It was with great sadness that I learned this evening that George Keith from Aberdeen passed away earlier today. The thoughts of all of us in Scottish Disability Sport are with George and his family and friends during this time of great loss.

George was always a great friend to DSF athletes, players and coaches. His contribution to SDS and Grampian
table tennis over the past 40 years has been immeasurable.

When I arrived in Fife in 1975 I was privileged to be asked by SDS to organise the Scottish Table Tennis Championships at the Fife Sports Institute. That resulted in my first meeting with George as a participant. As a standing player with a physical impairment there was none better and his enthusiasm to involve others led to considerable interest in the game throughout the 80s and 90s in particular.

Our paths crossed many times thereafter and we even had a room next to one another in Hoffstra University in New York when George was selected to represent Team GB at the 1984 Paralympic Games. George was not only a world class player with cerebral palsy but on that team he was an amazing support to a number of the less experienced Scottish members of Team GB. George accepted enthusiastically his role as the team father figure.

I recall with great fondness the rivalry between George and our own Paul Noble in the men’s singles section of the SDS Table Tennis Championships. George had the edge on Paul on most occasions but when Paul teamed up with Lara Ferguson in doubles, the Fife partnership reigned supreme.

George collaborated with Fife coach Wilma Catignani in setting up a Sunday afternoon national table tennis league at the Fife Sports Institute that ran for many years. George was accorded the title of Mr Table Tennis and my goodness he lived up to the nickname and was proud of it.

George was one of those unsung heroes of Scottish sport who unselfishly devoted so much time to the sport he loved. Locally and nationally George achieved so much. George was a highly respected player, organiser and coach. In addition he was good man, highly respected by all those around him. George cared and would always go the extra mile for the individual participant.

George we all owe you so much and we shall never forget all that you contributed to table tennis. We thank you for your friendship, expertise and support. You were an exceptional team and family man George.

I discovered this photo in my archives. Councillor James Kiddie hosted the annual Aberdeen Sport Person of the Year in 2010. George was awarded the Lord Provost’s award.

Funeral arrangements: Tuesday July 9th at 11 00 in the West Chapel, Aberdeen Crematorium

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

Hi, I am Madison Garland the new Boccia Development Officer for Scottish Disability Sport (SDS). My role is nationwide with my office based at SDS headquarters in Edinburgh. I am looking forward to becoming part of the SDS team, as well as getting to know the boccia community. I am excited about the prospect of developing the sport further and increasing the number of people playing across the country.

Prior to working with SDS I achieved my Sports Development and Coaching degree at Dundee University, and soon after, gained my first role as the National Disability Development Officer and the East Female Development Officer at Cricket Scotland (CS). My role at CS consisted of developing female cricketers and engaging and identifying new players via the fantastic engagement programmes that had been set up. I also assisted with the set up of the Disability Cricket section of the SGB, helping raise the profile of not only disability cricket, but of disability sport. I achieved this through several vehicles but one of the most successful was raising awareness of the visually impaired game using high-profile events, such as our exhibition match between the Royal National Institute for Blind People (RNIB) and the Glasgow City Councillors. This event profiled the sport politically as well as amongst the visually impaired community. I hope to use my previous experiences to increase the profile of boccia in a similar way.

Whilst I am not coming from a background in the sport of boccia, I am really looking forward to learning more about the sport and increasing my knowledge further. I have gained a lot of sports development experience in disability sport, and female participation, from my work at Cricket Scotland and this will benefit me going forward.

I’ll be getting out and about to meet the boccia community in due course but in the meantime I can be contacted on madison.garland@scottishdisabilitysport.com.

Four British players from the LTA’s Wheelchair Tennis World Class Performance Programme will contest the wheelchair events at The Championships, Wimbledon, next month after wildcards were announced on Wednesday for Andy Lapthorne, Jordanne Whiley and Gordon Reid. Two Brits will contest the gentlemen’s wheelchair singles and doubles events, with reigning US Open champion Alfie Hewett already confirmed among the direct entries.

The wheelchair players are part of a total of fourteen Brits in the singles main draws at The Championships.

Lapthorne will be one of four players who will make history at Wimbledon as quad singles and doubles events make their debuts on the competition schedule following last year’s quad doubles exhibition match, which Lapthorne won partnering American David Wagner.

Eight-time Grand Slam champion Lapthorne, who has climbed to No.3 in this week’s quad singles rankings after reaching the final of the Open de France Super Series, said:

“It’s a dream come true to be playing in the first quad singles and doubles events at Wimbledon and I’m very thankful to Wimbledon for giving me that chance. I got an injury in Australia and It’s been tough coming back, but I’ve had some good results over the last couple of weeks and being back at world No. 3 this week helps everything.

“I’m going to be playing doubles with Dylan (Alcott of Australia) this time. We get on really well together and he’s done so much for the sport over the last couple of years, so it would be amazing if we could become the first official Wimbledon quad doubles champions together.”

Whiley will play her first Wimbledon since becoming a mum in January 2018. In 2017 she played at The Championships whilst 11 weeks pregnant, winning her fourth successive ladies’ doubles title partnering Yui Kamiji of Japan.

Whiley began her comeback to international wheelchair tennis in February this year and has won four of seven singles events she has contested since then Whiley has returned to No.8 in this week’s women’s singles rankings reaching the semi-finals of last year’s Super Series event in France.

Ten-time Grand Slam champion Whiley, who will playing at Wimbledon for the eighth time, said:

“I’m really excited and especially since it will be the first time since my comeback earlier this year that I’ve played with Yui. Obviously, the last time I was at Wimbledon we won the doubles again and I was pregnant with Jackson, so it’s going to be exciting to see what we can do this year. I’m so grateful that Wimbledon have backed me, but I’ve had a great comeback and I did not expect to be back in the top eight by mid-June. It’s been an amazing few months.”

Reid, the first ever Wimbledon gentlemen’s wheelchair singles champion in 2016, will play at The Championships for the ninth time and the current world No. 8’s wildcard award means he will partner Hewett in a bid to make it four successive gentlemen’s singles titles.

Eleven-time Grand Slam champion Reid, who was men’s singles finalist at Roland Garros this year, said:

“Wimbledon obviously holds so many great memories for me after winning four tittles there over the past three years, so I’m very happy and grateful to have been awarded the wildcard. It’s always a privilege to play at your home Grand Slam and such a buzz to win the major titles with the home crowd behind you, as Alfie and I have experienced. Hopefully I can take my good form on the clay and the hard courts in Paris over the past two weeks onto the grass courts.

Current world No. 3 Hewett is the only one of the four Brits to have qualified for direct acceptance for the wheelchair events at The Championships via his ranking.

Seven-time Grand Slam champion Hewett, who added doubles victories partnering Reid at Wimbledon and the US Open to his 2018 US Open singles title, said:

“I’m incredibly excited for Wimbledon this year and for the prospect of trying to make it four doubles titles in a row with Gordon. There is no better feeling than winning a Grand Slam title in front of a home crowd. As the season’s gone on my form has been getting better and better and after reaching the singles semis at Roland Garros a couple of weeks ago and at Wimbledon for the last two years I’m really looking forward to getting back on the grass and trying to make it to two finals this time,”

The wheelchair tennis draws at The Championships, Wimbledon, take place on 11-14 July. For news and updates in the coming weeks follow on Twitter @the_LTA and @WChairTennisGB.

Photo courtesy of the Tennis Foundation

British Curling has announced the Programme Wheelchair Squad for 2019-2020, as the Wheelchair Curlers prepare for the second year of the Paralympic cycle building towards Beijing in 2022.

Four members of Scotland’s silver medal winning team at the World Wheelchair Curling Championships earlier this year are among those selected to receive Programme support and investment. David Melrose and Gary Logan made their debut at the World Championships when it was hosted in Stirling, having joined the Programme for the first time at the start of that season.

Melrose, who was a former fire-fighter, said he was delighted to have been selected to the Programme for a second consecutive year.

 “My first year on the Programme was pretty meteoric, experiencing the routine, discipline and team work required for squad training and tactical work, plus gym sessions and focusing on nutrition to optimise performance was all very new to me. It was a steep learning curve and extremely rewarding when I was selected for the Scotland team and the highlight of reaching the final and playing against China’s Paralympic Champions was something I could never have imagined possible and shows what can be achieved in the fast moving environment of elite sport.

 “Curling gave me a renewed purpose after my accident, the Programme taught me about self-discipline and effective team dynamics. Combined with a lot of hard work and effort, the impossible becomes possible and dreams become a reality, last year’s result shows us that any goal is achievable.”

Fellow debutante Gary Logan, who was alternate at those Championships, agrees with his teammate’s sentiment: “I am extremely grateful to have been selected for my second year on the Programme. It made a huge difference to my curling and the experience of a home World Championships has spurred each and every one of us on to achieve more success in the season to come.”

Fellow World silver medallists and PyeongChang Paralympians Hugh Nibloe and Robert McPherson – who was also a member of the 2014 ParalympicsGB bronze medal winning team – are the two most experienced members of the squad. A notable omission this year is Sochi bronze medallist Aileen Neilson who, after skipping her rink to a sterling podium finish in Stirling whilst making her ninth appearance at a World Wheelchair Championships, has decided to take some time out from the elite game.

Neilson said: “I have been in the squad for 14 years and our success at Stirling helped us to accrue qualifying points at the next Paralympics and it really gave me an opportunity to reflect on achievements over the years. I decided that by taking some time out I could enjoy some quality time with family and those close to me and also explore other avenues and projects.

 “I am a qualified Level 1 Coach and Tutor and as a former primary school teacher I want the chance to go into schools and inspire kids and the next generation of curlers, so really this is my time and chance to give back a bit to the sport I love,” she added.

Gary Smith and Charlotte McKenna, both of whom were on the Performance Foundation Squad last season, have worked hard to achieve Performance level support this year, while newcomer Rebekah Nimmo completes the line-up, supported at Performance Foundation level.

British Curling’s Head Wheelchair Coach Sheila Swan said; “Congratulations to all of those who have been selected for Performance or Performance Foundation support. Last year’s success in Stirling created a benchmark for all of our athletes as we now look to continue that upward trajectory whilst targeting further titles in the season ahead, consolidating our progression in this Beijing Paralympic cycle.”  

 Performance squad 2019-20

Gary Smith (Edinburgh)

Robert McPherson (Bellshill)

Hugh Nibloe (Stranraer)

David Melrose (Duns)

Charlotte McKenna (Bridge of Allan)

Gary Logan (Cornhill on Tweed)

 Performance Foundation 2019-20

Rebekah Nimmo – (Stranraer)

When it comes to the sport of boccia Scotland delivers!  The 2019 UK Boccia Championships took place from the 14 – 16 June 2019 in Antrim, Northern Ireland and the competition showcased the best players across the home countries within the BC1 – BC4 classification groups.

Scotland qualified eight players for the event but unfortunately 2016 Paralympian, and recent Hong Kong World Open silver medallist, Patrick Wilson (BC3), had to withdraw due to illness.  The seven remaining players carried the flag with aplomb, showcasing their incredible talent throughout the weekend.

In the BC1 classification, Scotland’s only representative was the ever improving Reegan Stevenson, who topped his group to set up a semi-final with Daniel Wain (ENG).  After a cagey affair he took 2 points in the final end to win 3-2 and set up a final against Paralympic Champion, David Smith (ENG).  Smithy won the match 15-0 but Stevenson achieved his objective of retaining his silver medal for the first time at this level.

Lewis McConnell returned to represent Scotland in the BC2 competition after a four year break at this level.  Whilst McConnell failed to win any of his pool matches, he put in some very good performances and will take that learning away as he continues his comeback to performance level boccia.

The McCowan brothers, Scott and Jamie, were once again present in the BC3 competition, along with their ramp assistants (and parents), Gary and Linda.  Amongst the favourites for this competition, Jamie was looking to retain his UK individual title, whilst Scott, had already won the Scottish title, leading into this event.  Scott came second in his pool, which meant he would face a more difficult semi-final, which on this occasion, was against his brother!  Playing for family bragging rights the match was a very tight affair which saw Scott come from behind to win 4-3 and claim his place in the final, alongside dad, Gary.  Jamie, and mother, Linda still had a chance for bronze.

In the 3^rd/4^th place play-off, Jamie McCowan seized the initiative early on against Will Arnott (ENG) and was in complete control, eventually winning 5-1 and taking the bronze medal.  In the final, Scott a tougher proposition against England’s Matt Berry with the match ending 3-3.  A tie break end was required and after winning the toss, Scott nailed the jack, putting him in control of the match.  In the end he claimed the solitary point required to win his fourth British title – a joint record he holds alongside former Welsh player, Jacob Thomas.

Scotland had three representatives in the BC4 class with World number 2 Stephen McGuire, accompanied by Rio 2016 Paraympic teammate, Kieran Steer, who has returned to the sport following a break.  They were joined by developing player and wildcard entrant, Ross Munro.  There were six players in a round robin pool, with 1^st and 2^nd place competing for gold and 3^rd and 4^th for bronze.

McGuire topped the group, winning all of his matches to set up a final against Louis Saunders.  In a very competitive match, McGuire’s experience shone through as he won the match 7-2 to retain his UK individual crown for a record 13^th time.  The BC4 championship has never been won by anyone from outside of Scotland!

Following a group stage tie between Evie Edwards (ENG), Kieran Steer and Ross Munro the official rule book was consulted to determine who went through to the medal match.  It would come down to the matches between those three players only, with all other results not considered.  Once the calculations had been ratified, it was Ross Munro and Evie Edwards who would compete for the medal.  Whilst disappointing for Steer, he can be pleased with his performances on his return to this level.

Earlier in the day Munro had produced a controlled performance to defeat 2016 Paralympian, Evie Edwards, 7-1, and was therefore confident going into the match.  It was to be a tighter affair with Evie taking the lead in the first end, but Munro battled back to eventually win the contest 6-3 and claim his first medal at a British Championships.

The overall result meant that Scotland topped the medal table by winning 5 of the 12 medals available, two of which were gold.

Scottish Disability Sport would like to thank our team of dedicated volunteers and coaches who support the players in both training and competition.  We would also like to show our gratitude towards our colleagues at Disability Sport Northern Ireland (DSNI) for delivering an exceptional 2019 UK Championships.

Scottish Squad (Results)

BC1
Reegan Stevenson (Silver)

BC2
Lewis McConnell

BC3
Scott McCowan (Gold)
Jamie McCowan (Bronze)
Patrick Wilson

BC4
Stephen McGuire (Gold)
Ross Munro (Bronze)
Kieran Steer

Support Staff
Jen Barsby
Andrinne Craig
Peter McGuire
Gary Fraser
Madison Garland
Gary McCowan (Ramp Assistant)
Linda McCowan (Ramp Assistant)

Every result from the UK Championships can be viewed on our Twitter feed @SDS_Sport via the hashtag #ScottishBoccia.

For more information on the sport or to get involved, please contact Scottish Disability Sport on 0131 317 1130 or admin@scottishdisabilitysport.com

The Scotland National Squads have been selected for the 2019 Lord’s Taverners National Junior Championships.

Head Coaches Conor Smart (under 14) and Jen Scally (under 18) have named their Scotland squads for this summer’s tournament at the University of Worcester over the weekend 3^rd & 4^th August 2019.  The National Junior Championships make a significant contribution to the continued development of junior wheelchair basketball by creating opportunities for young and aspiring athletes across the UK.

Full squad lists can be found below –

Under 14
Name	Team
Callum Smith	Grampian Flyers
Shane Humphries	Dundee Dragons
Nathanel Scott	Dundee Dragons
Owen Leitch	Dundee Dragons
Daniel McLaughlin	Glasgow Rocks
David McLaughlin	Glasgow Rocks
Charlie Redmond	Lothian Phoenix
Finlay Erskine	Lothian Phoenix
Ben Flanigan	Lothian Phoenix
Sophie Dewar	Lothian Phoenix
Josh Kitchen (Reserve)	Lothian Phoenix
Roman Murray (Reserve)	Lothian Phoenix
Conor Smart	Head Coach
Karen Little McKay	Assistant Coach
Josh Manson	Team Manager

 

Under 18
Name	Team
Jack Caird	Grampian Flyers
Rhys Colliar	Dundee Dragons
Blair Marshall	Dundee Dragons
Ben Leitch	Glasgow Rocks
James Beattie	Glasgow Rocks
Cameron Watson	Lothian Phoenix
Logan Kidd	Lothian Phoenix
Jason Gillies	Lothian Phoenix
Adam Donnachie	Lothian Phoenix
Jen Scally	Head Coach
Mark Stevenson	Assistant Coach
Brian Borland	Team Manager

 

All matches will be played over the weekend of Saturday 3^rd and Sunday 4^th August at the University of Worcester.

Club for climbers with disabilities gets boost from Everesteer

 For many, the loss of a limb might seem to rule out the sport of climbing.

But the Scottish Paraclimbing Club is giving the lie to that notion with an increasing number of people with additional support needs and disabilities taking up and excelling on climbing routes up vertical and overhanging walls.

Every Thursday evening paraclimbers – climbers who have a disability or additional support needs – gather at the Edinburgh International Climbing Arena at Ratho and take on daunting challenges on the indoor climbing walls there.

Now leading adventure cameraman Keith Partridge, an Everest summiteer and veteran of many extreme climbing expeditions, has come together with the club to produce a video for them, showing the opportunities and achievements members enjoy.

The Scottish Paraclimbing Club is the first of its kind in the UK providing opportunities for those who may be blind, or be without one or more limbs to get involved in climbing and progress in the sport.

The club was developed by GB Paraclimber Keith Lynch to create a paraclimbing community based out of Edinburgh International Climbing Arena. It is supported by Mountaineering Scotland and Lothian Disability Sports, and recently received a specialist equipment grant of £2000 from the Scottish Mountaineering Trust.

The club meets on a Thursday evening from 7pm and is supported by a network of volunteers and qualified climbing coaches who are on hand to provide assistance to its members in and around the climbing activities.

The club runs a free ‘Come and Try Paraclimbing’ session for those interested in joining.

Keith said: “We welcome new members. If you are interested in coming along, then contact us first to ensure that we are able to cater for your needs and that there are volunteers available to support your participation.”

The club will also speak with any parents, guardians or carers to advise on how the club operates and discuss any requirements for them to support or be involved in the sessions if interested in joining.

The Scottish Paraclimbing Club video can be viewed here:

The Scottish Paraclimbing Club webpage can be seen at http://www.climbscotland.net/club-spot/club-spot-near-you/scottish-paraclimbing-club and the club can be contacted by email at scottishparaclimbingclub@gmail.com.

In Volunteers Week 2019, SDS was deeply saddened to hear that Jack Calder had died this week.  Jack was an amazing volunteer who gave generously of his time to make sport happen for participants with a disability in Lothian and beyond.

He was one of the founder members of Lothian Waves Swimming Club and chaired the club for many years. No challenge was ever insurmountable for Jack, he always found a resolve.  He raised funds, wrote constitutions and policies and so much more if it meant that participants could access sporting opportunities.  Jack was instrumental in many clubs being created and/or developed because he was a man of action and wanted to get things done properly and was meticulous in his record keeping.

Latterly, Jack held the position of chairperson at Musselburgh ASC, which has become one of the most inclusive swimming clubs in the region.  Over the past few years many of Lothian’s emerging para swimmers have transitioned to the East Lothian club to increase training and improve performance.  Jack’s values and beliefs are embedded within the club and its coaching infrastructure.

Jack was one of those remarkable gentlemen who had time for everyone and made everyone feel welcome – a smile, a joke, a caring comment, a thank you and always with a twinkle in his eye.  He made you feel included.

Jack not only gave his time, energy and commitment to sport but several other organisations.

SDS’s thoughts are with his family.

 

Congratulations to Richard Brickley on being awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for services to disability sport.

Passionate and committed, his influence spans every facet of disability sport.  Richard was awarded an MBE in 1999 for services to disability sport, however his impact since this time has remained significant as evidenced by his recognition as Volunteer of the Year at the Team Scotland Scottish Sports Awards in 2017. It is universally agreed amongst national, UK and international governing bodies that few, if any, people have done more for the development of disability sport internationally over the last 40 years.

Richard was on the Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) Management Board from 1975 until 2006, and between 1998-06 he led Scottish Disability Sport as chair.  Richard took the organisation from one that employed a sole administrator as their entire staff base to one that employed a CEO and a number of dedicated staff.  He was the key driver in launching SDS’s first website in 2000.  This vastly improved communication with members, local authorities and governing bodies. He has been a driver in strategically planning and implementing SDS’s last five strategic plans which has overseen growth exponentially of inclusive practice and opportunities. He implemented the widely-respected events programme for 33 years as the voluntary events-lead, and has ensured that the programme remains one of the flagship programmes of SDS which currently runs over 20 events across 7 sports and caters for over 3000 athletes with a disability at every level of the pathway.

After he stepped down as chair in 2006, he was asked to become the inaugural chair of the UK Coaching, Learning and Leadership Group, which was formed in 2007.  The group was established to advise the UK Coaching Framework on disability sport and the inclusion of children, athletes and players with a disability.  He produced policy papers and implemented positive projects and programmes within coaching at a UK level.  He only stood down as chair to allow him time to set up a similar organisation in relation to Scotland, and in 2010 the Disability Sport Coaching and Education Group: Scotland was established.  The impact of the groups has been to corral leading experts in coaching and disability to set the vision for coaching and learning within Scotland and contributing the SDS dimension to key documents.  He was a key contributor to the development of the Sports Inclusion Model which is a cornerstone of the SDS Strategic Plan 2017 – 21 and it being adopted at a UK level through SDS’s sister organisations in the home nations.

Internationally he has attended seven successive Paralympic Games as coach or classifier.  In the late 1980s he recognised that his passion for coaching and classification could not co-exist at an international level and therefore made a huge commitment to follow the pathway of an International Classifier, a complicated yet critical aspect of disability sport.  In Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 he was a lead classifier, which culminated in becoming the Chief Classifier at the Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Paralympics.  He was also head of classification for athletics at the International Paralympic Committee.  In the 1980s and 1990s he voluntarily worked with a small group of classifiers for the Cerebral Palsy International Sport and Recreation Association to improve and keep current the classification system.  He was made an international classifier for the International Bowls for the Disabled (IBD), following his services at the Eight Nations international bowling competition held at Kelvingrove, Glasgow in 2013.   This ensured all bowlers were classified for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.  He was instrumental in refining the British Athletics classification system and chaired the British Athletics classification panel following Beijing, and he also produced the initial British classification paper for GB Boccia allowing the sport to grow internationally.  He and a fellow ex-Chair of SDS, Bob Mitchell,  created a simple and robust system for classification within various sports in Scotland.  This revolutionised disability sport in Scotland and ensures sport is inclusive and accessible for all people with a disability in Scotland. This is still used 20 years on.

This award was strongly supported by Scottish Disability Sport, the other home nation disability federations and both the Lord Lieutentant and the Lord Provost of Fife.