SDS Regional Manager Gary McDonald attended the recent west open disability badminton tournament and had this to say about the great day supporting the participants:
“The West Disability badminton event at Scotstoun was a complete success! The whole day flowed very well, and it was great to see so many participants competing. I was very proud to represent SDS at the event and happy to support more badminton events in the near future.”
SDS are delighted to work in partnership with Össur Academy mobility clinic. The event is being held in Glasgow Emirates arena on Saturday 24th June from 10am-3pm. Any participants with a lower or upper absence can attend and is an excellent way to socialise with other people with an amputee. Please see the attached flyer to register and join the event.
After the recent success for the 50th anniversary for the Senior Championship aimed at athletes with a physical, hearing or vision impairment, it is now time to celebrate our championships aimed at swimmers with a Learning Disability which also started back in 1973.
Are you a previous athlete who has came through the Senior Learning Disability Championships at SDS in the last 50 years and have memories you would like to share of these events?
Are you a senior swimmer who would love to come and compete, or even come out of retirement to swim at this exciting event?
We would love to hear from you. Email: events@scottishdisabilitysport.com or contact your local branch for further information.
For more information on this swimming event and other events please go to Events – Swimming (scottishdisabilitysport.com)
Do you have a physical, vision, hearing or learning disability? Wheels to Water is coming back to Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park this June where you can experience the thrill of getting on the water in a safe and inclusive environment.
Date/Time: Saturday 24th June 2023, 11am – 3pm
Registration: Free
Venue: Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park
Come and join us with your family and friends where you can try inclusive cycling and a range of watersports!
Wheels to Water is a partnership event involving Scottish Disability Sport, Scottish Canoe Association, Royal Yachting Association Scotland, Scottish Cycling, and Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park.
For more information and to book in, visit https://wheelstowater2023.eventbrite.com/
Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) has announced the 2023-24 Athlete Academy. The athlete academy aims to supplement the continued development of the most promising and talented para-athletes at a pivotal stage in their athlete journey.
Each athlete received a funding grant, and will also receive key elements of performance education to support their progression into high performance sport.
SDS work closely various partners to develop a programme of workshops and training opportunities to best prepare the athletes for when they progress to a UK Sport funded programme or equivalent.
The SDS athlete Academy was relaunched in 2021 and has ran an annual programme for athletes since thanks to a partnership with independent charity SportsAid Scotland.
Many of the athletes are targeting the Paralympic Games and Commonwealth Games and SportsAid Scotland have been assisted in their support through The Robertson Trust.
The programme is open to Scottish Governing Body (SGB) or National Governing Body (NGB) athletes with the potential to succeed at national and International level.
Athletes are selected based on strict criteria relating to performance levels, attitude to training and commitment to their sport. Each athlete must be eligible to compete for Scotland and the selection criteria is aligned with that of SportsAid Scotland.
The 2023-24 intake includes 23 athletes across 11 sports – details below.
Jennifer Barsby, SDS Performance Manager, commented: “It is great to be able to support para athletes at an important stage in their sporting journey with funding and a programme of education that will provide the tools to aid their progression through the pathway. We are delighted to be able to run the programme again for 23 athletes across 11 sports in partnership with SportsAid Scotland and to have the backing of their Governing Bodies.”
Roddy Mackenzie, SportsAid Scotland Chief Executive, said: “We are more than happy to continue our partnership which has been rewarding on both sides. We know how committed Scotland’s top athletes are but para-athletes are on a different level and we have huge admiration for what they do and the fantastic work done by Scottish Disability Sport.”
Samantha Gough, Goalball Athlete, said: “I am very grateful to be a part of the SDS Athlete Academy. Being surrounded by athletes like myself determined and motivated to reach the top and achieve goals that we set ourselves. The academy supports athletes with their mindset and focusing on parts of our job that can be challenging such as keeping your head in game. We aim to achieve the best version of ourselves as an elite athlete with the support of the SDS athlete academy .”
For further information, please see below:
| Athlete | Sport | Region |
| Adam Donnachie | Athletics | South Lanarkshire |
| Sean Frame | Athletics | Dumfries & Galloway |
| Freya Howgate | Athletics | Perth & Kinross |
| Colin Leslie | Badminton | Midlothian |
| Mary Wilson | Badminton | Edinburgh |
| Ben Leich | Basketball | Perth & Kinross |
| Lynsey Speirs | Basketball | Derby |
| Lewis McConnell | Boccia | East Renfrewshire |
| Paul McIntyre | Boccia | Stirling |
| Scott McIntyre | Boccia | Stirling |
| Ross Munro | Boccia | East Renfrewshire |
| Ross MacNeil | Boccia | North Lanarkshire |
| Hannah Craig | Boccia | Dundee |
| Tyler Mclelland | Boccia | Fife |
| Samantha Gough | Goalball | Midlothian |
| Kirsten Taylor | Judo | Angus |
| Jake Woods | Rowing | Glasgow |
| Gemma Lumsdaine | Rugby | Dundee |
| Mike Drever | Shooting | Fife |
| Bronwen Livingstone | Shooting | Glasgow |
| Keith Whyte | Shooting | Edinburgh |
| Rory McKinna | Sailing | East Ayrshire |
| Robyn Love | Tennis | Manchester |
West Regional Managers Colette Martin, Dianne Campbell and Gary McDonald, along with Nancy Peters from Disability Sport Glasgow, recently attended an event with the City of Glasgow College.
The event was about promoting inclusion within the college and used sports a main benefactor, and was a great success with the local managers promoting SDS throughout each of their regions.
To finish off the event a group of students took part in a boccia session which went down a treat with everyone. The college are now looking to do boccia on a continual basis.
Thank you all who attended!
The West Regional Manager Gary McDonald teamed up with Inverclyde Active Schools to promote sport within the Craigmarloch campus area today.
There were several participants who took part in boccia, athletics, basketball, and football.
Mhairi Lyle from Active Schools was the main lead for the sessions and was supported with a few local clubs in the Port Glasgow area.
The SDS National Swimming Championships for swimmers with a physical disability or sensory impairment took place on Saturday 22nd April 2023 at Grangemouth Sports Complex. It marked the 50th anniversary of this event that first took place in 1973 in Glenrothes and has been a key part of the pathway for all Scottish para swimmers ever since.
It is always great to see our returning swimmers continuing to develop and improve on their personal best times. This year we had 62 swimmers competing from across 7 regions.
The male events were dominated by Aaron McDowell from Lothian who won the 100m IM, 100m backstroke, 100m breaststroke, 100m butterfly and the 100m freestyle.
The female events were closely contested with Kathryn White from West of Scotland winning the 100m butterfly, 100m backstroke and the 100m IM. The 100m breaststroke was won by Eilidh Fisher from Highland and returning legend Hope Gordon put in a great performance to win the 100m freestyle also for the Highland team.
This years team trophy was won by West of Scotland who retained their title from last year.
As it was the 50th anniversary, SDS invited some legends of the event to compete in a relay at the end of the championships. The first relay team consisted of Lara Ferguson, Robert Dalgleish, Stefan Hoggan, Martin Mansell and Lucy Walkup. The other team consisted of Paul Noble, Beth Johnston, Craig Smith, Hope Gordon and Ben Rowlings. This produced an incredibly close race ending with Lara Ferguson just touching out Paul Noble to take the victory.
Many other past swimmers and invited guests were also in attendance to mark the 50th anniversary and watch the current generation of swimmers perform to a brilliant standard.
Throughout the years it has been the people behind the event that have made it what it is and SDS is again grateful to all coaches, volunteers and officials that helped make this year’s championships happen. Huge thanks to our volunteer photographer Gordon Elliott who took these amazing images of the day.
If you were at our event please take a moment to evaluate this so we can continue to improve for future championships.
Please go to our swimming page for more information on this and future events.
Table Tennis Scotland are delighted to bring you the inaugural Scottish Parkinson’s International Open at sportscotland National Sports Training Centre, Inverclyde, Scotland on 4 – 6 August 2023.
We’ve put together an event that we believe will be exciting, competitive, and enjoyable. We want you to have an experience that will leave you feeling energised and motivated to push your limits and achieve your goals. Whether you’re a seasoned athlete or a newcomer to table tennis, we welcome all levels of experience and ability. Our event is inclusive and promotes fair play.
But more than just a series of matches, this event is an opportunity to connect with other table tennis enthusiasts, to share your love of the game, and build lasting relationships. Our hope is that you will leave this event with a sense of accomplishment, community and camaraderie. We are excited to see what we can achieve together, and we look forward to seeing you all there.
Full information can be found on the Table Tennis Scotland website here: https://tabletennisscotland.co.uk/scottish-parkinsons-international-open/
Glasgow City Basketball Club, in partnership with Glasgow Life are hosting an ‘ASN’ Basketball Festival for participants with a learning disability (ages 12+). The event will take place at the Kelvinhall on Sunday 28th May from 11:00-2:30pm
For further information please contact: Toni.glasgowcity@gmail.com