As the sun sets on the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games and the disability sport world begins to look ahead to Tokyo in 2020, Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) won’t forget the inspiring performances given by ParalympicsGB athletes in Rio, London, Beijing, Athens, etc.

In 1960 the first ever Paralympic Games took place in Rome and since then these Games have been the ultimate aim for athletes with a disability around the world to compete in. This year 33 Scottish athletes competed for ParalympicsGB across 12 sports. Many of these athletes didn’t, at the beginning of their journey, have their sights set on the Paralympic Games. They got involved in sport to lose weight or to gain friendships, generally to get healthier and access a social network and be included not excluded.

Then, somewhere along the way, inspiration, fire in their belly, self-belief have taken over and they have looked ahead to competing for their club, country and for ParalympicsGB.

If these inspirational role models have made you think about getting involved in sport for any of the reasons above then SDS can help you. We work with many partners and sports across the whole of Scotland to provide opportunities all year round for people with physical, sensory and learning disabilities to get involved in sport locally and progress in their chosen sport.

For some, the journey starts at para sport festivals and development days – more commonly known as “Come and Try Days”.

SDS has 13 member Branches and eight Regional Managers across Scotland which can support you to #getinvolved locally. Listed below are some of the opportunities coming up in the near future.

Start your journey in disability sport by picking up the phone and calling SDS on 0131 317 1130 or by emailing SDS admin@scottishdisabilitysport.com to get more information on what is on offer for you. We will help you to #getinvolved in a disability club or a mainstream club, whichever is right for you!

Visual Impairment Sport Engagement Day

This day is designed for people with all ages to try a variety of sports in a fun and safe way. Sports include athletics, bowls, cycling, football, goalball, judo and swimming.

Venue: Sensory Centre, Mariner Centre, Falkirk Indoor Bowling Centre, Camelon, Falkirk, FK14DD (right next to Camelon train station)
Date: Saturday 26 November, 2016
Time: 9.30 am – 4.00 pm
Age: 5 years upwards
Cost: Free

Para Sport Festival Events

These events are organised by SDS Regional Managers across the country and are open primarily to school aged children with physical, hearing and visual impairments (ages vary in each region). These events offer a variety of sports including athletics, badminton, boccia, bowls, cycling, football, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis etc.

Central Scotland
Tuesday 24 October – Grangemouth Sports Complex

West of Scotland
Friday 10 March – Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility
Friday 10 November – Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility

Highlands and Islands
Tuesday 7 February – Inverness sports centre

Tayside Region
Wednesday 15 March – Dundee & Angus College

East of Scotland
Friday 24 March – Forrester High School

Grampian Region
Wednesday 7 June – Aberdeen Sports Village

For more information or to register interest in any of these events, please email admin@scottishdisabilitysport.com or phone 0131 317 1130.

Scottish Disability Sport’s (SDS) innovative Disability Inclusion Training (DIT) programme was announced as the winner of the Legacy 2014 Award at the Team Scotland Scottish Sports Awards in Edinburgh last night (28 Sep). Over 600 people joined the celebrations at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, where the evening was hosted by double Olympic Gold medallist Shirley Robertson, OBE and comedian Fred MacAulay. Fresh from her exploits at the Summer Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Paralympian and SDS DIT tutor Sammi Kinghorn took to the stage to receive the award from Minister for Public Health & Sport, Aileen Campbell MSP and sportscotland Chief Executive Officer, Stewart Harris.

The DIT is designed to increase the confidence and competence of education staff to include pupils with disabilities within physical education and extra-curricular activities. The theory element of the course tackles issues such as communication, terminology, inclusion models and disability spectrum issues. The practical section deals with inclusion in a variety of settings including warm ups, fun games, core skills and team sports. In the last year alone, SDS has delivered 71 Disability Inclusion Training courses involving 1,047 candidates.

Commenting on the award, SDS Coaching & Development Manager, Heather Lowden said;

“We are absolutely delighted to have received the Legacy 2014 Award. SDS is extremely proud of its Disability Inclusion Training programme which has made significant inroads to ensuring that teachers and education staff are given support and knowledge ensure the affective inclusion of pupils with disabilities in curricular and extra-curricular activities across Scotland”.

With more than 50 Scottish Olympians and Paralympians from the recent Games in Rio in attendance, the Team Scotland Scottish Sports Awards was a star-studded celebration of their outstanding achievements as well as the success of individuals, schools, clubs and teams across the whole of Scottish sport.

Gordon Reid was also amongst the awards on the evening, winning the Para-sport Athlete of the Year, following a first Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open, Wimbledon singles and doubles titles and Paralympic gold and silver.

Dunbar’s triple Paralympic medallist in athletics, Maria Lyle, also took the Sir Peter Heatly Trophy for the Young Athlete of the Year.

[supsystic-gallery id=’15’]

The full list of the Award Winners on the evening were as follows;

Scottish Sportsperson of the Year – Emirates Lonsdale Trophy
Andy Murray OBE, Tennis

Male Athlete of the Year – sponsored by Commonwealth Games Scotland
Andy Murray OBE, Tennis

Female Athlete of the Year – sponsored by EDF Energy
Heather Stanning MBE, Rowing

Para-Sport Athlete of the Year – sponsored by CGI
Gordon Reid, Wheelchair Tennis

Team of the Year – sponsored by PSL / Canterbury
GB Davis Cup Team, Tennis

Coach of the Year – sponsored by University of Stirling
Ben Higson & Steven Tigg, Swimming

Sporting Moment of the Year – sponsored by The Scottish Sun
Hibs score last minute goal to end 114 year wait for a Scottish Cup title – Football

Young Athlete of the Year – sponsored by EDF Energy
Maria Lyle, Para-Athletics

Sports Leader of the Year – sponsored by Brand Oath
Richard Thomas, Boxing

Governing Body of the Year – sponsored by Bluefin Sport
Scottish Athletics

Community Hub, Club or School of the Year – sponsored by sportscotland
Aviemore Community Sports Hub

Legacy 2014 Award – sponsored by Legacy 2014
SDS Disability Inclusion Training

Lifetime Achievement – sponsored by Commonwealth Games Scotland
Katherine Grainger CBE, Rowing

Team Scot of the Year – sponsored by European Championships 2018
Steph Inglis, Judo

Huge congratulations to Ron McArthur, who has been awarded the 75th Anniversary Award for Service and Achievement at the 2016 Scottish Indoor Bowling Awards. This very special and well-deserved award is in recognition of the enormous impact Ron has had on the sport of bowls and for service and achievement.

Ron said: “Thanks to all at the SIBA for awarding me the 75th Anniversary Award for Service and Achievement. It means so much to me, because it was given by the people who matter to me. It was given for what I love to do with a passion. I am very fortunate to work with people I love, get supported by people I love and do it for people I love. What more could I want. Thank you.”

If you would like to love bowls as much as Ron, get in touch at Ron.McArthur@scottishdisabilitysport.com or 07788 878470.

 

Two of the three nominated bowlers for the Scottish Para Bowler of the year award at the recent Scottish Indoor Bowling Awards Night were from Fife and the Abbeyview club in Dunfermline. Fife bowlers Barbara McMillan and Maria Spencer lined up alongside Garry Brown from Blantyre Miners Welfare for the prestigious award.

2015 Visually Impaired World Champion Maria Spencer lifted the award and became the first person to be celebrated at the Annual Awards in this new category. Maria is a double world champion. She won the B3 singles title in New Zealand last year and four years earlier in South Africa.

Fittingly Maria received her award on the night in the company of her coach and director Sarah Jane Ewing from Dunfermline. Maria has had a challenging time recently with illness and surgery and the award has lifted her spirits enormously.

Richard Brickley MBE
President, Disability Sport Fife

Enjoy a taster of the sport with an introduction to the basics and how the game is played. Sessions are delivered by RCCC qualified coaches.

Where: The Peak, Stirling

When: Wednesday 5th October 2016, 1230-1430

Cost: Free

For further information or to register please contact Hammy McMillan on 01786 448 308 or email askus@activestirling.org.uk.

 

On Sunday 25 September 2016, an enthusiastic group of coaches attended an Inclusive Bowls Coaching Workshop at the Ambassador Indoor Bowling Centre in Prestwick.

The purpose of the workshop was to allow participants to gain a greater understanding of inclusion for bowlers with a physical, sensory or learning disability, as well as giving them an insight into the classification process within bowls and knowledge of adaptation of the young persons’ bowls pack.

The tutors for the day were amongst the best in Scotland – Bob Dick and Ron McArthur, National Coaches for the Scottish Disability Bowls Squad; Richard Brickley MBE, one of only three International Bowls for the Disabled classifiers within the UK; and Val Wright, tutor for Bowls Scotland.

Each delegate attended four workshops which focussed on specific dimensions of bowls for bowlers with a disability. The day was concluded with a stimulating question and answer panel session with four of Scotland’s leading bowlers, John Wardrope, Robert Barr, Mary Wilson and John Hughes, a member of the Scottish team who played in the IBD World Championships in New Zealand 2015.

The day was a resounding success, with all the coaches taking a great deal of learning from the experience. An exciting development is that a session for bowlers with a disability is planned in the near future in the West of Scotland. Our thanks must be extended to the tutors, bowlers for sharing their experience, and the Ambassador Indoor Bowling Centre for making us so very welcome.

For further details, or if you would like to become involved in disability bowls, please contact Ron McArthur, SDS Inclusive Bowls Performance Development Manager, on ron.mcarthur@scottishdisabilitysport.com or 07788 878 470.

Scotland will be represented in the first ever GB Para Badminton squad as preparations now begin   for the sports debut at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo 2020.  Alan Oliver, who lives in Tweedbank, is the only Scottish player to be named among the nine-strong squad, consisting of four classification groups.  Each player has won a medal at World level and five are the reigning world champions.

Oliver said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be selected for the GB Para-Badminton squad.

“I’m grateful to everyone for their support and generosity over the years and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”

For a full report please see the Badminton Scotland website.

http://www.badmintonscotland.org.uk/index.php/latest-news-a-publications/4011-oliver-named-in-gb-para-badminton-squad

In the wake of becoming Great Britain’s first ever Paralympic Games men’s singles gold medallist, Glasgow wheelchair tennis star Gordon Reid has realised another historic landmark after being confirmed this week as the first Brit to reach world No.1 in the men’s singles world rankings.

Reid, 24, completed his third Paralympics on Friday with a 6-2, 6-1 win over his doubles partner Alfie Hewett in the gold medal match in Rio. A day earlier Reid and Hewett finished as silver medallists in the men’s doubles behind French top seeds Stephane Houdet and Nicolas Peifer.

Between them Reid and Hewett contributed three of the record six medals won at a single Paralympics by players on the Tennis Foundation’s Wheelchair Tennis World Class Programme selected for the ParalympicsGB team.

But with Reid having arrived in Rio world ranked No.3 it was his 7-5, 6-2 victory over top seed Houdet in the men’s singles semi-final that was the first important part of toppling Houdet at the top of the world rankings. Hewett also beat Belgian world No.2 Joachim Gerard in the other semi-final before Reid’s win in Friday’s gold medal match.

“It’s such an amazing way to round off an incredible year for me. After winning Wimbledon titles and then the success I’ve had out here in Rio, it means everything to be world No.1 before I even fly back home,” said Reid, who also started off 2016 by claiming his first Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open before finishing runner-up at Roland Garros.

“It’s always been a career goal of mine and it shows you’re the most consistent player on the tour. The moments when you win on the court are the most special but this feels pretty good too, especially being the first British guy to do it in my division.

“The hard bit now will be staying there! But I’ll keep working hard and make sure I give it my best,” added Reid.

If Reid was to maintain his place at the top of the world rankings to be year-end world No.1 in singles he would have the distinction of having been year-end No.1 in men’s doubles and men’s singles in successive seasons.

A major part in the Scot maintaining his place atop the rankings will be the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters at Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on 30th November to 4th December.. Reid finished third at the year-end championship for the world’s top eight singles players in 2014.

Photo courtesy of the Tennis Foundation