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.

Nominations are invited from those connected with SDS for awards that will be presented at the AGM on 15th September 2019. It is important that there is a clear indication why the individual is being nominated. A list of former award winners can be seen here: www.scottishdisabilitysport.com/sds-award-winners

All nominations should be returned in confidence, before Monday 19th August 2019, to:

Gavin Macleod, CEO, Scottish Disability Sport, Caledonia House, South Gyle, Edinburgh EH12 9DQ

Alternatively the nominations can be completed online here.

The award categories are:

• SDS Glasgow Trophy for Service to Sport: This award recognises individuals who have played an active role in the development of SDS in any capacity whatsoever. Length of service as an SDS volunteer is an aspect that has been taken into consideration in determining appropriate recipients in the past.
• SDS Fife Trophy for Coach of the Year: This award recognises coaches who have played a significant role in supporting SDS members to achieve their full potential.
• Russell Hogg Trophy (Development Coach of the Year): This award recognises emerging coaches who have committed to supporting Scottish athletes and players with a disability.
• Findlay Calder Trophy (Athlete of the Year): Awarded to the athlete who has contributed most to disability athletics in the past year.
• Brian Dolan Memorial Trophy (Swimmer of the Year): This award is specifically for the swimmer who has contributed most to disability swimming in the past year.
• Angus Trophy: Awarded to the Sportsperson of the Year (excluding athletics and swimming).
• Elspeth Watson Trophy: Awarded to an individual outwith SDS who has contributed significantly to disability sport.
• Special Awards: This section was introduced at the AGM of 2002 to recognise individuals who have made a significant contribution in raising the profile of disability sport in Scotland.
• John de Courcy Trophy (formerly the Capability Scotland Silver Salver): This award is specifically for a talented newcomer.
• Gordon Brown Trophy – Athletes’ Athlete Trophy

The Scottish National Cerebral Palsy Football team returned home as the winners of the International Trophy CP Football Ciutat de Barcelona organised by the Catalan Sports Federation of Cerebral Palsy (FECPC).

Scotland faced a tough competition schedule in Barcelona, playing four matches in four days against Italy, Northern Ireland, Catalonia and English club side, CP United.

The Scots got off to a flying start with an 8-0 victory over CP United. Jonathan Paterson netted four times with Mark Robertson scoring a double and Connor Pollock and Ian Paton bagging a goal each.

On day two of the competition Scotland faced a tricky tie against an Italian side who had only lost by a single goal to Northern Ireland on the opening day. However, Scottish experience told in the end with Greig Taylor’s team running out winners by 7-0. Scottish goal scorers were Martin Hickman and Ian Paton with two each and singles for Stephen Young, Mark Robertson and an own goal. Scotland’s 15 year old goalkeeper, Chris Moore, also made his international debut for this match, keeping a clean sheet.

Day three saw the Scots face the local Catalonia side and the team were on top form winning by 12-0. Scotland’s scorers were Sean Millership (4), Jonathan Paterson (3), Stephen Young (2) and single goals for Martin Hickman, Mark Robertson and Lewis McIntyre.

With tree victories under their belt, Scotland now faced a Northern Ireland team in their final match who were themselves also unbeaten. With Northern Ireland ahead of Scotland in the IFCPF World Rankings, this was always going to be a difficult tie. However, the Scots flew out of the blocks and were 2-0 ahead at half time thanks to a brace of goals from Jonathan Paterson. The pressure was maintained in the second half and goals from Lewis McIntyre and Ian Paton secured the title.

The jubilant Scottish players collected the International CP Football Ciutat de Barcelona Trophy and to add to the occasion, Scotland’s Jamie Mitchell was named player of the tournament. This was an excellent result for the Scottish National Cerebral Palsy Football team who will now hope to build on this success ahead of next year’s World Championships Qualifying Competition which will hopefully see Scotland back competing on the World and European stage.

The following players represented Scotland in Barcelona;

Chris Moore, Stirling

Scott Martin, London

Jamie Mitchell, Livingston

Lewis McIntyre, Johnstone

Blair Glynn, Tranent

Johnathan Paterson, Motherwell

Stephen Young, Dunfermline

Ross Russell, Glasgow

Matthew Wynn, Eaglesham

Martin Hickman, Glasgow

Cameron Pollock, Lanark

Mark Robertson, Roslin

Sean Millership, Epson

Ian Paton, Kilmarnock

Head Coach Greig Taylor led the team to Barcelona along with coaches Graeme Robertson, William Hoggan and physiotherapist Jack Selby.

Our sincere thanks go to the Scottish FA, NorDan UK Ltd, The Blue Eyes Sports Foundation, The Hot Tub Super Centre and Fresh Interior Solutions for their generous support of the Scottish National Cerebral Palsy Football team.

If you are interested in getting involved with the Scottish National Cerebral Palsy Football team or providing much needed funding to help the team achieve their goal of World and European competition, please contact Gavin Macleod on 0131 3171150 or at gavin.macleod@scottishdisabilitysport.com.

Britain’s Gordon Reid is looking ahead to an exciting summer of wheelchair tennis after the 11-time Grand Slam champion and Saturday’s French Open runner-up contested his first men’s singles final at one of the four majors since The Championships, Wimbledon in 2016.

World No.8 Reid lost to world No.2 Gustavo Fernandez 6-1, 6-3 as he met the Argentinian in the final in Paris for the second time since 2016 – a year in which the Brit also won his first two Grand Slam singles titles and became Britain’s first Paralympic men’s singles gold medallist.

But despite missing out on a third Grand Slam singles title, the former Australian Open and Wimbledon champion is now focussed on a string of major events this summer. At the end of an encouraging week that saw Reid beat world No.1 Shingo Kunieda in the semi-finals, he said:

“There are a lot more positives to take away than negatives this week. Obviously, you come into every tournament trying to win it and when you don’t do that it’s disappointing. Today I played some good tennis, I just didn’t do it consistently enough to win the title.

“These are the kind of matches you want to be involved in. That’s what you train for and work hard for. So it’s good motivation and inspiration for what’s to come. It’s given me a lot of confidence this week and hopefully I can take that on to the grass now.”

Reid and fellow Roland Garros semi-finalist Alfie Hewett are among a field of eight players for the wheelchair tennis event at the Fever-Tree Championships at The Queen’s Club (21-23 June). Reid added:

“It’s the first time we’ve had an official world ranking tournament at Queen’s this year and that’s really exciting. Last year’s exhibition singles and doubles tournament was great, but it’s exciting to have a ranked tournament this year.

“Of course, Wimbledon is the highlight of the year for us British players, so I can’t wait to be back there, hopefully. And then we’re back on hard courts in Nottingham for our home Super Series, the British Open Wheelchair Tennis Championships.”

Reid will need a wildcard for Wimbledon before he can aim for more Grand Slam success and he and Hewett can target a fourth men’s doubles title. But in the more immediate future the focus for Reid and some of the other leading Brits on the LTA’s GB Wheelchair Tennis World Class Performance Programme is the BNP Paribas Open de France, the fourth wheelchair tennis Super Series event of the year.

The tournament begins on Tuesday in the Parisian suburb of Antony, some 20 minutes by car from Roland Garros. Daily updates throughout the Open de France Super Series will be available via lta.org.uk or keep up to date with all the action on Twitter @WChairTennisGB.

Photo courtesy of the Tennis Foundation

There has been lots of change for me since my last blog post for SDS. In June 2018 I graduated from Edinburgh Napier University with a 2:1 honours degree in Sport & Exercise Science. A few weeks after that I swam what would be my last competitive race as a swimmer. Swimming has been such a massive part of my life for a long time and was a huge factor in helping me through some really tough times with my health, both physically and psychologically. A big thank you to Scottish Swimming and Scottish Disability Sport for making my time as a swimmer so enjoyable, I will always look back with fond memories. As they say when one door closes another one opens …

After a friend shared an advert that British Canoeing were looking for new talent athletes, I thought ‘I could do that’, I sent an email to say I was interested in giving Paracanoe a try. After a successful trial in Nottingham I soon found myself at a freezing canal in Edinburgh where I first got in a boat. Despite a few unintentional swims I absolutely loved the sport, I love the freedom of being out on the water and after many years in a chlorinated pool environment its great to be outside in the fresh air. Conveniently I love training in the rain, the wind however is not my friend and can often lead to lots of wobbles in the boat and going for a swim!

Not long after I first started training in the boat I was very lucky to be invited down to Nottingham to train full time. Both Olympic and Paralympic sprint canoeing are based at the National Water Sports Centre in Nottingham so to be asked to train there full time was a massive honour. I moved down at the end of September 2018 and spent the winter improving my technique on the water and getting strong in the gym.

The training is very different to swimming, but I absolutely love it. The Paralympic distance is 200m so we have to be strong and powerful. In April we went to Plovdiv, Bulgaria, for a training camp, with some nice flat water to train on it was a great opportunity to transfer strength in the gym to speed on the water in preparation for selection for European Championships and World Cup. I learnt lots from our Plovdiv camp and was looking forward to continue making progress back in Nottingham.

Storm Hannah threw a spanner in the works for our selection regatta at the end of April, we were supposed to race on the Saturday but due to the wind it got postponed to the Monday, my poor Mum and Dad flew down from Scotland to watch me race for the first time but due to the rescheduling they had to go home and still haven’t got to see me race! After a strange couple of days not knowing when we were going to race, I was very happy to put down two solid runs resulting in selection for both the European Championships and also the World Cup in Poznan, Poland 21-24th May.

We found ourselves in a very rare position in Poland where there were two international competitions held back to back, but as this sport is still very new to me and it’s the first time I’ve raced internationally I saw it as a great opportunity to learn as much as I could. Europeans were up first. I had a good race in my heat finishing a close 2nd which gave me automatic qualification for the final the next day. Unfortunately the day of the final the weather took a turn for the worse providing us with some very challenging racing conditions, I wobbled the whole way down the course, was constantly having to regain my balance in the boat and eventually finished 4th. Although 4th at my first international was a pretty good result, I found it frustrating because I really struggled with the conditions so couldn’t give it my all and it didn’t feel like a true representation of what I’ve been doing in training.

However I had to quickly put that race aside as the following day was the start of the World Cup. Unfortunately for the heat of the World Cup the conditions were also pretty tough, so I was very relieved to come 3rd in that race meaning I qualified straight for the final without having to do a semi-final. Thankfully for the final the wind was a bit calmer and it turned out to be a very close race. I was in a photo finish for bronze, but had to settle for another 4th. Although a frustrating place to finish I did the fastest time I’ve done in a race and it was nice to know I was up there and competitive against some very experienced and successful athletes.

All in all the experience from Poland was invaluable. I definitely learnt a lot and I know that I still have a lot of areas to improve on. It was amazing to be part of such an amazing supportive and successful team. The team of athletes, coaches and support staff we have at British Paracanoe is world class and I feel privileged and lucky to be part of that every day.

After a brief recovery week back in Scotland seeing family and friends, I am back training preparing for selection for World Championships at the end of June. If selected, Worlds are in Hungary in August, I also have the possibility of a trip to Tokyo for the Paralympic test event in September – fingers crossed selection goes well!

In terms of the Young Persons Sports Panel, although I am unable to attend as many events due to being based in Nottingham, I continue to be involved from afar contributing to meetings and future planning via Skype. We have some cool stuff planned and I’m sure the panel will continue to strengthen and grow.