old. Following this she won 6 medals at the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships, taking gold in both the 4x100m medley relay. and 4x100m freestyle relay
Toni was then selected to represent Team GB at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, where she medalled in her first games taking bronze in the 400m freestyle event, setting a new PB and Scottish record in the process.
Stephen Clegg
Stephen comes from a family of Paralympic athletes, with both older sister Libby and brother James winning medals for ParalympicsGB at London 2012 in athletics and swimming.
Stephen started swimming in 2014 and quickly took to the sport, breaking through to make his major debut at the 2016 IPC Swimming European Championships in Funchal, Portugal, where he made three finals and set a new personal best in the 400m freestyle S13.
He made his Paralympic debut at Rio 2016 where he recorded his best result in the final of the 100m backstroke S12, finishing in 5th place.
At the 2018 European Para Swimming Championships in Dublin, Ireland, Stephen won three bronze medals and set two new British records.
In 2019 Stephen claimed his maiden global title with a silver medal in the S12 100m butterfly final.
Stephen represented Team GB at the Paralympic Games for the second time in Tokyo, where he got on the podium 3 times with 1 silver and 2 bronze medals.
Scott Quin
Since making his international debut at the 2011 IPC Swimming European Championships in Berlin, Scott has continued to demonstrate his potential by producing consistent results in his favourite event, the 100m breaststroke SB14.
He won silver medals in that event at the 2014 European and 2015 World Championships, before repeating that success in Rio in 2016 where he took the silver medal in his first Paralympic Games.
Following his first Games, Scott once again claimed silver in his favoured event at a home World Championships in London in 2019.
At the Paralympic Games in Tokyo, he added to his Paralympic medal tally with a bronze medal, once again in the 100m breaststroke.
Scottish Swimming offer plenty of Coaching, Education and Learning opportunities for those who would like to inspire the next generation of swimmers in Scotland.
Toni Shaw
Stephen Clegg
Scott Quin
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