As part of our Spotlight on Basketball, we sat down with the brilliant Gemma Lumsdaine to talk about the life-changing experiences she had getting involved in the sport, her journey from playing into coaching and why she finds basketball is such an engaging sport.
Gemma is a Scotland U23 wheelchair basketball player and coach, as well as playing wheelchair rugby for the GB Talent Squad. She is also a member of the SDS Young Persons Sports Panel.
Here is her story.
Background – Gemma’s life in sport
Born with cerebral palsy, Gemma is a 23 year old who has been involved in sport to some degree for a majority of her life. From an early age she participated in individual sports such as swimming and horse riding often as part of her therapy, however she remembers how at the age of 8 she felt different because of her disability and this led her to isolating herself from society.
Fortunately for Gemma, the way out of this was attending a taster session with the Dundee Dragons WSC, at the time a Wheelchair Rugby League club which has since branched into a multi-sports club.
Since this introduction to team sports, Gemma has not looked back having progressed through the basketball pathway, moved into coaching and now playing wheelchair rugby at a performance level. Despite moving across sports, Gemma still remains heavily involved in the development of basketball in Scotland.
Gemma’s route into Basketball
Gemma’s story of her route into basketball is a unique one. Following on from her taster session with the Dundee Dragons she played for a few months where she freely admits she was ‘terrible’. Luck, however, was to be on her side where a chance call from Tina Gordon, the Pathways & Opportunities Manager at Basketball Scotland contacted the Dundee Dragons founder, Elizabeth Ferris, asking whether they had anyone under the age of 19 who could compete in an upcoming wheelchair basketball tournament, of which Gemma fitted the criteria. This wasn’t just any old tournament, but one in which Gemma would be representing her country.
Gemma realised this was too good an opportunity to turn down and soon embarked on a 3 week wheelchair basketball crash course before her first ever match where she represented Scotland, a pathway she readily admits is highly unusual.
With a few rule infringements in her early games, Gemma soon quickly learned the ropes and her role and position in the team hasn’t changed to this day. Jokingly she remembers how not only was she looking to help her team, but also remain within the rules in what was quite the introduction to the sport.
Gemma describes competing in this tournament in 2013 as ‘totally life changing’, where for the first time she was around people of a similar age with similar disabilities. It was this that Gemma realised the potential of what she could do alongside positive role models, and led her to becoming more independent compared to previous environments where she believed people with disabilities were seen as helpless and not empowered to create their own pathways.
Key to this transformation was Tina Gordon who Gemma says was a hugely influential figure in her development. Gemma tells how at first she lacked confidence in her own ability but Tina, demonstrating the importance of coaches and leaders in sport, showed an unwavering belief in Gemma that transformed her outlook on herself and her potential for a career in sport.
Gemma admits her pathway into the sport is unusual but it is an inspiring story of how sport can change lives and how leadership and coaching can help people with disabilities find and grow their passion.
How Gemma progressed in performance sport
As Gemma openly admits, her introduction to performance basketball was highly unusual and unlikely to repeat itself owing to the sports rapid development over the last few years. She did however seize the opportunity that was given to her to develop her game and progress in the sport.
Following on from her first tournament Gemma knew that wheelchair basketball was for her and she decided to train for it and get a proper grip of the game. Tina Gordon was again a huge influence in helping Gemma improve and refine her game, as was competing with and against the best players such as Robyn Love which tested her skills on the court. She also recognises that in a game so reliant on collective teamwork, there is a responsibility on each player to improve and be the best they can be.
She also credits being moved into captaincy and leadership roles has helped her progression, where she enjoys the responsibility it brings and being the link between coach and players. She also recognises that Scotland has moved away from the traditional way of naming the ‘best’ player as captain, with more focus being placed on leadership, communication and people skills which is something Gemma appreciates.
The attraction of basketball?
Gemma lists a few key attractions that wheelchair basketball offers that make it such a compelling sport to play. Firstly, it is inclusive and anyone can contribute no matter their physical disability, with different classifications and specific player roles allowing everyone to play their part in the collective effort.
Demonstrating it’s inclusivity, Gemma’s disability prevents her from shooting and ball handling but her role of Guard is highly specialised and a crucial tactical weapon. Gemma’s game is based around blocking and disrupting the opposition defensive structure to create attacking opportunities for her teammates, or as she light-heartedly jokes, “I do all hard work and others get the glory of scoring all the points”.
This inclusivity feeds into the next key aspect Gemma finds the sport so interesting, as it is a highly tactical and strategic sport. With everyone having defined and specific roles to fulfil Gemma likens it to a ‘jigsaw puzzle’, where all the parts have to come together in unison to ensure the team functions as a collective – something that is not always easy in the fast paced, thrilling environment of the basketball court.
With coordinated attacking plans coming up against structured defensive schemes, teams must be well oiled machines with every player contributing to see success, and this is something Gemma mentions as maybe a surprise to those entering the sport at just how tactical the game can be, something that is not always apparent to those watching.
With the variation in classifications and roles on court, how does a player like Gemma know she has been successful in fulfilling her role? This is a problem not just in basketball but most team sports, though heightened with the fact that Gemma is not responsible for scoring points herself. This is where Tina Gordon comes in again – where she has developed a more comprehensive and inclusive set of metrics that quantify performance and allow all players success to be recognised. These statistics allow Gemma to know when one of her blocks (or picks) has been successful in creating a shooting opportunity, creating a team first culture where everyone’s success is celebrated as well as providing a better base to reflect on and review individual performance.
Gemma’s route into coaching
Since moving into wheelchair basketball and gaining captaincy roles, the logical next step for Gemma was to gain coaching experience and use her leadership skills to support and develop players. This began where it all started at the Dundee Dragons, where she assisted sessions, took warm-ups and worked individually with players to gain experience and confidence in coaching.
When the Lead Dragons coach left, the opportunity presented itself to step in and assume the responsibility herself. This wasn’t without it’s challenges as she would be coaching players older than herself as well as playing and coaching simultaneously which is difficult for even the most experienced of coaches.
Gemma believes in the value of person-centered coaching, helping young developing athletes learn new skills, develop and make a positive difference to lives – something she credits Tina with passing on to her, and something she is committed to passing on herself to those she coaches.
Gemma has some experience of working in a results oriented, high performance basketball as Scotland Assistant Coach for a year, and whilst not ruling this type of role out in the future is committed to the developmental aspect of coaching where the value of sport and its ability to change lives is at the forefront of what she wants to achieve.
Thanks to the remarkable Gemma Lumsdaine for her valuable insights and telling SDS about her inspirational journey, if you would like to get involved in basketball you can find out more here:
Spotlight on Basketball
Get involved in Basketball
Basketball Factfile
Paracast with Robyn Love
Visit basketballscotland
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