#ScotsonParaGB

Day five of the 2018 Winter Paralympic Games saw Scott Meenagh back in action in the Men’s sitting 1.1km Cross Country event, Millie Knight and Brett Wild competed in the Women’s VI Giant Slalom event and ParalympicsGB’s wheelchair curlers back on the ice to face Germany and the USA.

Wheelchair Curling

The Great Britain rink of Aileen Neilson, Gregor Ewan, Robert McPherson, Hugh Nibloe and Angie Malone MBE started the day with a record of four wins and three defeats in the round robin stage of the competition.

It was a day of mixed fortunes at the Gangneung Curling Centre as the ParalympicsGB curlers secured a decisive win against Germany before facing a tough defeat against USA. It was a tight start to the match against Germany but Great Britain picked up two shots in the fourth end and never looked back running out comfortable winners by 8-3.

However, Aileen Neilson’s rink could not carry this form into the match against the USA and lost tree shots in both the third and sixth ends to lose by 9-3.

Speaking after the defeat to the USA, Aileen said;

“You just have to be mentally strong in these moments. We came out after yesterday’s two disappointments and played really well in our first game.

“That was what we planned to do this afternoon but unfortunately it didn’t work out. The USA played better.

“I missed crucial draws which, if you don’t make these draws, you lose the game.

“We played another end to try and get another score on the board and to give ourselves a bit more of a feel for the ice.

“No disrespect to the USA but we just thought if we could score some shots, you just never know, you can score a big end. But they were just on fire and made everything.

“In the past we have been well down and have come back. At the break that was what our coach said and she told us it’s not over and it is never over until the last stone is thrown.

“We’re disappointed obviously but we’ll have to come out all guns blazing.

“Everyone can beat everyone else here. We can’t worry on who we are playing or how they are playing.

“We can only focus on how we play so we need to come out and be firing at our best.

“We’ll go away and have a chat now and regroup and then we just need to crack on.”

Biathlon

Scott Meenagh competed in the Men’s Sitting 1.1km Cross Country and ranked 16th in the qualification round with a time of 3:17.72. The 12 fastest athletes progressed through to the semi-finals and on this occasion, Scott missed out.

Speaking after the race, Scott said;

“I hadn’t realised where I’d finished when I crossed the line, obviously I would have liked to have made the semi-finals but when you’re out there you just give it everything and see where you stand.

“The conditions were tough, it was a tough race but at the end of the day that is what we are here for.

“The snow was softer was normal, there were quite a lot of holes around the start which made it difficult but we’re all racing the same snow so there’s no problems there, it’s just about who comes on top on the day.

“But I really enjoyed it, I’ll take that today.

“You have to attack and be prepared to take risks, this race is so much different to the ones that have gone before so you have to hit it hard and don’t be scared.

“You saw some of the best skiers in the world taking risks and falling over, it’s the gamble they’re taking but when it pays off, it’s the reason they end up on the podium.

“I’m getting there with enjoying this type of race but now I’ve got some more to come, now it’s about recovering well, getting back on the snow and ready for the runs.

“I’ll just go through the normal strategies, we’ve worked through different things on the World Cup season so it’s about doing the same things.”

Alpine Skiing

Millie Knight and Brett Wild were back in action on the slopes of the Jeongseon Alpine Centre for the Women’s VI Giant Slalom event and finished in seventh place.

Brett commented;

“I think that was quite far from our best. The first run looked good, it felt pretty but there was no drive, no attacking from the end of the turn, and on every single turn we lost speed which is quite frustrating.

“But to be honest, we’ve had such a bad season and to come here, to get two silver medals and with another chance left, we’re chuffed to bits with how it’s gone so far. We just need to bounce back from this again like we did yesterday and see how we can do on Sunday on the next race.

“We came into this with no medal expectations and we got the two silver medals. Our expectations kind of changed and maybe we got a little bit caught up in the moment but we’ve been brought back down to earth in these last few days.”

The action continues tomorrow with Millie Knight and Brett Wild back in action for the Women’s VI Slalom, whilst the wheelchair curlers face a tough double header against South Korea and China.

For an overview of Channel 4’s comprehensive coverage of the Games go to;

http://paralympics.channel4.com/news/2018-winter-paralympics-day-day-coverage-guide/

#ScotsonParaGB

Day four of the 2018 Winter Paralympic Games provided an opportunity to see all the Scottish athletes in action.  The wheelchair curlers face Slovakia and the Neutral Paralympic Athletes (NPA), whilst Brett Wild will be guiding Millie Knight in the Super Combined and Scott Meenagh takes on the 12.5km Biathlon.

Wheelchair Curling

The Great Britain rink of Ailien Neilson, Gregor Ewan, Robert McPherson, Hugh Nibloe and Angie Malone MBE went into today’s events in fine form after winning both their matches yesterday.  However, they encountered a determined Slovakian outfit and suffered a narrow, albeit surprising, 5-6 defeat.

The GB team had previously won four out of five of their round-robin matches going into Tuesday’s first match but made a slow start and never really recovered from going 4-1 down after three ends. They rallied late on and trailed 6-4 going into the final end but needing two to force an extra end but could not get the scores they needed.

Aileen Neilson and her team had the chance to redeem themselves in their second match against the Neutral Paralympic Athletes (NPA), who are representing Russia but a big improvement would be required.  Unfortunately, the NPA were too strong on this occasion running out an 8-2 victory and leaving GB’s qualification (and top four finish) in the balance.  The Scottish quintet are currently locked in a three way tie in fourth position with Germany and the NPA.  They have won four and lost three matches.

Paralympic debutant Hugh Nibloe has said his team will not waste time reflecting on what might have been today:

“The good thing is that we are straight back on the ice tomorrow morning so there will be no time to sit and dwell on the results and wonder what if?” Nibloe said.

His team mate, Bobby McPherson is equally determined:

“It’s a blip, we showed how we could play in both games yesterday and I’m confident we can be back.

“It was a bad day at the office, we just weren’t executing as well as we know we can but hopefully we’ll get back to firing the way we have done so far.

The British rink will take on Germany and the USA tomorrow on day five of the competition.

Alpine Skiing

Already double silver medallists at the Games’ Millie Knight and her Scottish guide, Brett Wild, were in action in the Super Combined event but agonisingly finished in fourth position, (behind Australia) following a poor slalom run by their standards.

Knight and Wild, are stronger in the speed events and were third after the super G run but finished 0.91 adrift of the Australians.  Knight commented,

“I went into the super G tired and couldn’t get the aggression I needed, I then made a massive mistake in the slalom run and I think that cost us. It has been an exciting few days and I haven’t been sleeping well but that’s no excuse.”

Biathlon

In the biathlon competition, Scott Meenagh was 13th in the 12.5km seated event, which was his third of his six events.  Gold went to Taras Rad of Ukraine who clocked a time of 45 minutes 35.6 seconds with Meenagh finishing in 54:52.9.

Following his race, Meenagh said, “That was a real tough race,” “You had to fight for every yard. But this is a tough sport and you need to be tough to do it.”

Following day four Great Britain have delivered four medals and move a step closer to their UK Sport target of seven.

The action continues tomorrow with Scott Meenagh competing in the Cross Country Skiing Sprint Classic, whilst the wheelchair curlers take on Germany and the USA.

For an overview of Channel 4’s comprehensive coverage of the Games go to;

http://paralympics.channel4.com/news/2018-winter-paralympics-day-day-coverage-guide/

 

A squad of seven went out to Allcudia for the 4th Spanish Para-Badminton International, representing four Para-Badminton Classifications.

3rd-seeded SL4 Mary Wilson came into the competition with the expectation of a bronze medal meeting her singles success from this event last year and coming in as 3rd seed put extra pressure on her to perform. She did not disappoint; coming through her group in second position she faced her French doubles partner Veronique Braud for a place in the semi-finals and a guaranteed bronze medal. In a nail-biting three-setter Mary came out on top with a score line of 21-17, 17-21, 21-19. However, she had to settle for the bronze, losing out to first seeded Katrin Siebert of Germany 12-21, 12-21.

In the doubles and mixed Mary was unable to progress through her group having to pull out of her final game of doubles due to a foot injury.

The second bronze was won by Bobby Laing and Irish doubles partner Andrew Moorcroft in the SS6 Men’s Doubles. Having come out second in their group losing only to the first seeds, the Scots-Irish duo were drawn in the quarter-finals against Rachel Choong and Rebecca Bedford of England where they won 21-12, 21-15, to secure their place in the Semi-Final. This was to be their stopping point losing out in a spot in the final to current World Champions from Honk Kong Man Kai Chu and Chun Yim Wong, 8-21, 8-21 and finishing with a bronze medal.

In the singles Bobby topped his group with two convincing wins, progressing to the 1st round of the knock out where he lost out to Brazilian Vitor Tavares 14-21, 21-23.

In the SL3 Colin Leslie, Scotland’s only competitor in this class, progressed out of his group in second place losing out only to seeded German Pascal Wolter. In the first round of the knock out he was not to be challenged by Englands Mark Waller, winning convincingly and progressing onto the quarter finals, 21-8, 21-4. This victory was to be avenged by Mark’s teammate and 2nd seed Daniel Bethel, with Daniel coming out on top in two sets.

In the SL3+SL4 men’s doubles Colin, playing with England’s Anthony Forester, progressed to the quarter-finals losing out in this round to Thailand and India’s Chawarat Kitchokwattana and Vikram Kumar 14-21, 15-21. Playing in the SL3- SU5 mixed doubles with Megan Hollander from the Netherlands, Colin didn’t make it out of the group stages but not without putting up a fight losing out in 3 sets to final pair of their group.

In the WH2 category Fiona Christie was looking to make her mark in Spain in all three events partnering Laura-Lee Jenkins in the WH1+WH2 ladies doubles and David Follet in the WH1+WH2 mixed doubles. Coming up against tough opponents in the Singles and Ladies Doubles, Fiona failed to reach the knock-out stages, however with a thrilling three-set victory against Russia’s Pavel Popov and Irina Kuzmenko in the mixed doubles, Fiona and David progressed onto the knockout rounds in the mixed doubles. Their journey was cut short here, drawing the number one seeds Jakarin Homhaul and Amnouy Wetwithan, Thailand losing out in two sets.

Also competing in SS6 women’s singles and mixed was Deirdre Nagle, in the SS6 men’s singles and doubles Andrew Davies and in the SL4 mens single’s and doubles Jamie Munro.

#ScotsonParaGB

Day three of the 2018 Winter Paralympic Games provided a much need rest for the Scottish snowsports athletes in PyeongChang. However, the ParalympicsGB wheelchair curlers were back on the ice for back to back matches against Sweden and reigning Paralympic champions Canada.

Wheelchair Curling

Having secured wins against Norway and Finland and suffered a single defeat to Switzerland, the Great Britain rink of Ailien Neilson, Gregor Ewan, Robert McPherson, Hugh Nibloe and Angie Malone MBE knew that two wins on day three of the Games would keep them well in contention for the coveted top four finish in the round robin stage.

It was the best possible start to the day for the ParalympicsGB team as they took two in the first end against Sweden and singles in the next four ends to race into a commanding lead. It proved too much for the Swedish rink who couldn’t recover and Great Britain ran out comfortable winners by 6-1.

They knew that their next match against Canada would be a much sterner test and both teams took to the ice with an identical round robin record of three wins and one defeat.

Brimming with confidence from their win against Sweden, Neilson’s rink made the best possible start and raced into a five shot lead after five ends. Canada rallied to take a single shot with the hammer in the sixth end but Great Britain stormed back to take three in the 7^th end and win the match by 8-1.

This result left Great Britain second in the round robin table equal with Germany and South Korea with four wins and a single defeat after three days of competition. China head the table with an unbeaten record.

A delighted Aileen Neilson commented;

“It’s been a good day at the office, you can’t ask for much more than two victories so we’re really delighted. We’re now at 4-1 which is a really good position to be in. We’re just getting the feel for it more and more, each day we’re reading the ice better, playing the shot better and things are working out, we just want to keep making sure we build on that.

“Any team, if they go out there and play at their best, is going to win the match – we did that against Canada, we played good shots at crucial times and it got us the win.

“We did keep it tight to begin with and that was deliberate, we wanted to see how the ice played, keep as few stones in play as possible and make sure we’re looking after the house.

“You can look at the margin of victory and see it as a lot but it’s not something we focus on too much, this competition is just about getting the wins and making sure we’re taking the performances forward.

“You can learn from losses but we want to be in a position where we’re playing well and winning the game, there is a lot of momentum you can take forward.”

The action continues tomorrow with double silver medallist Brett Wild back on the slopes with Millie Knight for the Super Combined event, Scott Meenagh back in action with the Biathlon 12.5km and the wheelchair curlers facing Slovakia and the Neutral Paralympic Athlete team.

For an overview of Channel 4’s comprehensive coverage of the Games go to;

http://paralympics.channel4.com/news/2018-winter-paralympics-day-day-coverage-guide/

The Torch Trophy Trust Awards are presented annually to nominations from sports governing bodies and sports organisations, to recognise voluntary work for sport and recreation from throughout the UK.  SDS was delighted that Eileen Ramsay from the  Dundee Branch was a worthy recipient  of a Torch Trophy Trust Award which was presented to her in London on Wednesday 7 March 2018  by HRH the Duke of Gloucester.

Eileen is so deserving of the award for all she has done.  She has been actively volunteering with the swimming club she co-founded in 1993, which now boasts a thriving group of 30-40 swimmers. As a volunteer coach, Eileen has contributed effectively to swimmers within the Dundee area.  Eileen had a desire to make a difference for children, young people and adults with a disability wishing to learn to swim or progress on their swimming pathway and what a difference she has made. Eileen has ensured that many children, young people and adults with disability have experienced the joy and exhilaration of leaning to swim especially learners with a severe disability. Through her patience, natural enthusiasm and desire for participants to share her love of swimming she has enabled many swimmers to discover the benefits of swimming in a fun and focused environment. For over 20 years Eileen has ensured that participants have gained the benefits of learning to swim through her great skills, expertise and commitment.

But Eileen does not stop at coaching swimming, she has been the Chair of her local Branch of SDS for the last 12 years, constantly ensuring that the needs of disabled athletes and players were considered by local partners.

She has also been a very active volunteer with Tayside Special Olympics.

She also served as a Board Director of SDS for 8 years.   As a Board member,  she always paid due care and diligence when executing her responsibilities to ensure athletes and volunteers at a local level had a voice on all occasions. She was a huge asset to the SDS management board and carried out her responsibilities with purpose and integrity, always prepared to put the voice of the local athletes first and foremost which is essential for SDS as an athlete centered organisation.

Eileen has put so much back into disability sport as an outstanding swimming coach, a long standing chair of the Dundee Branch, a SDS Board member for eight years and a lifelong champion for sporting opportunities for participants with a physical, sensory or learning disability. We are truly indebted to Eileen for the countless hours she has given to ensure the joy of sport has touched so many peoples’ lives.

Congratulations to Eileen and thanks to the Directors and support staff of the Torch Trophy Trust Awards for providing such a splendid event.

The picture shows Eileen Ramsay with her Torch Trophy Trust Award

#ScotsonParaGB

Day two of the 2018 Winter Paralympic Games once again saw all 7 Scottish members of the ParalympicsGB team in action.

Alpine Skiing

Brett Wild was back in action as guide to Millie Knight for the Super-G fresh from their silver medal in the Downhill event on day one of the Games.

The pair were first to race clocking 1:33.76 to set the bar for the event. They saw ParalympicsGB teammates Menna Fitzpatrick and Jennifer Kehoe record a time of 1:34.54 to secure bronze but it wasn’t to be the gold medal as  Slovakia’s Henrieta Farkasova and Natalia Subrtova, snatched first-place with a stunning run of 1:30.17.

After his second silver medal in two days Brett said:

“Millie has been nervous before but it won’t affect our skiing at all and when she crossed the line she said you were right it wasn’t bumpy at all!

“Because we are attached by headset I can just hear how she’s feeling. I can tell from Millie’s breathing if she’s a bit nervous or anxious from being together for two years and she did brilliantly well today.

“It’s really hard because when you come down first you have no idea because there’s no one to judge it against.

“When we saw Menna and Jen come down and we were ahead of them we knew it was a good run because they beat us in every race this season. Then it was just a waiting game. It’s amazing to be back on the podium today.”

Para Nordic Skiing

Former paratrooper Scott Meenagh had recovered from yesterday’s 7.5 km Biathlon event and was now eager to enter his first Paralympic Cross Country event and the demands of the 15 km race.

After finishing 18th yesterday Scott bettered that result by one , clocking 46:07.4 to finish 17th narrowly missing out on 16th after a sprint to the line with China’s Bitao Huang. After finishing the race, Scott collapsed into the snow confessing he had nothing left in the tank.

After the race, Scott said:

“I really enjoyed that, I gave it everything. I left everything out there today I’m so tired now,”

“It’s probably harder to switch off after the first race than before the first race. I think I was still buzzing last night.

“When you turn the light off that’s when you really start to truly and deeply analyse what went on during the day.

“It’s been amazing and fortunately I managed to get to sleep last night and to be straight back up and onto that buzz today has been unreal.”

Wheelchair Curling

Having secured a fantastic 5-2 win against the reigning World Champions, Norway on day one of the wheelchair curling round robin, Great Britain faced a double header against an experienced Swiss rink and the rink from Finland.

Unfortunately, Great Britain suffered a 7-4 morning-session defeat to Switzerland which meant there was a slight hint of early pressure heading into their evening game with Finland.

After a tense start which saw the teams tied 2-2 after the first three rinks Aileen Neilson’s rink pulled aware to secure an emphatic 9-2 victory.

At the end of a hard day’s competition Aileen commented:

“It would have been nice to be at 3-0 heading into the third day but we’ll certainly take 2-1, we’re still getting used to the venues and used to the stones, you need that time to get familiar with everything so we’re very happy to take a win from that last game.

“Any time you have a defeat you look back at what’s gone. What could we have done better, what didn’t we do so well and what things do we need to change from that?

“We certainly did that after the first game, we perhaps didn’t play at our best and that’s why we lost but we improved as the day went on and got that win.

“It’s always nice to end the day with a win, it gives you time to reflect nicely heading into the evening and be ready to go again the next day in a positive frame of mind.

“Between the games we take a bit of time to rest, put our emotions out there, have a bit to eat and then debrief. Whether we win or lose we know there are things that we can improve on and we’re always looking to do that.

“There are always shots you wish you make, we did enough in this game and hopefully we can build on that for tomorrow.

“This is a long competition where you might not play at your best in every game but that’s something we’ve known at the start.

“You can’t go as hard as you’d like to every game so management is very important, we’ve been training for that with early starts, late finishes and busy days so we’re ready.

“Physically and mentally we’re happy with that, now we just keep plugging on.”

The action continues tomorrow with the wheelchair curlers pitched against Sweden before taking on the much fancied Canadians.

For an overview of Channel 4’s comprehensive coverage of the Games go to:
http://paralympics.channel4.com/news/2018-winter-paralympics-day-day-coverage-guide/

#ScotsonParaGB

Following the spectacular Opening Ceremony of the 2018 Winter Paralympic Games in the Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium, Pyeongchang County, South Korea, it was time for Scotland’s 7 athletes within the ParalympicsGB team to focus on the competition for medals on day one of the Games.

Alpine Skiing

Glasgow’s Brett Wild was in action as guide to Millie Knight on day one of the Games in the Downhill, an event that they are the reigning World Champions in having secured the gold medal in Tarvisio, Italy, in 2017.

Knight and  Wild posted a time of 1:30.58 to win silver in the women’s VI Downhill, 0.86 seconds behind Slovakia’s Henrietta Farkasova who took gold with her guide Natalia Subrtova.  Belgium’s Eleonor Sana and her guide Chloe Sana completed the podium with bronze.

After his race Brett said:

“It’s absolutely unbelievable, we’ve had a really challenging season but deep down I knew that if Millie skied the way she could I knew we could do this and even better.

“We’ve got another four races to go though, so let’s keep pushing on.

“We have been working so hard and all season we have been so far away from the top guys and to cross the line and see we were 0.8 seconds behind them, I knew it was a good run because they are normally a few seconds ahead of everyone else.

“It was phenomenal for us to be back where we wanted to be and be back in the mix.”

 

Para Nordic Skiing

Scotland’s Scott Meenagh made his Paralympic debut in the Biathlon 7.5 km Sitting event capping a remarkable transition to the sport for the 29 year old from Cumbernauld. Scott competed in para rowing at an international level and only started Nordic Skiing in December 2014 before making the switch from rowing full time in March 2016.

Meenagh was part of the Paralympic Inspiration Programme four years ago in Sochi and has been determined to make it to the start line at a Paralympic Games ever since.

Scott posted a time of 27:28.1 in the men’s Biathlon 7.5km Sitting, finished 18th overall in his first-ever Paralympic race with a time of 27:28.1, just 3:38.4 behind American gold medallist Daniel Cnossen, with the silver going to Belarus’ Dzmitry Loban while Canada’s Collin Cameron skied to bronze.

 

After his debut race, Scott said:

“It feels amazing, absolutely incredible. Racing out there was such a buzz today, there was a different energy. It’s so different at a Paralympics and to be there with some of the best people in the world was an absolute privilege and it brought another level out of me today.

“I skied aggressively. I came here to ski hard and aggressive. I’m fairly happy with the way that I skied. I dropped a couple of shots on each round which, in my eyes, is not acceptable.

“However, it was my first time and shooting conditions were changing all the time today so we’ll go back and reassess.

“But I won’t be too hard on myself today because that was a huge milestone on my journey.

“Four years ago I was on the Paralympic Inspiration Programme and Paralympic sport just seemed like another level.

“I made a small promise to myself when I watched the welcome ceremony last time that I’d be on the other side of the fence. I didn’t want to be a spectator.

“I’ve achieved that now and I’m incredibly proud of myself. For the rest of the Games I am hoping for more of the same. I want to ski with a lot of intent and ski smart. It was my first ever time at a Paralympics Games today so hopefully I’ll be a little bit calmer next time.”

 

Wheelchair Curling

The all Scottish rink of Aileen Neilson, Gregor Ewan, Robert McPherson, Angie Malone MBE and Hugh Nibloe arrived in PyeongChang in confident mood following their bronze medal in the 2017 WCF World Wheelchair Curling Championships.

They couldn’t have been dealt a more difficult opening match at the 2018 Games as they were paired against reigning World Champions Norway in their opening match.

The Great Britain rink coached by Scotland’s Sheila Swan, dominated the game and ran out winners by 5-2. After losing a shot in the first end, Great Britain rallied and looked the stronger unit taking two shots in the fourth end and singles in the seventh and eighth ends to overpower the World Champions.

 

Look out for further action tomorrow as Brett Wild is back on the slopes for the Super-G, Scott Meenagh goes in the 15 km Cross Country and our wheelchair curlers have a double header against Switzerland and Finland.

For an overview of Channel 4’s comprehensive coverage of the Games go to:
http://paralympics.channel4.com/news/2018-winter-paralympics-day-day-coverage-guide/

In the run in to the opening ceremony of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Paralympic Games, SDS is featuring the seven Scottish athletes who will compete as part of the ParalympicsGB team and today we feature Wheelchair Curling and the Great Britain team of Aileen Neilson, Robert McPherson, Gregor Ewan, Angie Malone MBE and Hugh Nibloe.

The sport is governed by the rules of the World Curling Federation (WCF) with one key difference, there is no sweeping, meaning the delivery of the stones has to be even more precise. Teams comprise male and female athletes with a physical impairment in the lower half of their body. This can include spinal-cord injuries, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis and double-leg amputation. The team has four players: Lead, second, third and skip, plus an alternate who can come in as a replacement.

The object is to slide stones across the ice, aiming for them to come to a stop on a target, called the house, which is marked by four concentric circles. When an athlete delivers their stone, a team mate holds the wheelchair to eliminate chair movement. The lead delivers the first stone and play continues with each athlete delivering two stones alternating with the opposing team (16 stones in total). The team which places the most stones closest to the centre of the house wins a point for each stone closer that their opponents. Each game is played over eight ends with an extra end played should the teams be tied.

Curling stones are made of smooth granite and must conform to very precise parameters: a circumference of 91.44cm and a height of not less than 11.43cm. The weight including the handle must not exceed 19.96kgs. Delivery of the stone may be undertaken by the conventional arm/hand release or by the use of an extender cue.

Further information relating to wheelchair curling in Scotland can be found at Curling.

Brief History

The first World Wheelchair Curling Championship was held in January 2002 and, in March that year, the International Paralympic Committee granted official medal status to wheelchair curling for mixed gender teams.

Scotland has historically been strong in wheelchair curling: the team were world champions in 2004 and 2005, and secured world silver in 2011 as well as bronze medals in 2002, 2007 and 2017.

At the 2006 Winter Paralympic Games in Turin, the Great Britain team of Frank Duffy, Michael McCreadie, Angie Malone, Tom Killin and Ken Dickson secured an inaugural silver medal following a dramatic last stone defeat to Canada by 7-4.

At Sochi 2014 the ParalympicsGB team, comprising of skip Aileen Neilson, Gregor Ewan, Bob McPherson, Jim Gault and Angie Malone MBE, finished 4th at the end of the round robin matches, having won five and lost four. A semi-final defeat to Russia meant Britain met China in the bronze medal game where they triumphed 7-3.

Following Sochi 2014 the Scottish team suffered a disappointing defeat to Germany in their relegation play-off at the 2015 World Championships in Finland. They subsequently gained promotion back into the top flight of competition, securing 2017 World Championship qualification and a spot at PyeongChang 2018.

At the 2017 World Championships, in the Gangneung Curling Centre which will host them at the PyeongChang Games, the Scottish team won bronze with a 9-5 victory over China.

 Meet the Team

Aileen Neilson

Curling runs in the family for Aileen. Her grandfather and uncle both represented Scotland and she first tried the sport when she was 15 although it was not until 2005 that she started playing competitively.

A year later she joined the Scottish/GB performance programme and made her Paralympic debut at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, becoming the first woman to skip a wheelchair curling team in either the Paralympics or World Championships.

The team were to miss out on a medal at those Games but four years later in Sochi they did not leave empty handed after beating China to win bronze.

A multiple world Championship medallist, including the bronze that Scotland won at the 2017 World Championships in PyeongChang, Aileen is currently a full-time athlete, in a career-break from her usual role as a primary school teacher.

Read Aileen’s athlete profile at https://scottishdisabilitysport.com/aileen-neilson/

Robert McPherson

Robert (Bob) McPherson started playing wheelchair curling in March 2007 and immediately took to the sport before eventually making his international debut at the 2013 World Championships in Sochi where the team finished sixth. On his Paralympic debut at Sochi 2014, Bob was part of the team that beat China to claim bronze.

Bob, who likes to listen to heavy rock and punk music as part of his pre-game ritual, has been a key part of the Scotland team ever since.

Last year he helped the team to World Championship bronze medal in PyeongChang, which remarkably represented his first podium finish at that level.

Read Bob’s athlete profile at https://scottishdisabilitysport.com/robert-mcpherson/

Gregor Ewan

Gregor first tried wheelchair curling in September 2007 at Moray Ice Rink and made his international bow in 2009. He made his debut for ParalympicsGB at Sochi 2014 where he was part of the team that beat China to claim bronze.

He was also part of the Scotland team that claimed World Championship silver in 2011 and bronze in 2017, the latter acting as the test event for PyeongChang 2018.

Away from the rink, three-time Scottish wheelchair curling champion Gregor enjoys handcycling and supports Dundee FC.

Read Gregor’s athlete profile at https://scottishdisabilitysport.com/gregor-ewan/

Angie Malone MBE

Angie first tried wheelchair curling in 2003 and quickly took to the sport. One year later, she was part of the Scotland team that were crowned world champions.

Angie and Scotland retained their world title in 2005 on home ice and she made her ParalympicsGB debut at the Turin 2006 Winter Paralympic Games where the sport made its debut on the winter programme and the ParalympicsGB team won silver. A year later Angie was back on the podium, this time as a World Championship bronze medallist.

In 2010 Angie was part of the ParalympicsGB team that travelled to the Winter Games in Vancouver where they finished sixth. The team bounced back in style four years later however with a bronze medal at Sochi 2014 – Angie’s second Paralympic medal, while she added to her world medal tally last year with bronze.

Angie’s contributions to wheelchair curling were also recognised in 2017 when she was made an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.

Read Angie’s athlete profile at https://scottishdisabilitysport.com/angie-malone/

Hugh Nibloe

Hugh turned to wheelchair curling in October 2012. Previously a keen rugby player, having represented Stranraer Academy as a youngster and Wigtownshire RFC before joining the merchant navy, Hugh was no longer able to play rugby after he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.

Hugh played in his first Scottish Wheelchair Curling Championships in March 2013 and was part of the Paralympic Inspiration Programme at Sochi 2014 – watching on as his future teammates won bronze. He made his major debut for Scotland at the 2015 Wheelchair Curling World Championships in Lohja, Finland, helping them to an eighth-place finish.

Medals have also arrived in the years since, with silver at the 2016 World B Championships followed by bronze the 2017 World A Championships, which also doubled up as the test event for PyeongChang 2018, where he will make his Paralympic debut.

Read Hugh’s athlete profile at https://scottishdisabilitysport.com/hugh-nibloe/

Sheila Swan (Head Coach)

Sheila, a Level 2 coach, was appointed to lead the Wheelchair Curling programme in June 2015. She is a former World Champion having won the title in 2002 and also won the Scottish Curling Championships for the first time that same year.

Sheila has worked with wheelchair curlers for eight years in a development role and also coached the Scottish team to a World Championships silver medal in 2011 and a bronze medal in 2017.

Great Britain Wheelchair Curling Paralympic History

Sochi 2014

Bronze medal – Team: Aileen Neilson, Gregor Ewan, Bob McPherson, Jim Gault, Angie Malone (alternate)

Vancouver 2010

Seventh – Team: Michael McCreadie, Aileen Neilson, Tom Killin, Angie Malone, Jim Sellar (alternate)

Turin 2006

Silver – Team: Frank Duffy, Michael McCreadie, Angie Malone, Tom Killin, Ken Dickson (alternate)

The funeral of John de Courcy will be held at West Lothian Crematorium, Cousland Wood, Starlaw Place, Off Starlaw Road, Livingston EH54 7FD on Tuesday 13 March 2018 at 1130.

John was a true volunteer and friend to SDS. He was involved with people with a disability from the 1970s and always maintained his links with disability sport. Gavin MacLeod, CEO of Scottish Disability Sport said, “John was a true gentleman and a committed supporter of disability sport Scotland for many years.”

 

 

In the run in to the opening ceremony of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Paralympic Games, SDS is featuring the seven Scottish athletes who will compete as part of the ParalympicsGB team and today we feature Para Nordic Skiing and Scott Meenagh.

Para Nordic skiing consists of two disciplines, cross-country skiing and biathlon. Until 2018, Great Britain had not had representation in the sport at this level since the 1998 Paralympic Games in Nagano. Both para Nordic skiing disciplines have medal events for men and women.

Cross country skiers can compete in individual or team, classical or freestyle events ranging from 2.5km to 20km in distance. Visually impaired skiers compete with a guide, while athletes with a physical impairment compete using either a sit-ski or standing using one or two skis and/or poles.

Biathlon combines cross-country skiing and target shooting. Athletes compete in one of three categories: sitting, standing and visually-impaired. Athletes ski three 2.5km legs (7.5km in total) and fire at five targets (located 10m from the shooter) between each leg using air guns that are mounted on stands.

The cross-country events at Sochi 2014 were dominated by the Russian Federation who won 32 of the 60 available medals – 12 gold, nine silver and 11 bronze. Canada and the Ukraine finished second and third on the medal table respectively, with the former winning four gold medals and the latter claiming one gold, six silvers and three bronzes. It was a similar story in biathlon with Russia taking 30 of the 55 medals – 12 golds, 11 silvers and seven bronzes – while the Ukraine finished second in the standings with four golds, three silvers and eight bronzes and Germany were third with two gold and a silver.

Cross-Country skiing first appeared at the Örnsköldsvik 1976 Paralympic Winter Games. Biathlon for athletes with a physical impairment was introduced at the Innsbruck 1988 Paralympic Games. Athletes with a visual impairment were added into the biathlon programme in 1992.

Scott Meenagh was inspired to try Para Nordic skiing after getting a taste of winter sport during Sochi 2014, which he experienced as part of the Paralympic Inspiration Programme.

Prior to that Scott competed in para rowing at an international level. He started Nordic Skiing in December 2014 and made the switch from rowing full time in March 2016. Scott made his competitive debut for Great Britain at the World Cup in Vuokatti, Finland in December 2016.

As a youngster Scott played rugby competitively and represented West of Scotland and Scotland under 18s. He was injured when he stepped on an improvised explosive device (IED) while serving in Afghanistan at the age of 21.

Read Scott’s athlete profile at https://scottishdisabilitysport.com/scott-meenagh/

Further information relating to snowsports in Scotland can be found at https://scottishdisabilitysport.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Snowsports.pdf