Category: A News

09/04/2020

Seoul Paralympic Games – 1988

One of my favourite photos from the Paralympic Games in Seoul in 1988

Carol Johnstone from Lothian and Kerry Taylor from Dunfermline in Fife were two of the leading athletes in their respective sports at the height of their careers.

Carol excelled in boccia and Kerry was a multi Paralympic medallist in athletics. Each of these athletes competed in a power wheelchair in the class specifically for the most physically challenged Para athletes. Carol competed in the BC 1 class in boccia and Kerry in class F31 in athletics. They were both remarkable in their respective sports despite the very high level of dysfunction that resulted from their cerebral palsy.

Apart from their great skills they were the life and soul of every team they were part of. In popularity terms they were off the scale. You could always guarantee to see them surrounded by athletes in the Games village. Sociable and fun loving were their trade marks. Exceptional talent however is what got them there in the first place.

Richard Brickley OBE MBE Chairman DSF (SCIO) Board of Charity Trustees

09/04/2020

Fife swim team circa late 90s – Inter Region Gala

Many thanks to Lara Ferguson for these two great photos taken at Drumchapel pool in the late 90s when Team Fife completed the swimming double by winning the Glasgow University Athletic Union Team Trophy and the BNOC Relay Cup.

The Inter Region Gala was set up in 1981, the International Year of Disabled People, as a head to head between the cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh. It was the brainchild of the late Bob Mitchell OBE, President of Scottish Disability Sport and supported by Glasgow University Athletic Union.

Participating teams included physically and visually impaired swimmers only and each swimmer was restricted to two swims. Each team had 40 competitor swims and the gala was time banded using the SDS classification system. The Inter Region Gala became one of the most popular events in the Scottish calendar of events and offered swimmers of all levels of ability to compete for their home branch of SDS.

Disability Sport Fife joined the event in 1982 and thereafter a combined team of Tayside and Grampian swimmers. The

gala moved around the country and it was a sad day when the final gala was held. One of the highlights of the Inter Region Gala was that Paralympic swimmers competed in the same team as novice swimmers for team points.

Richard Brickley OBE MBE Chairman DSF (SCIO) Board of Charity Trustees

08/04/2020

First Fife CP Athletics Squad

I came across this old 80s photo of the first Fife squad of athletes with cerebral palsy to compete in the Scottish Track and Field Championships organised by the Scottish CP sports group. At the time the sports group was part of the Scottish Council for Spastics, now appropriately renamed Capability Scotland.

The driving forces behind these championships and others were Commander Archie Cameron, Mary Aitken and Jim Thomson from SCS. They paved the way for a significant involvement of Scottish athletes with cerebral palsy to be involved in international track and field for the next three to four decades. There was early engagement with Scottish Disability Sport (SSAD at the time) and the two organisations planned and helped shape the futures of outstanding Scottish athletes/swimmers/boccia players with cerebral palsy including Colin Keay, Caroline Baird MBE, William McQueen, Maxwell McKay Gordon Robertson MBE, Jimmy Sands, Stephen Payton, Richie Collins, Keith Gardner, Pauline Latto, Anne Woffinden, Carol Johnston, Jimmy Maxwell plus many others.

From this early group of nine Fife athletes Colin Keay from Kirkcaldy and Ann Swann from Methil were selected for the Paralympic Games in New York in 1984. Each was a multi medallist in Nassau County at Hoffstra University in the very first SCS/SSAD partnership involvement in a Paralympic games. Commander Cameron was the President of the International Paralympic movement at the time, a huge honour for Scotland and the SCS. Ronald Raegan was the President of the United States and together they welcomed all of us proud Scots as members of a wonderful 1984 Team GB. Nobody appreciated at the time how important these Games would be in the development of local, national and international Para sport.

Richard Brickley OBE MBE Chairman DSF (SCIO) Board of Charity Trustees

08/04/2020

First Fife Carpet Bowls Championships

In searching my photo archives for the next article for the Facebook page, I came across one of the oldest pictures in the 40 years plus history of Disability Sport Fife.

The photo was taken at Lynebank hospital in Dunfermline and the occasion was the first Fife Carpet Bowls Championships. Alex McLean and some of his bowler friends turned out as markers and we had entries from adult bowlers with a physical, sensory or learning disability. The photo is of the section winners and the year was 1977, almost two years after I moved to Fife to take up my post at the Fife Sports Institute.

Sadly almost all of the section winners have passed away but Pamela Mitchell and Robert McMahon who appear on this historic picture are still competing in the Fife Championships. The full list of winners was as follows:

Eilleen Fairgrieve; Robert McMahon; John McConnachie; Pamela Mitchell; David Laing; Mair Scott; Sadie Dunnigan; David Thomson. Sadie is proudly holding the Val Harley Memorial Trophy which is one of the most sought after and classic trophies in our movement. Carpet bowls is played extensively throughout Fife and in 2020 we had a full line up of juniors taking part from Fife secondary schools.

In 1981, the International Year of Disabled People, Disability Sport Fife collaborated with Fife Council and Scottish Disability Sport to introduce carpet bowls to the national calendar of events. The first Championships were held at the Lochgelly Centre in Fife and next year will be the 40th anniversary year of the championships. The recognised home is now the Dundee International Sports Centre (DISC) and Dundee City Disability Sport is the key partner along with Scottish Disability Sport.

Over the years the Scottish Carpet Bowls Championships have been hosted by the Lothian, Forth Valley, Glasgow, Highland, Fife and Dundee branches of SDS. Carpet bowls offers the opportunity for bowlers to progress to indoor and outdoor bowls where further competitions exist plus of course the opportunity for mainstream club membership and all that this offers.

Richard Brickley OBE MBE Chairman DSF (SCIO) Board of Charity Trustees

06/04/2020

Fife Junior Para Swimmer Rising through the Ranks

Continuing on the theme of “Fife Futures” and the ones to watch, the focus of this article is on teenager Cameron Hemphill from Ladybank and Bell Baxter HS. Cameron is a member of Carnegie Swimming Club, having started out in DSF sessions at Cupar and Glenrothes, before moving to Cupar and District and then on to InCas. Cameron is Fife’s leading physically disabled Para swimmer living in Fife.

Throughout his career, Cameron has been tremendously well supported by all members of his family and more recently his strength and conditioning programme has been supervised by Stuart Bizzarri from the Fife Sports and Leisure Trust. Cameron was introduced to competitive swimming at the Disability Sport Fife swimming championships.

Cameron’s 6 year journey to date:

November 2013 First SDS Junior Swimming Championships Grangemouth
November 2014 Second SDS Junior Champs November Grangemouth
Cameron’s first classification in June 2016 = S10 SB9 SM10
Following classification Cameron is invited to join Scottish Squad
National Para-swimming Championships 2016 in Manchester
Move to InCAS to train under Garrie Roberts, and an increase in training intensity
Awarded most improved swimmer trophy at the 2017 Disability Sport Fife Annual Awards
Cameron with Garrie at the Scottish Open Swimming Championships in 2018 at Tollcross – Glasgow
Cameron competing at his first British Para Swimming International Meet 2019 at Tollcross.

In six years Cameron Hemphill has progressed brilliantly in para swimming and is currently a young ambassador with Scottish Swimming. Commitment, determination and strong family support are key to success and Cameron has it all in abundance. Disability Sport Fife is proud to have played a part in Cameron’s journey to date and recognises that this young man still has so much to offer.

These are challenging times for para swimmers without access to water but Cameron is fully committed to his home based land training and this hopefully will keep him on track until normality returns.

Richard Brickley OBE MBE Chairman DSF (SCIO ) Board of Charity Trustees

03/04/2020

Young Fife all rounder is one to watch

The story of Owen Miller, Sam Fernando and Carter Taylor, three of Fife’s very successful T20 athletes with additional support needs is similar. Identified early on in their school careers that they were athletes with potential, the tried and tested Fife support network kicked into action.

In the case of these three athletes, Woodmill HS and Bell Baxter staff met with Disability Sport Fife, families and club representatives to action appropriate transitioning between school, DSF sessions and club coaching. For Owen, Sam and Carter the role of families can never be underestimated. The sport in each instance is athletics and local club Fife Athletic Club, with its team of inclusive coaches, has taken all three athletes to the very highest level in track athletics and road running.

Zoe MacNulty from Balwearie HS is a young all-rounder starting out on a journey that may one day lead to involvement in club activities and who knows where thereafter. Tracy Barber (nee Wiscombe) and Rebecca Lee were at one time in a similar position and went on to excel in swimming at the highest level.

Young Zoe is currently showing promise in cross country, track, swimming, badminton and unihoc and was recently selected for the Disability Sport Fife Sportshall team that retained the national team title in Grangemouth. Like the others Zoe has strong family support. Prior to school and leisure centre closures, Zoe attended the Wednesday swim improvers session at Kirkcaldy Leisure Centre that was part of the GOGA in Fife programme supported by Spirit of 2012.

DSF swim/athletics coach and Balwearie HS teacher Gabby Doig now transports Zoe and her school friends Sam and Brooke to Tuesday run, jump and throws session at Pitreavie Athletics Centre. The next stage in the journey of young Zoe is hopefully club membership and discussions are already at an early stage. Zoe is definitely a youngster to watch and her enthusiasm and involvement in physical activity, including sport, with encouragement from family, school and DSF coaches to date has been exceptional.

Richard Brickley OBE MBE Chairman DSF (SCIO) Board of Charity Trustees

03/04/2020

Scottish Disability Sport Young Persons Quiz Night

On Thursday 2 April, SDS held its very first general knowledge virtual quiz with members of the Young Persons Sport Panel, Young Start Programme and Scottish Boccia Squad. There were 22 teams in total playing to win the title of quiz champion. The winner of the quiz was Scottish Boccia player, Ross Munro, closely followed by Young Start programme member Abby Cook in second position and Colette Martin from the Young persons Sport Panel in third place. It was great to see so many smiley faces during this strange time and fantastic that lots of other family members got involved too.

During these unprecedented times SDS is exploring various ways online to ensure our programmes can continue in some shape or form and make sure the wellbeing of our participants is at the centre of this. Watch out in the coming weeks for more ways in which you can get involved. Roll on the next quiz!

01/04/2020

Lothian Disability Sport AGM & Awards

Due to the ongoing situation with Coronavirus, Lothian Disability Sport have decided to postpone our AGM for the time being. However we would still like to invite nominations for our Annual Awards which we will present at a later date.

The aim of the Annual Awards is to recognise individuals and teams who have achieved particular success or achievement in their sport over the previous 12 months. Nominations are welcome in the following categories –

Young Sports Person Award
Senior Sports Person Award
Team / Club Award
Volunteer / Coach Award
Endeavour Award

Please find the award nomination form below. Deadline for entries is Friday 29^th May 2020. Nominations can be emailed to admin@lothiandisabilitysport.co.uk.

Annual Award Nomination Form 2020

If you have any questions surrounding this information, please contact Jack Brodie on 0788 554 9173 or admin@lothiandisabilitysport.co.uk.

01/04/2020

Tayside Regional Round-Up

The Tayside Regional Round-Up is now available with news about recent events including:

The hugely successful 6th Tayside Parasport Festival
Dundee United Community Trust goalball session
Regional competitions in badminton, boccia, swimming, powerchair football, sportshall athletics and many more
Regional Sports Awards
Disability Inclusion Training workshops
Link-up with Scottish Student Sport

You can download the Round-Up here.

If you or anyone you know has a disability and would like to get involved in sport in the Tayside Region, please contact Graeme Doig – graeme.doig@scottishdisabilitysport.com.