The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games came to a close last week with Scotland’s para athletes celebrating a fantastic haul of 12 medals won across 5 different sports. This total surpassed the 7 medals won at Glasgow 2014, making Birmingham 2022 Scotland’s most successful Games of all time from a para sport perspective.

31 para athletes were selected for Birmingham across seven sports, another all time record, making up 12% of Team Scotland. The 2022 Games were the most inclusive ever held with 46 medal events, meaning that Scottish athletes won 9% of all para sport medals.

Team Scotland took home an amazing 51 medal from the Games and the 12 medals won by para athletes accounted for 23.5% of this total. A real indication of the inclusive nature of Scottish sport and the commitment of Scottish Governing Bodies of Sport to ensuring equality of opportunity for performance athletes with disabilities.

SDS’s role in supporting the development of these athletes is also evident with 68% of the para athletes at Birmingham having been supported by SDS and its local Branches during their careers.

SDS would like to congratulate all 31 para athletes on their selection for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and would also wish to recognise the parents, coaches and support staff who have been such an import part of this success.

The breakdown of the statistics from Birmingham along with the full list of medal winners are as follows:

Statistics

Team Scotland was represented in 7 out of 8 para sports in Birmingham: athletics, basketball, cycling, lawn bowls, powerlifting, swimming and triathlon.

31 para athletes were selected to represent Team Scotland in Birmingham (12% of Team Scotland).

This was the largest number of para athletes competing for Team Scotland at a Commonwealth Games.

• 58% of the para athletes on Team Scotland were female
• 23% of the para team were blind or visually impaired
• 26% of the para team used a wheelchair for sports
• 32% of the para team were ambulant with a physical disability/li>

Birmingham 2022 was the most successful commonwealth Games for Scottish para athletes with 12 medals won.

	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
Glasgow 2014	3	3	1	7
Gold Coast 2018	2	1	0	3
Birmingham 2022	4	4	4	12

Team Scotland won a total of 51 medals in Birmingham with the Scottish para medals making up 23.5% of the total medal haul.

	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Team Scotland Medals	13	11	27
Para Medals	4	4	4
Para % of Total	31%	36.5%	15%

The breakdown of medals by sport was as follows:

Sport	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Athletics	0	1	1
Basketball	0	0	0
Cycling	1	2	1
Lawn Bowls	3	0	0
Powerlifting	0	0	1
Swimming	0	1	1
Triathlon	0	0	0

Medal Winners

Kevin Wallace & Garry Brown

• Gold – Lawn Bowls Para Men’s Pairs B6/B8

Rosemary Lenton & Pauline Wilson

• Gold – Lawn Bowls Para Women’s Pairs B6/B8

Robert Barr & Sarah Jane Ewing (Director) and Melanie Inness & George Miller (Director)

• Gold – Lawn Bowls Para Mixed Pairs B2/B3

Neil Fachie OBE & Lewis Stewart (Pilot)

• Gold – Para Track Cycling Men’s Tandem B – 1000m Time Trial
• Silver – Para Track Cycling Men’s Tandem Sprint B

Aileen McGlynn OBE & Ellie Stone (Pilot)

• Silver – Para Track Cycling Women’s Tandem Sprint B
• Bronze – Para Track Cycling Women’s Tandem B – 1000m Time Trial

Stephen Clegg

• Silver – Para Swimming Men’s 50m Freestyle

Sean Frame

• Silver – Para Athletics Men’s Marathon T53/54

Samantha Kinghorn MBE

• Bronze – Para Athletics Women’s 1500m T53/54

Toni Shaw

• Bronze – Para Swimming Women’s 100m Freestyle S9

Micky Yule

• Bronze – Para Powerlifting Men’s Heavyweight

Nominations are now open for the Athletes’ Athlete of the Year Award which will be presented at the AGM on 25 September 2022.

Nominations will be accepted from Scottish para athletes actively involved in sport from club to international level. The performances of the individual between 1 September 2021 and 31 August 2022 should be considered when submitting your vote and these have been listed on the nomination form.

The nomination form can be submitted here: SDS Athletes’ Athlete of the Year 2022

The closing date for nominations is 31 August 2022.

Have you been inspired by the para athletes or the volunteers at the Commonwealth Games? Our team of regional managers can help you find the right opportunity to get active and get involved.

We believe sport and physical activity are for everyone – getting involved can be life changing for you.

Watch the video below to hear first-hand from participants with disabilities about how being active has improved their lives.

If you would like to find out where you can participate please contact Scottish Disability Sport on admin@scottishdisabilitysport.com or 0131 317 1130.

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Would you like to get involved in disability sport as a volunteer?

Did you know:

• 14,000 volunteers supported the Commonwealth Games
• 25% of males and 28% of females volunteer across Scotland

Volunteers in disability sport are crucial to ensuring opportunities take place for participants with disabilities.

If you have been a volunteer at the Commonwealth Games – or have been inspired by them – we are here to find the right volunteering opportunity for you!

Our 14 SDS member branches and their clubs offer many and varied roles including assistant coaches,  coaches, committee member and occasional event volunteers. There is something for everyone that will suit you  and your availability.

Benefits of volunteering in disability sport:

• Gain confidence: volunteering can help you gain confidence by trying something new and building a real sense of achievement.
• Make a difference: volunteering can have a real, valuable positive affect on people, communities and society.
• Meet people: volunteering helps you meet different kinds of people and make new friends.
• Be part of a community: volunteering makes you feel part of something outside your friends and family.
• Learn new skills: volunteering will help you learn new skills, gain experience and sometimes even qualifications.
• Take on a challenge: through volunteering you can challenge yourself to try something different, achieve personal goals, practice using your skills and discover hidden talents.
• Have fun! Most volunteers have a great time, regardless of why they do it.

If you would like to find out more about the range of volunteering opportunities available across Scotland please contact Scottish Disability Sport on admin@scottishdisabilitysport.com or  0131 317 1130.

 

Scottish Disability Sport are delighted to be supporting the return of the 2022 Discovery Games delivered in partnership by Dundee City Disability Sport (DCDS) and Leisure & Culture Dundee (LACD) held between Sunday 11 September and Sunday 25 September.

This will be the 23rd year of this fantastic multi-sport event, which gives opportunities to people of all ages with physical, sensory and learning disabilities compete against others from across Dundee, Tayside and beyond.

This year, events include:

• 3 x 3 Wheelchair Basketball
• Equestrian
• Boccia
• Carpet Bowls
• Badminton
• Powerchair Football

Entry fee is £5 per event. For entry forms and more information please contact darren.thomson@leisureandculturedundee.com or graeme.doig@scottishdisabilitysport.com

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DCDS and LACD supported by basketballscotland and Dundee Dragons WSC are delighted to invite entries from across Scotland to Discovery Games first Wheelchair Basketball 3X3 Championships.

CLASSIFICATION/ELIGIBILITY

• Athletes must have a classification ratified by basketballscotland
• Classifications are permitted between 1.0 and 5.0
• Maximum number of team points on court at any one time is 9.0

TEAMS

• Teams will be grouped in ability level pools prior to the start of the tournament
• Mixed gender teams are permitted.  When a female player is on court 1.0 will be added to the team classification allowance
• Junior players over the age of 14 will play to their full classification
• Players under the age of 14 will play in a junior 3X3 competition if there are enough teams entered

For any queries regarding the event please contact Tina Gordon – tina.gordon@basketball-scotland.com or Kevin Rattray –kevin.rattray@dundeedragons.net

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Equestrian Event for riders with a Learning, Physical and/or Sensory Disability

• All riders must be registered with an RDA organisation. All riders will be allowed to enter one category only.
• Category 1 – Riders who require to walk with a leader/helper
• Category 2 – Riders who can walk/trot (allowed leader/walker)
• Category 3 – Riders without any assistance (allowed a caller)
• The event will be run under RDA rules.

Entry forms to be returned directly to The Brae.

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There will be three sections of the competition:

• A – Open Class Event for Players with a Physical Disability
• B – Open Class Event for Players with a Learning Disability
• C – Open Class for Players using Assistive Devices (Ramps)

Round Robin will be played in all sections ensuring players have a minimum of 3 games.

This event will be run under the BISFed 2021-2024 v2.0 rules on the day.

Entry forms to be returned to Darren Thomson.

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The competition is open to all bowlers with a physical, sensory and/or learning disability

• Section 1 Totally Blind Bowlers
• Section 2/3 Wheelchair Users
• Section 4/5 Ambulant Bowlers + B3
• Section 6/7 Ambulant Bowlers + B2
• Section 8/9 Bowlers with a Learning Disability
• Plus Junior Sections

Entry forms to be returned to Darren Thomson.

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Dundee City Disability Sport, in partnership with Leisure and Culture Dundee and supported by Badminton Scotland and Scottish Disability Sport are delighted to invite entries from across Scotland to Discovery Games first Badminton Championships.

There will be seven sections of the competition.

• A – Open Class for Players who use a wheelchair.
• B – Open Class for Players with an ambulant Physical Disability
• C – Open Class for Junior Players with an ambulant Physical Disability (under 18 years)
• D – Open Class for Players with a Learning Disability (please provide player rating) – Three Divisions
• E – Open Class for Short Stature Players

Round robin matches will be played first to 21 with extended scoring to 30. Semi Final and Final will be 3 sets to 21 with extended scoring to 30.

Entry forms to be returned to darren.thomson@leisureandculturedundee.com

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Dundee City Disability Sport, in partnership with Leisure and Culture Dundee and supported by Scottish Powerchair Football Association are delighted to invite entries from across Scotland to Discovery Games 2022 Powerchair football event.

Entry is available through Scottish Powerchair Football Association by contacting Craig Peattie, email: info@thespfa.org.

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Please contact Graeme Doig – graeme.doig@scottishdisabilitysport.com for more info.

GOGA Tayside supporting mental health inpatients to utilise physical activity for recovery, intervention and prevention

Since March 2022, GOGA Tayside have been delivering physical activity opportunities in General Adult Psychiatry wards within Murray Royal Hospital, Perth to aid patients with their rehabilitation.

The programme also looks at helping patients sustain activity beyond discharge by helping them to explore different types of activity, teaching them new skills and providing a pathway of opportunities to attend sessions both out in the community or online as part of the GOGA Tayside programme – all of which remain fun, free and suitable for all abilities to make them easily accessible.

The purpose of this is to offer patients a better quality of life by using a holistic approach to their care, which will improve their overall wellbeing and, in turn, reduce the likelihood of relapse and re-admission. The feedback from patients has been overwhelmingly positive, to such an extent that this service is being extended and adapted to other specialist wards within the hospital, offering activities such as gardening, which will provide a range of benefits alongside the increased activity levels, such as the lasting legacy of the gardens for new patients, education around nutrition by growing vegetables (then to be used within cooking classes to aid rehabilitation), socialisation and teaching people new life skills. Due to the success at Murray Royal Hospital, there are plans to expand this across other sites within Tayside.

In addition, GOGA Tayside have been expanding their programme by offering various activities in communities, continuing their online activities, and collaborating with partners on opportunities, such as Scottish Disability Sport and NHS Tayside Trauma & Rehabilitation providing activities for individuals with acquired disabilities, and the University of Dundee on their Wellbeing, Safety and Support event, to name but a few.

More information to follow about an exciting GOGA Tayside event offering taster sessions of activities, that are fun for all ages and abilities, at the Riverside in Dundee on Sunday 28^th August.

Firhill Youth Project and Community Sports (SCIO) is a charity which aims to positively impact lives in the North Glasgow community through the promotion of a range of accessible, affordable, and sustainable opportunities for local young people (and on occasion the wider community) to participate, coach, or volunteer in rowing, kayaking, canoeing, and other sport, and physical activity related opportunities at the Firhill Basin in North Glasgow.

Firhill Youth Project and Community Sports Hub (SCIO) works in partnership with Scottish Rowing, the governing body for the sport of Rowing in Scotland, and Glasgow Life (Glasgow Sport), the local public authority for sport in the Glasgow City Council area. Firhill Youth Project and Community Sports Hub (SCIO) also works in direct partnership with Partick Thistle Football Club and Glasgow Kayak Club, the hubs key partner clubs.

The following two positions are currently being recruited:

• Project Coordinator
• Lead Activity Coach

In his own words, Ross Paterson documents his journey in sport that has led to him being selected to represent Team Scotland in Athletics in the upcoming Commonwealth Games.

Name: Ross Paterson 

Disability: Cerebral Palsy (Hemiplegia) 

Region: Paisley 

Club: Red Star AC/Kilbarchan AAC 

Coaches: John Kinder/Alasdair Barker/Ricky Miell 

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I was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 10 months of age. My disability affects the strength, coordination and control of the right hand side of my body.  

Throughout my childhood and from as early as I can remember, I was always at Hospital between physiotherapy, speech and language therapy and sessions for anxiety as I progressed through primary school. I was always treated differently by the teachers and was never given an opportunity to compete at sport. I remember trying out for the school football team when I was in primary six and being devastated not being selected for the team. I wanted to get involved in sport and I loved football, I wanted to be like my heroes that I watched on a Saturday at St Mirren Park but even at that age for my teachers it wasn’t about taking part it was about winning and to them I wasn’t good enough to be in the team. This really knocked my confidence within the school environment as I saw other boys training and developing friendships that I was excluded from as they went onto play in the school team. 

My love for football was evident and at my physio sessions at Hospital the physio realised that she could get me to do any of my exercise routine if she involved a ball. Through my Physio, I was put in touch with a disability football team, called West of Scotland Football Club for the Physically disabled. This opened up a whole new world of sport for me and meant that I could be involved with a Team which I had never experienced before. I excelled in the team and despite being the youngest in the team, I was accepted. 

I progressed within football to training with the development team for the Scotland FA Cerebral Palsy Team. 

I loved sport as it gave me a sense of worth being able to play and compete with other ambulant players.  

I first got involved in athletics when my football team were invited to take part in an athletics competition by Red Star AC. I really enjoyed it, it was a great day, and a coach approached my parents and I at the competition as said I should get involved in Athletics. I joined Kilbarchan AAC before joining Red Star AC and between football and athletics sport was full on for me and my parents who were my full-time taxi! I continued to progress in both sports. 

In 2014, I was selected by Scotland CP football to compete in an Under 19 competition in Ireland and then again in the World CP Championships in Nottingham, where for me playing against and setting up the Scotland goal was a highlight. I had been selected for the athletics team as well, but at this point I had chosen football over athletics as I thought the opportunity to play football in a major competition wouldn’t happen very often. 

About three years later, I took the decision to concentrate on my athletics career and gave up playing football. It was a hard decision but the right decision for me at the time. 

Things progressed very quickly for me after making that decision and I was invited into the GB athletics development academy and I was selected for the European Championships in Berlin where on my debut for the senior GB Team, I won silver in the T38 400m. It was an experience that I will never forget and the whole GB set up from start to finish was absolutely brilliant. To date this has been my greatest sporting achievement and one that I am extremely proud of. 

To be selected for Scotland and have the opportunity to compete in what will be my first Commonwealth Games in Birmingham is a dream come true. My journey to make the qualifying standard hasn’t been an easy one, I was due to compete in Dubai at the beginning of the year and fell ill with COVID-19 meaning that I couldn’t travel. 

Chasing legal winds and times in a WPA ranked event in the collapsing time frame has been stressful and I took it down to the wire by gaining the time that I needed in the very last competition before the deadline.  

When I got the call to say I had made the Team, I felt a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders, but I suppose that shows how much I wanted the opportunity and how much it means to me to compete in a major competition for my Country. 

My ambition for the Commonwealth Games is a simple one, I want to compete to the best of my ability, to make my friends, family and coaches John, Ricky and Alasdair proud. I want to enjoy the whole event from the holding camp, the athlete’s village and taking my place on the starting line with the best T37/38 athletes in the Commonwealth – put simply I want to enjoy the whole experience and make great memories. 

My experience in sport from a young age was not particularly great with teachers who were uninspiring. My message to up and coming athletes of the future is, concentrate on your ability not your disability. Let your talent define you, no matter what hurdles life puts up in front of you, with hard work and determination you can overcome them and go onto inspire your own generation. 

On May 27th 2022, I set out from Bowness-on-Solway to complete the Hadrian’s Wall trail in my wheelchair – something that has never been done before.

Travelling 8-9 miles a day, ten gruelling days later I finally finished at Wallsend on Sunday 5th June. With the help of my core team, I made history and became the world’s first person to complete the trail in a wheelchair, whilst raising vital funds for a charity close to my heart. Many people have asked how this all came about and why, my answer to this is that it all started as an impossible dream.

Many people dream of completing Hadrian’s Wall 84-mile trail and I was no different. I have wanted to do the trail since I was 12 years old after visiting a section of the wall during a trip to Carlise. I have always been a big fan of history and whilst visiting some of the Roman museums my mind was set.

However, I had a major obstacle to overcome – I am a wheelchair user. No one had ever managed to complete the full route in a wheelchair as the trail itself is not accessible. So, at the age of 12 and although it was my dream, I knew it was impossible. My mindset changed in 2019 after my All Terrain 20k fundraiser around some of Shetland’s toughest terrains (St Ninian’s Isle and Fethaland) which I completed using one of Ability Shetland’s mountain trikes. It got me thinking that maybe my dream to complete Hadrian’s Wall trail could be possible and, from then on, I knew that I wanted to at least give it a go.

I wanted to fundraise for Ability Shetland as a thank you for them supporting me throughout most of my life, especially for introducing me to a mountain trike. The mountain trikes changed my life as, without them, I wouldn’t be able to get outside and would never have started fundraising or doing what I do now. We set a date and put the word out for a good support team and I was delighted that, not only my mother Kim and my Uncle Chris would be part of the team, but that Ability Shetland wanted to help out too. YHA The Sill offered to provide the team with accommodation and Ridgegear offered to help out with the safety aspects of the challenges such as ropes and harnesses.

The hardest part about organising this whole challenge was actually anticipating the obstacles that we would tackle as we couldn’t visit the wall beforehand due to the location being far away from Shetland. We were very lucky to be joined by a fellow Ordnance Survey Champion Dave Wilson who lived not far from Hadrian’s Wall path and is a tour guide. Dave went above and beyond to make sure we were prepared and became one of the key team members. Although he had completed the trail several times, he had to recce the whole trail from a completely new perspective as he had never considered it from an accessible point of view.

For months we trained in Shetland with my family and also some of the core team by pushing myself 4-7 miles a day over different terrains and hills no matter the weather. We also practised using the harnesses for braking lines on some of the trickier terrains until the big day finally arrived. On May 27th 2022, I set out from Bowness-on-Solway to complete the Hadrian’s Wall trail in my wheelchair – something that has never been done before. Ten gruelling days later I finally finished at Wallsend on Sunday 5th June. With the help of my core team, I made history and became the world’s first person to complete the trail in a wheelchair.

The challenge itself I can only describe as a rollercoaster: literally – physically and mentally. Day 5 was definitely the worst and the lowest point not just for me but for the whole team. The weather was torrential rain, thunder, low-lying fog and if we tried to drop lower we ended up in really deep bog. We always knew Day 5 was the hardest section of the whole trail but the elements just made it worse. I injured my wrist and my leg and the whole team’s morale was so low. I came close to throwing the towel in and quitting on that day and I’m sure some of the team were thinking the same thing. It took a lot of self-reflection, speaking to friends and the team about what we had been through and what we still had ahead. In my mind I thought that it couldn’t get any worse than what we had all just been through. We put a call out to the local community for help and the next day we had a great turnout and, with their help and support, we got back out there on Day 6 and, although it was hard, we got through it together and the days just got better from there.

It was exhausting so we made sure to have a good breakfast everyday. We all carried a packed lunch and took time to stop and eat. There are some great tearooms and honesty fridges along the trail where we also filled up with sweet treats and replenished our water. I also had plenty pints of milk to keep me going and every evening we made sure to refuel with a big meal to ensure our energy levels were restored.

It still hasn’t quite sunk in yet, but I’m really glad I stuck with it, that I didn’t give up, and that we made it to the end. It’s hard to describe the feeling when you accomplish something that you didn’t think possible. It’s just an amazing feeling and a massive boost of confidence, with a fantastic sense of achievement knowing that I am the first person ever to accomplish this.

I am exhausted from the experience, but absolutely delighted that this challenge has so far raised £13,000 for Ability Shetland and that the money will go towards helping others in the local community to discover even more inclusive sports and activities, and reach their full potential.

SDS is welcoming application for the the Young Start programme.

The Young Start programme will empower young people (aged between 16 – 24) with physical, learning and sensory disabilities throughout Scotland to develop their confidence and coaching skills over a one-year period. The young people will gain coaching qualifications or equivalent CPD.<

Programme Outcomes:

• Confident qualified young people with disabilities actively coaching throughout Scotland
• Increased opportunities for young coaches with disabilities to network (at least two events per year)
• Profile of coaches with disabilities raised
• Awareness of development opportunities raised
• Team of young Peer Mentors developed

Find out more about the programme by watching out Young Start summary video here:

To be considered for the programme, young people must:

• Be aged between 16 and 24. Participants must be 16 as of the 2^nd September 2022 to apply for the programme.
• Have time available to commit to the programme and to volunteering within their community:
  • Meet at least 4 times with their mentor
  • Attend Young Start coach get together’s and the programme residential
• Have the ambition to become a coach and to achieve a Level 1 qualification or equivalent
• Complete a coach profile (x2) and personal development plan (Mentors will provide support to do this)
• Submit brief quarterly reports updates to Scottish Disability Sport
• Attend at least one CPD opportunity as agreed with your mentor
• Link with branches to support ongoing developments
• Be open and ready to participate in all learning opportunities

Young Start Application Form