Category: A News

Stevenson makes Winning Debut for Great Britain

Reegan Stevenson has made significant progress in the sport of boccia and this was highlighted at the recent European Open in Croatia.

As a member of the Boccia UK transition programme he made his Great Britain debut in the BC1 individual and BC1/2 Team competitions. Individually Reegan was competitive in each match and although he lost all three group games each were by the tightest of margins. (Katinka Langauer (HUN) 3-2, Aurelie Aubert (FRA), 2-2, Serafin Rodriguez (ESP), 4-2)

However, Reegan made his mark as a member of the BC1/2 Team competition, alongside David Smith MBE and Claire Taggart. After a disappointing 5-4 defeat against Turkey they responded well against host nation Croatia with an 8-4 victory. Knowing that victory against Spain would see them into the semi-finals they bounced back magnificently after losing 4 in the first end to win 9-4. They took this energy and momentum into the semi-final against Ukraine, where a dominant display earned them a 10-3 victory and a place in the final against Slovakia. In a tight match, that came down to the wire, GB made it over the line with a 4-3 victory.  As a combination, all three players performed exceptionally, and it was great way to finish the first tournament of the year on a high for Great Britain.

Elsewhere, experienced campaigner, Scott McCowan, was a late addition to the individual competition and came in as the top seed. Winning his group games in comfortable fashion (10-0 v Elisabeth Wilhelmsen (NOR) and Viktoriia Shcherbyna (UKR). He then faced German, Petra Benharket in the quarter finals winning 5-1 to set up a semi-final against GB debutant Will Arnott. After losing 3 in the first end, Scott fought his way back into the game so that it was all square going into the final end. It came down to the last ball and after a tight measure Will won the game 4-3. Scott bounced back well to secure Bronze with a 4-1 victory over Christoffer Hagdahl of Sweden.

Other results involving Great Britain players:

BC2 Individual Silver: Claire Taggart
BC3 Individual Silver: Will Arnott

Photo courtesy of Claire Morrison

Grampian’s Johnstone hopeful for Tokyo

Para-Badminton starlet, Lesley Johnstone, returned to Aberdeen last week from the Turkish Para-Badminton International event empty handed, but the defeat has not put her off her dream of competing in the Paralympic Games.

Johnstone, who has had a remarkably quick journey up the Para-Badminton pathway having only committed to the sport in 2018, was selected alongside national squad teammates Alan Oliver and Mary Wilson to attend the international events to hopefully qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics next summer where the sport has its debut.

Lesley faced an incredibly difficult opening game with mixed doubles partner, Denis Grzesiuk, where they were heavily defeated by French duo Mazur & Noel. This was then followed by a loss to Liek Huo Cheah & Katarzyna Ziebik, albeit by a far narrower margin.

She also faced very strong opposition in the women’s singles SL4 event where she faced a loss of both games to Khalimatus Sadiyah Sukohandoko. However, she came back strong in her second game to Helle Sofie Sagoy to win the 2nd game of the match.

The Scottish women’s doubles of Johnstone and Wilson saw further defeats in the women’s doubles event. However, with this being Lesley’s very first international & given the short space of time she’s been on the performance pathway, her determination and achievements are more than worthy of a great deal of admiration, and we look forward to seeing Lesley compete in her next event in Uganda.

A special thanks goes to BadmintonScotland for their support of Lesley through this quick journey!

If you, or someone you know, lives with a physical, sensory or intellectual impairment and would like to get more involved in sport, please get in touch with Alison Shaw (Regional Manager for Scottish Disability Sport) on 07828 744 848 or alison.shaw@scottishdisabilitysport.com.

2019 Grampian Games Launch

Registrations are now being taken for this year’s Grampian Games, which takes place on Saturday
25th and Sunday 26th May 2019.

A key event in the Grampian Disability Sport calendar, the competitive multi-sport festival provides a fantastic opportunity for athletes and players with all types of disability from across Grampian and beyond to come together & test their skills against each other in a friendly environment.

This year’s event includes opportunities in boccia, table tennis, 10-pin bowling, swimming and bowls, and takes place at various venues throughout Aberdeen City and Shire.

For more information & to download entry forms, please visit:
http://www.grampiandisabilitysport.org.uk/event/grampian-games/

If you, or someone you know, lives with a physical, sensory or intellectual impairment and would like to get more involved in sport, please get in touch with Alison Shaw (Regional Manager for Scottish Disability Sport) on 07828 744 848 or alison.shaw@scottishdisabilitysport.com.

Wheelchair Rugby Quad Nations Exhibition Match

Saturday 3rd of March saw another milestone for women’s participation in wheelchair rugby, with a Women’s Exhibition match being featured at the prestigious Wheelchair Rugby Quad Nations held in Leicester.

The day started with a Women’s Development Session lead by experienced coach Luke White. At this session women from across the UK came together to learn more about the game and develop their fundamental skills. For me this session highlighted the potential of women in wheelchair rugby and enabled us to practice in a fun yet competitive environment.

In the evening I was privileged to be part of a women’s team that was showcasing the sport at the Quad Nations. This game was livestreamed on the BBC which allowed the match to gain a wider audience and encourage more women to get involved. The teams were made up of female players from all three divisions of the Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby  League. The squads, which were captained by myself and fellow GB Talent Squad player Faye West, included women with a range of experience from Paralympian Coral Batey to up and coming talent such as Tilly Robinson and Ella Beaumont.

On the night it was an incredibly close game with the Vixens narrowly defeating the Warriors. Personally, this was a great experience for me as I not only had the opportunity to take part in the Quad Nations but also had the chance to play alongside and against some of the awesome women in wheelchair rugby.  

Gemma Lumsdaine, Young Persons Sports Panel

National Visual Impairment Sports Day

“Great day, fantastic coaches and a much-needed opportunity” was the feedback from the National Visual Impairment Sports Day held at St Paul’s RC Academy in Dundee. Fourteen people travelled from the Ayrshires, Midlothian, Grampian and from across Tayside to try a variety of sports offered exclusively for people with visual impairments.

The day sponsored by Celtic FC Foundation was the fourth of its kind to take place across Scotland. It was designed to introduce people with visual impairments to physical activity and sport in a fun, safe environment and then be supported to transition in to a weekly opportunity, ideally within their own locality.

JudoScotland, Goalball UK, Celtic FC Foundation Coaches, Scottish Swimming, Dundee City Aquatics and volunteer coaches from Balgay, Fairfield and Carnoustie Bowling Clubs created fun opportunities for individual to experience their sports. Participants will then be contacted by SDS Regional Managers to identify which sports they would like to try again and facilitate further participation.

SDS works in partnership with Royal National Institute for the Blind, Guide Dogs UK, and NHS Visual Impairment Network for Children and Young People to share good practice and work together to introduce more people with sight loss accessing the health and social benefits of sport.

If you or any one you know has a visual impairment and would like to get involved in sport please contact SDS on 0131 317 1130 or alternatively email admin@scottishdisabilitysport.com.

Michael Simpson Retires from Para Bowls

The news that Michael Simpson from Auchtermuchty in Fife has decided to retire from para bowls to spend more time with his family is not surprising but of course disappointing. As well as being a successful high performance bowler, Michael is a leader and his influence will be missed greatly in the national squad. In the past decade he has risen from Fife champion to a silver medallist at the IBD world championships in New Zealand. Michael may be retiring but he will be remembered as one of Scotland’s leading para bowlers.

In 2005 Michael was runner up in the Strathmiglo Bowling Club singles championship and a member of the under 25 Fife County team.  Vascular illness resulted in a double below knee amputation and a radical rethink of his future as a performance bowler.  Following a year in hospital and with massive support from family and Strathmiglo Bowling Club friends and committee, Michael launched a career in Para bowls after leaving hospital in March 2008.  The occasion was the 2008 Disability Sport Fife Championships at the Beveridge Park in Kirkcaldy in June and he has never looked back since.

Michael’s progress as an international para bowler has been impressive.  The year following his first involvement in the DSF Championships, Michael returned to win the Fife title. In the same year he won his first SDS Scottish lawn bowls title at Westburn Park in Aberdeen.  Michael then played a significant role in the Scottish victory over England’s leading physically and visually impaired bowlers at the Beveridge Park in 2009. In 2010 he travelled with the same strong Scottish team to Nottingham for a rare indoor bowls victory over England.

It was a natural progression that Michael would be selected for Scotland’s team to travel to South Africa for the IBD World Championships in 2011 to try to better the third place team finish at the Championships in Australia in 2007.  After a comfortable start in singles, the heat and humidity of South Africa took its toll on Michael, but in true Simpson fashion he rallied for the pairs and won a bronze medal with Kevin Wallace in the toughest classification section of the tournament.

Michael then focussed on trying to gain selection for Team Scotland for the Para-Bowls triples at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014.  In the summer of 2013 at Kelvingrove, Michael enhanced his chances of selection by being a member of the Scottish physically disabled triple that won gold at the 4 Nations and then repeated the performance a few months later at the 8 Nations.  That outstanding physically disabled triple included Kevin Wallace and Billy Allan.  They played 13 matches, won 10, drew 2 and lost only 1 in two major events against the world’s leading para bowls nations. It may be argued however that Michael’s finest international achievement was winning a silver medal in mixed pairs with Rosemary Lenton at the IBD World Championships in New Zealand in 2015.

Michael received support from the organisers of the Reelers Ball in North East Fife and also St Andrews Kilrymont Rotary at key stages in his international career. In addition he is appreciative of the role played by Disability Sport Fife, Scottish Disability Sport, Bowls Scotland and the Scottish Institute of Sport in his development as a para bowler. This is a young man who has always had ambitions of winning a Commonwealth Games medal and regularly challenging for a place in Team Scotland for the IBD World Championships.

As well as successes in para bowls, Michael is proud of the role he has played as a member of the Strathmiglo Bowling Club team that won the Fife Top 10 in 2010 and went on to finish runners up in the Scottish Top 10 in 2011.  In 2005 he was proud of his runners up spot in the club championships and a very important milestone in his career was repeating that performance in 2012, four years after losing his legs.  Michael went one stage further in 2014 when he won the club championships at his beloved Strathmiglo BC. The club recognised Michael with the highest honour available by awarding him life membership in 2018.

Michael Simpson is a double Commonwealth Games representative and an inspiration to mainstream and para bowlers throughout Scotland and beyond. Michael is  an exceptional role model to performance athletes across all sports. Michael will retain an active interest in SDS and DSF bowls progress and may even consider coaching. DSF has already offered to support his coaching journey. Michael has made the correct decision and we all wish the Simpson family well.

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

East Para Sport Festival

Friday 29th March – Forrester / St Augustine’s High School, Edinburgh

The eighth annual Para Sport Festival took place at Forrester / St Augustine’s Community Sports Hub, Edinburgh on Friday 29th March, welcoming 87 school aged pupils with a physical, visual or hearing impairment from across the East of Scotland to register for the event.  The festival aims to provide a platform for young people from the mainstream education environment an opportunity to access sports delivered by experienced coaches while also raising awareness in Para Sport.  This year’s event invited young people to a session that involved sports that were appropriate to their impairment, welcoming children with a visual / hearing impairment in the morning and individuals with a physical impairment in the afternoon.

The number of young people attending the event has grown year on year since its inception in 2012 and demonstrates a strong picture of partnership working between Scottish Disability Sport and Edinburgh Active Schools with significant input from key organisations Lothian Disability Sport and Edinburgh Leisure.  Active Schools Coordinators from Edinburgh provide a pivotal presence on the day, facilitating the event and leading the groups of young people throughout while making them feel welcome and supported for the day.  There was also significant support from Edinburgh College students at this year’s event, another partnership that has been formed over time to develop the event and provide essential experience for individuals in relation to working with people with a disability.

Jill Coleman, who has the responsibility for Disability and Inclusion within the Edinburgh Active Schools team while also taking a lead role on the festival commented, ‘The festival is one of the highlights in the Edinburgh Active Schools school sports calendar, not only is it a fantastic sporting event for the young people in our schools but it also creates an opportunity for dialogue with young people and their parents regarding further potential sports development in schools and the wider community.’

The day is also supported by some Scottish Governing Bodies and delivered by local inclusive clubs from the region, providing a direct link for any young people who are keen to make that transition into more regular sporting opportunities.  The sports delivered on the day were Badminton, Boccia, Cycling (tandem) Goalball, Hugby (rugby for visually impaired people), Swimming, Tennis, Volleyball and Wheelchair Basketball.  Additionally, parents are encouraged to attend and stay for the duration of the event and providing an insight to disability sport and the opportunities that are available to their sons / daughters in local and surrounding areas.  Some of the feedback from parents included ‘We love this event – my daughter slowly comes out of her shell and it’s great to see her participating in sport alongside her peers’ and ‘An amazing event, can’t wait until next year’.

The event was also supplemented by an Athlete ‘Question & Answer’ session, welcoming current sporting stars along to provide an insight to their journey so far as an athlete.  Scottish Borders swimmer Beth Johnston (Galashiels) and Edinburgh based Josh Manson (Wheelchair Basketball) were kind enough to share their respective journey’s and answer a host of questions for the young participants in the Q&A session.

Neal Herbert, Scottish Disability Sport Regional Manager (East) highlighted,

‘The numbers attending on the day continue to highlight the popularity and the need for the event in the region.  Around half of the young people were new to the event and this is down to the hard work that partners do before the day in terms of identifying eligible participants from their local area.  Active Schools are key to this and continue to work well in collaboration with Scottish Disability Sport to make the festival a success and aim to encourage all participants into regular sporting opportunities post event.

Additionally, the collaborative working between many governing bodies of sport and local inclusive clubs provide an ideal opportunity for many young people to try particular sports for the first time and therefore hopefully encouraging them into more regular opportunities.’

For further information, please get in touch with Neal Herbert, Scottish Disability Sport Regional Manager (East) on 0131 625 4414 or neal.herbert@scottishdisabilitysport.co.uk or

Jill Coleman, Active Schools Coordinator (Equalities and Inclusion) on 0792 076 8288 or jill.coleman@ea.edin.sch.uk.

Deaf-Friendly Aquatics Workshop

Our workshops support instructors and coaches to ensure deaf young people are fully included in aquatic activities.

Instructors and coaches will learn how to make small and simple changes to make activities deaf-friendly and develop confidence communicating with deaf children and young people.

Instructors will also learn basic British Sign Language and watersport specific signs.

The training will cover:

  • The impact of deafness on young people
  • Communication methods
  • How to adapt your activities
  • Tips for welcoming deaf children
  • Guidance on engaging with deaf children in your area
  • Fingerspelling
  • BSL specific to watersports

Date: Sunday 12 May 2019
Time: 10.30am – 1.30pm
Venue: Dewars Centre, Perth PH2 0TH
Cost: Free (cancellation charge of £35)
How to book: online here: https://acquaticsworkshopperth.eventbrite.co.uk
Further info: Eleanor Connelly, swimming@ndcs.org.uk / 0141 354 7850

www.ndcs.org.uk/swimming

Fresh Hope for Grampian Powerchair Football Club

After the sad demise of Granite Strikers Powerchair Football Club back in 2016, there’s hope that the sport can be offered regularly once again following a successful pilot session.

Five potential players from across the Grampian area joined staff from the Scottish Powerchair Football Association (SPFA) and coaches from Tayside Dynamos Powerchair Football Club for an action-packed afternoon where they were put through their paces in a series of drills and 1 v 1 games.

The taster session came about after an enquiry from a parent sparked a high level of local interest in relaunching the Club, as well as a very well-timed enquiry from Lewis McConnell from the SPFA who is keen to grow participation in the sport across the country.

With a handful of participants itching to get playing, a suitable venue identified, and local coach, Norman Innes, keen to step up to lead the team, the path is paved for the club to successfully relaunch in the summer term. A planning meeting will be held at the end of April to arrange suitable training days and times, and to help form the club committee.

If you (or someone you know) is a powerchair user or keen to volunteer, and would like to get involved in the relaunch of the club, please get in touch with Alison Shaw (Regional Manager for Scottish Disability Sport) on 07828 744 848 or alison.shaw@scottishdisabilitysport.com.

A huge thank you goes to Garry from Tayside Dynamos, Ryan and Lewis from the SPFA, Andrinne from Sport Aberdeen and coach Norman for running such a successful event.