On Saturday 20th November the inaugural SDS Highland Parasport Festival was held at Dingwall Leisure Centre (High Life Highland) for young people with physical and sensory disabilities.

In what was a hugely successful first Highland Festival, the young people tried out a variety of exciting and in many cases completely new sports in an inclusive and welcoming environment. All participants were wonderfully supported by the brilliant High Life Highland team during the day as they made their way through the busy events programme.

Throughout the day the youngsters tried swimming, badminton, boccia, wheelchair basketball, athletics and kayaking which were all met with smiles on faces. A parent of one of the participants told SDS that it was “the best day out we’ve had in ages”.

We were also delighted to welcome Maree Todd MSP along to support the event, where she got involved in the activities and spoke with participants. She even had time to join in some wheelchair basketball before taking on SDS CEO Gavin MacLeod and High Life Highland CEO Steve Walsh in a mini boccia match during the lunch break.

Maree Todd MSP said:

“I was delighted to attend the inaugural Highland Parasport Festival and was pleased that the day was a great success with all the participants enjoying themselves trying out new sports.

It was a great pleasure seeing the young people active in learning and with smiles on faces, ably supported by SDS and High Life Highland staff.

Sport should be for everyone, and by creating welcoming and inclusive environments like this we can get more people with disabilities participating in sport and enjoying the huge benefits that it brings.”

High Life Highland’s Head of Sports Development Mags Duncan said:

“This was a great first festival for youngsters with a physical, visual or hearing impairment and was very well received by all those who attended.

“With such positive feedback, we’re planning regular sessions and intend to have further festivals in other areas of the Highlands such as Caithness and Skye.

“We want to ensure as many people as possible will get the opportunity to take part in a range of different sports and activities.”

SDS would like to thank High Life Highland for providing the venue and support from the HLH team throughout the event.

The 2021 SWCA National Pairs was played over the weekend at Kinross curling rink. Fifteen pairs of wheelchair curlers competed in a round robin format to determine the ‘High’ road and ‘Low’ road play offs on Sunday afternoon.

In the High road final Paralympians Gregor Ewan & Jim Gault (pictured) from Elgin came out on top and retained their title as SWCA National Pairs Champions. The final was a close match with Stewart Pimblett and new curler Karen Aspey from the Northern Ice Club taking the match to the wire.

The Low road final was also a very keenly contested contest with the pair of David Hogg & Martin Sutherland coming out on top against Alan & Alison Hopkins.

Our thanks go to Kinross Curling for all their help making the competition run smoothly, grateful thanks to the ice staff, umpires Harry & Michelle Brodie and all the catering staff as well as our fantastic army of volunteers who we just cannot do without.

All being well our next tournament is the SWCA British Open at The Peak, Stirling, 28th February to the 2nd March, just a few days before the 2022 Winter Paralympics in Beijing, exciting times ahead.

Anyone interested in finding out more about club wheelchair curling in Scotland please see our website: https://www.scottishwheelchaircurling.com/

SWCA National Pairs 2021

Saturday 27th & Sunday 28th November

The SWCA are delighted to be holding their National Pairs this weekend at Kinross Curling Rink. The competition will be the first national wheelchair curling competition to be held in Scotland in almost 2 years and we are very much looking forward to seeing many of our members take to the ice and compete again.

15 pairs will play a round robin format starting Saturday morning with the semi finals and final scheduled for Sunday afternoon. It’s sure to be a great weekend of wheelchair curling with players from all over the country entered including former Paralympic medalists and defending champions Jim Gault & Gregor Ewan and his fellow current GB squad members Norma Woods & Stewart Pimblett (both pictured).

All are welcome, why not come along and watch some great curling?

Anyone interested in finding out more about club wheelchair curling in Scotland please have a look at our website where you will information on wheelchair curling clubs and competitions in your area

https://www.scottishwheelchaircurling.com/

Snowsport Scotland are offering para snowboard skills sessions at the indoor snow slope in Glasgow this December, aimed at people who can already snowboard but are looking to broaden their skills. They also offer an opportunity to meet other snowboarders.

The Progression Sessions are open to any snowboarders with a disability or additional support needs looking to develop their skills and push their riding to the next level.

During the sessions we’ll work on ensuring the fundamentals are honed so you have a good platform to work from as we explore how to ride different parts of the mountain.

Jumps, boxes, bumps, piste performance are all on the menu as we try and have as much fun on our snowboards as possible.

Min Standard: Can link turns effectively on heel and toe edge, control speed and use uplift safely (button lift).

Min age: 16 years old

Tickets: £24 per person (Discounted*), £27 per person (Full Price*) equipment hire not included

If you want to find out if this event is suitable for you or just ask some more questions about it please email: alastair@snowsportscotland.org

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/para-snowboard-progression-session-tickets-198898820727?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

https://www.instagram.com/p/CWOeSVIoJ0n/?utm_medium=copy_link

We are delighted to share details for the first Scottish Disability Sport Highland Parasport Festival 2021!

Date: Saturday 20th November 2021

Time: 10.00am – 4.30pm (9.30am arrival and registration)

Venue: Dingwall Leisure Centre, Tulloch Avenue, Dingwall IV15 9LH

This Parasport Festival is designed to introduce pupils with a physical, visual or hearing impairment, aged P1-S6 to try new and exciting sports. It has been identified that these groups are significantly under-represented when it comes to participating in weekly sport or physical activity.

This is the first parasport festival running in Highland so we are excited to welcome you to the event! Please watch our ‘Get Involved’ video which highlights the aims and impact of the event featuring testimonies from young people, parents, club coaches and professional officers.

The festival is a partnership event between Scottish Disability Sport, High Life Highland, Highland Disability Sport and Scottish Governing Bodies of Sport along with local club coaches and volunteers to offer sessions in swimming, badminton, boccia, basketball, kayaking and athletics.

Booking information

Online application form is available here.

If you have any questions or would like to find out more about the event or disability sport in Highland, please contact:

Kirsty Ewen – SDS Regional Development Manager for Highland and Orkney – kirsty.ewen@scottishdisabilitysport.com / Phone: 07792057153.

Visually Impaired (VI) Rugby is a game which has been modelled on traditional rugby and takes elements from both Union and League codes. Similar to touch rugby, the game is 7-a-side and the referee is very vocal, commentating on the game at all times to help all players understand where the ball is and what is happening.  The ball contains small ball bearings and bells which makes it audible and players wear numbered bibs.

Strathmore Community Rugby Trust are offering new sessions at Forfar Community Campus every Sunday. Further information on the session and who to contact can be found in the flyer below.

145981 Visually Impaired Rugby Flyer

This Winter WheelPower are encouraging us all to be more active with the help of their extensive Online Resource. With live zoom classes to sign up to, workout videos to watch, and free exercise equipment to all help you along the way, there is no better time to join the movement.

Head of Sport, Emily Weller, said: “During the winter period it can be more difficult for disabled people to maintain their fitness and access physical activity. The change in the weather and the dark evenings mean that we all spend more time at home and are looking for new ways to exercise. This winter we are delighted to reintroduce you to the online resources from WheelPower, to help you get through the next few months.”

• WheelPower delivers 3 Live Online Exercise Classes every week. They began in May 2020 and were featured on the BBC One Show in May 2021.
• WheelPower has over 35 Online Workout Videos available on YouTube, all delivered by wheelchair users.
• Over the last year WheelPower has gifted over 700 free sets of resistance bands to disabled people across the UK.

https://www.wheelpower.org.uk/resources/get-active-with-wheelpower

Scotland have made a confident start to their Kuntai World Wheelchair Curling Championships campaign and after five days of round robin competition, the Scots currently sit 4th in the table.

Scotland got off to a flying start with victories over Norway and Italy but followed this up with a disappointing defeat to Korea. However, Coach Sheila Swan rallied the team who responded with victories against Switzerland and Canada.

Day four of the round robin competition opened with a match against Sweden, which the Scots would ultimately lose 9-2. Scotland Vice Skip Gregor Ewan commented after the encounter;

“We have played Sweden a few times this season and we have had the better of them a couple of times but they are a good strong team and that game was very hard. As a team of four not one of us actually turned up to play them. We played so bad it was unbelievable,” he said.

Ewan explained that a pep talk from Coach Sheila Swan had contributed to turning things around for the afternoon session which saw the Scots emphatically beat Latvia 10-1;

“We came out of the game against Sweden, back to the team room and Sheila was not too happy with us,” he said.

“We knew that we had to be better than we were this morning and I am glad to say that everyone produced in that Latvia game.”

Day five of the Championships shaped up to be the most challenging of the week with Scotland scheduled to meet defending World Champions the RCF and reigning Paralympic champions China. This was to be a day of mixed fortunes with an opening 8-4 defeat to the RCF. However, the Scots once again demonstrated supreme mental strength to bounce back and record a fantastic 3-2 victory over China.

Scotland will bring their round robin fixture to a conclusion tomorrow when they start the day, facing Slovakia and the USA in the afternoon session. Hopes are high that positive results in these fixture will see the Scots progress to the knockout stages of the Championships.

Team Scotland

Hugh Nibloe (Stirling) – made his debut as skip at the last World Wheelchair Champs and this will be his second opportunity to lead Scotland’s quartet into action at what will be his fifth World Championship appearance.

David Melrose (Duns) – made his debut at the World Championships when it was hosted in Stirling when Scotland won silver in 2019 and after being unable to compete in Wetzikon in Switzerland in 2020, he is looking forward to representing Scotland again.

Gregor Ewan (Elgin) – the two time Paralympian last took to the podium at a World Champs in 2017 and this event represents his first major championship appearance since competing at the Paralympics in PyeongChang in 2018

Charlotte McKenna (Bridge of Allan) – Debutant at last year’s World Champs.

Meggan Dawson-Farrell (Tullibody) – Former Commonwealth Games athlete who was alternate at her first World Champs last year and will hope to take to the ice this time around.

 

Results to date

Scotland v Norway 6-4

Scotland v Italy 10-4

Scotland v Korea 6-8

Scotland v Canada 7-4

Scotland v Switzerland 11-7

Scotland v Sweden 2-9

Scotland v Latvia 10-1

Scotland v RCF 4-8

Scotland v China 3-2

 

Results

 

#curling #WWhCC2021 #cheerfromoverhere

 

Thanks to Kate Weldon at British Curling

Photos: © WCF/Alina Pavlyuchik