Thirty-eight participants attended the inaugural Scottish Disability Sport Boccia Conference at the Inverclyde National Sports Centre in Largs.

Gavin Macleod, CEO, set the tone of the day by saying he  hoped it would be informal and informative. He was followed by Patrick Wilson ( BC3 Boccia UK athlete) providing an honest and humorous account of his journey in boccia.

Delegates then attended two workshops, in which the key messages were as follows.

Session Planning

• Need for Planning
• Each coach needs to plan as an individual
• Plan – Do – Review

Club development

• Boccia should be fun when introducing new players
• Transitioning from boccia session to boccia clubs
• Recruit, retain and reward boccia workforce

Officiating and Rules

• Process needs to be followed
• Constant requirement to update and refresh on rules
• Support available

Creative coaching

• Lots of easy accessible equipment
• Simple skills
• Fun, fun and more fun

Over lunch, four poster sessions took place which allowed delegates to explore topics, from Girls in Boccia to refereeing and  from pathways to equipment.

Claire Morrison, SDS Vice Chair and Boccia UK Performance Coach, closed the conference by thanking all delegates for attending, the workshop and poster facilitators and a special thanks was given to Andrinne Craig who was stepping down from chairing the Boccia Scotland Group since its inception.  Finally, the staff at Inverclyde were acknowledged for their tremendous support on the day.

What a great group of individuals making boccia happen.  Thank you.

Picture: Delegates in attendance at the SDS Boccia Conference  

Gordon Reid is celebrating a return to the world’s top five this week after his impressive start to
2020 continued with his latest singles final and a fourth successive doubles title with fellow Brit Alfie Hewett over the weekend in Rotterdam.

Reigning Paralympic champion Reid, who is part of the LTA’s GB Wheelchair Tennis World Class Performance Programme, is no stranger to success at the ABN AMRO World Wheelchair Tennis Tournament. He won the singles title at the ITF 1 Series event in 2015 and 2016 and has also claimed three previous doubles titles in Rotterdam, where the wheelchair tennis event is integrated with one of Europe’s most popular ATP 500 tournaments.

In his first tournament since reaching the men’s singles final and winning the men’s doubles at the Australian Open, Reid, 28, enjoyed straight sets wins over Sweden’s Stefan Olsson and Belgium’s Joachim Gerard to set up the first ever all-Brit final in Rotterdam. However, despite five of the first seven games of their latest head-to-head going to deuce and the high-quality contest lasting an hour and 31 minutes, it was Hewett that added his name to the roll of honour 6-0, 6-3. Reid said: “I’m very happy to have reached back to back singles finals, with some solid performances to take out top two 10 players in straight sets in the quarter and semi-finals. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find my highest level in the final and the best man won on the day. But I’m looking forward now to getting some more match play under my belt in Bolton.”

Reid, who has returned to the world’s top five this week for the first time since December 2018, is top seed for the men’s singles at the Bolton Indoor, a tournament he has also won twice before. The event continues until Saturday.

He will also be seeking back-to-back doubles titles in Bolton after partnering Hewett to their first title together in Rotterdam. The world’s top-ranked doubles pairing since winning their first Australian Open title as a pairing, Hewett and Reid beat Wimbledon champions Gerard and Olsson 6-3, 6-3 to reach the final before defeating reigning Paralympic champions Stephane Houdet and Nicolas Peifer of France 6-1, 4-6, (10-5) after a deciding match tiebreak.

After winning his fourth doubles title in Rotterdam to maintain his and Hewett’s unbeaten partnership for 2020, doubles world No.2 Reid added: “I thought myself and Alfie performed very well as a team again this week. We had the perfect start to the year in doubles in Australia, so it was important for us to keep the momentum flowing in Rotterdam.”

Reid partners another fellow Brit, Dermot Bailey, in the men’s doubles at this week’s Bolton Indoor.

For news and updates from the Bolton Indoor follow on Twitter @WChairTennisGB and @the_LTA and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/GBWheelchairTennis/.

To find out more about the LTA’s work with disability tennis, head to www.lta.org.uk/play or email disabilitytennis@lta.org.uk.

On the 21^st March between 6pm & 10pm the 2020 UK WCMX and Adaptive Skate Jam takes place in the at Graystone Action Sports in Salford, Manchester hosted by Womens WCMX World Champion Lily Rice.

WCMX or Wheel Chair Moto Cross is a new para sport that involves taking your wheelchair to the Skatepark and doing tricks on it. This year we are also reaching out to the community to see whether the UK has any Adaptive Skateboarders that would like to take part.

The aim of the Jam is to get like minded people of any age together that want to experience skating whether in a chair or on a board at one of the UK’s finest skateparks. Participants will need to bring with them suitable safety equipment such as gloves, elbow and knee pads and a helmet and their own wheelchair/ Skateboard. Equipment will need to be mechanically sound. RMA Sport Wheel chairs will be bringing  a few demo WCMX chairs to try but numbers are limited.

There will be Spotters and Pushers to assist riders should they be required. All riders must become a members of Graystone Action Sports which is simple and free.

https://bookings.graystoneactionsports.co.uk/Waivers/OnsiteWaiverStep1.aspx

Participants must also complete the registration sign up forms by contacting info@lilyricewcmx.com prior to the event. There will be a £10 entry free payable on the day.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Congratulations to  Gregor Ewan, Jim Gault, Ian Donaldson, Gill Keith & James Sellar who won the 2020 Scottish Wheelchair Curling Association British Open which was held at Hamilton Ice Rink from Sunday 9^th to Monday 11^th February.

Home based teams including Paralympic medallists Gregor Ewan, Angie Malone & Jim Gault were joined by Team Germany and members of the English national team in an 8 team round robin format before plays-offs on Tuesday afternoon to decide the winners.

Defending champions Team Ewan entered the tournament as favourites and they delivered a wheelchair curling masterclass to go unbeaten through the round robin stage before playing Team Germany in the 1^st v 2nd final to decide our champions.  In a close final Team Ewan held the upper hand throughout the early stages with Team Germany closing to within a couple of shots at the final end.  Final Score Team Ewan 7 – Team Germany 5.

Our thanks go to Hamilton Ice Rink for allowing us to use their facilities and thanks to the ice staff, umpire Harry Brodie and all the catering staff as well as our army of volunteers.

Our next tournament is the SWCA Scottish Championship, 17^th to  19^th March at The Peak, Stirling. Please see the new SWCA Facebook page “Scottish Wheelchair Curling Association” for info on this great sport.

More UK locations will be part of Get Out Get Active’s (GOGA) success story over the next three years. Thousands more inactive people across 21 locations will benefit from the latest £5million programme funding. Today, Scottish Disability Sport is delighted to announce Tayside is one the successful locations.

In September 2019, we announced the founding funder, Spirit of 2012, awarded a further £3 million to GOGA across the UK. At the same time, Sport England also invested an additional £1 million into England. Last week the London Marathon Charitable Trust revealed their additional £1 million grant investment.

The ground-breaking programme began in 2016, created to bring disabled and non-disabled people together to be active. It engages the least active communities in fun, inclusive ways. Now it is set to continue until at least 2023.

Creator and lead partner Activity Alliance teamed up with an extensive range of partners, including Scottish Disability Sport, to help GOGA reach more people. These partners offer in-depth local knowledge and national expertise.

GOGA is more than being active. It strengthens community spirit, increases confidence and improves mental health. It increases the demand for, and the accessibility of, activities. These may be provided by local authorities, sports clubs or the voluntary sector. The success is through tapping into people’s real life motivations to be physically active.

The new funding will enable partners to build on phase one’s success and share learning. Initially there were 18 locations across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, who together engaged an incredible 20,000 people. Commencing in April 2020, phase two will have 21 locations.

After a stringent process, Tayside was chosen as to be part of phase two. Scottish Disability Sport and NHS Tayside will work in partnership to increase the numbers of physically active disabled and non-disabled people participating in activities together, across the 3 local authorities in the Tayside NHS region (Angus, Dundee City and Perth & Kinross).

Gavin Macleod, CEO of Scottish Disability Sport, said on the announcement:

“Scottish Disability Sport would like to thank Spirit of 2012 and the London Marathon Charitable Trust most sincerely for investing in the phase 2 GOGA programme in Tayside. This investment will allow us to build on the success of the first phase GOGA localities in Fife, Forth Valley and Grampian and develop an innovative approach to linking health services and physical activity opportunities to the benefit of the least active across the region.”

Ashleigh Henderson, Senior Health Promotion Officer with NHS Tayside added:

“This is a very exciting time for Tayside with the newly formed partnership between Scottish Disability Sport, Spirit of 2012, the London Marathon Charitable Trust and NHS Tayside, driving forward the GOGA Programme.  Being physically active has huge benefits for everyone, and being active together, can make a significant difference to our overall health and wellbeing outcomes.  GOGA will be a fantastic addition to the physical activity work going on across Tayside at present and I look forward to supporting this important and inspiring programme”.

I recently proudly reported that British Athletics and Scottish Athletics had named 46 athletes on their Paralympic World Class Programme for 2020. World Championship silver medallist Derek Rae from Kirkcaldy and Fife Athletic Club was one of four athletes to be upgraded to the top tier podium level funding. Derek was one of twenty athletes who won medals at last year’s World Championships in Dubai or London, earning him the right to be on the programme.

There are only six months to go until the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and every week from here on is meticulously planned for the Great Britain T46 marathon athlete. Derek is currently ranked number two in his class. The world record may have been lowered recently by the Australian number one in Texas to 2:19 but this has made him even more determined to arrive in Japan in the best shape of his life.

Derek has recently returned from another camp in Iten in Kenya where training at 8,000 feet produces exceptional returns. Derek will return to Flagstaff in Arizona for a second year and additional warm training is scheduled thereafter. An altitude tent has become a regular feature of home life and the magnificent chamber at Napier University provides Derek with world class heat, humidity and altitude preparation for Japan.

Derek, being the true professional that he is, always finds time when he can to catch up on volunteering duties with Disability Sport Fife at the Michael Woods Sports & Leisure Centre every Wednesday. On his recent visit to Kenya he found time to visit a school for children with hearing impairments and as he often does in Fife he inspired the youngsters with his stories and warm personality. Sport in Fife and beyond has benefitted enormously from the arrival of this great Fife athlete as a global star.

Richard Brickley OBE MBE Chairman Disability Sport Fife (SCIO) Board of Charity Trustees

Former Commonwealth Games athlete Meggan Dawson-Farrell has been rewarded for her bold decision to change sports with selection for the Scotland team competing at the World Wheelchair Curling Championships in Wetzikon, Switzerland later this month (29 February – 7 March 2020).

The 27 year old, who was named today as the team’s fifth member, previously represented her country in the 2014 Commonwealth Games Para-Sports 1500m wheelchair event and she has demonstrated her speed in a different way with her rapid progress since being inducted into the British Curling programme earlier this season, having taken up the sport just last year.

“I had my first taste of wheelchair curling at a ‘come and try’ session at the National Curling Academy (NCA) in May 2019 and I was hooked from that point on,” she said.

That session was led by Paralympic Sochi bronze medallist Robert McPherson, who introduced her to the game and she is delighted that she will now be joining him and team mates Hugh Nibloe, David Melrose, as well as fellow debutant Charlotte McKenna at the World Champs at the end of the month.

“I would never have presumed that I might get the call up. If there is no expectation there are no blows, so it was a great surprise and an honour to get the selection, especially as I am so new to the sport and my team mates are a very talented bunch of athletes and very well-deserving individuals,” Dawson-Farrell noted.

Living in Tullibody, close to the programme’s base at the NCA in Stirling, she has put in the hours to get up to speed for her biggest test yet in the winter sport.

“It feels a bit surreal to have been selected, it has not quite sunk in yet and my mum and dad are over the moon and they know I have worked hard for this. I am extremely grateful for all the support and training I have received and I have felt a bit like a sponge, trying to absorb everything I possibly can,” she said.

Dawson-Farrell hopes her example of talent transfer and the prospect of representing Scotland for a second time will inspire others to try curling. However, she admitted that she had to overcome her own fears to start her relatively late career pathway to becoming a full time athlete and feels sport in many ways has been her salvation.

“It actually makes me feel a bit scared when I think what my life would have been like if I had not discovered my love of sport and it really is thanks to my parents,” she acknowledged.

Born with Spina Bifida, Dawson-Farrell has always been a wheelchair user and her sporting talents went undiscovered until her parents Kirstie and John booked her a place at a sports camp in Largs, organised by Scottish Disability Sport and Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland.

“I was 16 years old, I was resistant to going and I was terrified, so much so that my mum and aunt had to book into a local B&B in Largs,” she recalled.

“However for the first time I was surrounded by other kids like me who had a disability. I felt welcome, I could relate to others and not having had any previous experience or provision of sport during my school years, I suddenly discovered I loved it.”

She was encouraged to join a local athletics club, Forth Valley Flyers in Grangemouth and never looked back, her drive and ambition leading to the chance to compete in a Commonwealth Games in front of a home crowd in 2014. However, despite qualifying for the final her medal aspirations were blighted by illness.

“No-one fully understands the extent of ailments and illnesses and the challenges they represent to disabled athletes unless you are close to them,” Dawson-Farrell pointed out.

“I wanted to be in that final despite having a kidney infection and pleaded my case with the surgeon, telling him he would have to wait until after I had competed.

“I finished seventh and three days later I was having surgery to correct the condition.

“It now feels like this is my second chance and I now have the opportunity to fully explore my potential.”

Despite moving from what she calls a ‘warm sport’ to a ‘cold sport’, she finds the camaraderie and team element of curling an even more positive experience.

“In races it was just me as an individual on the start line. I had a great support team but the focus was all on me and I found it quite a lonely sport because of that, whereas in the team environment of curling everybody is pulling together, sharing the experience of the highs and lows no matter what,” she said.

“I love the team dynamic side of it. It is a sport I want to be playing for years to come and I hope my example will show others that they should try curling at any age and hopefully get so much out of the experience.

“Going to my first World Curling Champs is such an exciting time for me and my team mates and hopefully this time around it will be my time to shine.”

Scotland will meet Russia in their opening game of the eight day event hosted in the Curling Hlall Wetzikon, where they hope to replicate the form of last year’s line-up that won silver in Stirling. 12 mixed gender teams will be taking part, competing for medals at the championships as well as qualification points for the 2022 Paralympic Games in Beijing.

Players selected for World Championships:
Hugh Nibloe (Stirling)
Robert McPherson (Bellshill)
David Melrose (Duns)
Charlotte McKenna (Bridge of Allan)
Meggan Dawson-Farrell – Alternate (Tullibody)

Please click here for more information on the World Wheelchair Curling Championships .

#curling #WWhCC202

Images: Perthshire Picture Agency – Graeme Hart.