The 49^th RDA AGM took place in Glasgow under the Chairmanship of the charity’s President, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal. Held within the splendour of Trades Hall, Glasgow, the AGM brought together delegates from RDA groups all over the UK – many of whom enjoyed a traditional Scottish welcome at the previous evening’s Ceilidh.

In her President’s address, The Princess acknowledged that next year’s 50^th anniversary would be the time for reflections, but she took time to recognise the experience and expertise within the RDA family, made up of many years dedicated service by RDA’s volunteers and coaches.

Delegates were treated to talks from RDA riders Max Stainton, who recently became the first person with Cerebral Palsy to trek to Everest Basecamp on a horse, and Anne Brown, whose dedication to RDA extends to having the charity moto tattooed on her behind!

The AGM also offered the opportunity to acknowledge the achievements of outgoing RDA Chairman, Sam Orde, whose time in office officially ends in April 2019. Sam was presented with an Honorary Life Vice Presidency by The Princess Royal, who thanked her for the nine years she has given to the role.

The lively programme also included a welcome from The Lord Provost of Glasgow, Eva Bolander and presentations from Stewart Harris, Chief Executive of Sport Scotland, Occupational Therapist Rhona Harkness and Hazel Johnstone of People’s Postcode Lottery.

Director of Operations for RDA UK, Claire Milican presented her ‘Top of the Ops’ – a run down of the top ten innovations, improvements and activities delivered by the operations team at RDA National Office during this year.

Communications Manager, Caroline Ward, offered a taster of the proposed celebrations for RDA’s 50^th anniversary throughout 2019.

“Thank you to our regional team in West & Central Scotland for hosting this year’s AGM,” said RDA Chief Executive Ed Bracher. “I am also grateful to Her Royal Highness, not just for chairing the business of the day, but for taking the time to meet so many of our participants and volunteers during her visit. We look forward to welcoming everyone to our 50^th AGM next year!”

Awards

• Honorary Life Vice Presidents – RDA UK Chairman Sam Orde and Deputy Chairman Sheila Saner
• President’s Award – Patricia Wilding of Clytha RDA
• Dudley Smith Award – Joan Jack and Alison Mackintosh – Brae RDA
• Loriners Education Award – Moray RDA
• Birt Spooner Cup – Max Stainton

Scotland’s players returned from the VYV BWF European Para-Badminton Championships in France with a haul of three bronze medals.

Fiona Christie, Bobby Laing and Colin Leslie all stood on the podium in a successful event in which the Scots medalled across all three categories.

Playing in her last European Championships, Fiona Christie finished second in her Wheelchair WH2 singles group behind Esther Torres of Spain.

But, with the top two players both progressing from the group stage they were drawn against each other in the first round of the knockout stage and Christie gained revenge with a hard-fought 21-16 24-22 win to send her into the semi-finals and secure her bronze medal.

In the semis, Turkey’s second seed Narin Uluc was just too strong for Christie, winning 21-15 21-13, but the Scot can be proud of her bronze medal in her last ever European Championships.

In the SS6 mixed doubles, Laing and English partner Rebecca Bedford also progressed from the group stages as the second ranked pair and were drawn against top seeds Andrew Martin and Rachel Choong of England in the semi-finals.

Martin and Choong won 21-17 21-19 but with both losing semi-finalists awarded bronze, Laing and Bedford had secured their medal once they had progressed from their group.

Leslie and English player Anthony Forster finished top of Group D in the SL3-SL4 men’s doubles, pushing Leslie’s compatriot Alan Oliver and his Swedish partner Rickard Nilsson, the third seeds, into second place.

Both pairs progressed to the knockout stages, but while Oliver and Nilsson lost in the quarter-finals, Leslie and Forster beat Russian duo Anton Ivanov and Vladimir Nikolaev 21-12 21-12 to reach the semi-finals.

Defeat to eventual champions Jan-Niklas Pott and Pascal Wolter ended their campaign but they had already done enough to win bronze.

Click here for a full set of results

Congratulations to all the winners of the sportscotland Coaching, Officiating and Volunteering awards 2018.

Scottish Disability Sport would especially like to note the following winners who work tirelessly in the field of disability sport or demonstrate inclusion in their coaching:

• Young Coach of the Year: Gemma Lumsdaine
• Volunteer of the Year: Kirsty Ewen
• Performance Development Coach of the Year: Jennifer Scally
• Disability Coach of the Year: Gregor McMillan
• Technical Official of the Year: Darren Thomson

Each of them is such a worthy winner and so deserve this recognition for all their time, energy and commitment.

This was a wonderful night dedicated to the people who make sport happen. Many thanks to sportscotland for providing such an excellent night and the City of Glasgow for providing such a fitting venue.

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Gregor McMillan

An Aberdeen coach has been recognised for his stellar work in para swimming after he was named sportscotland’s Disability Coach of the Year.

Gregor McMillan is the Head Coach of the University of Aberdeen Performance Swimming squad and some of his brightest prospects have had seasons to remember as Toni Shaw won six medals (two gold, two silver and two bronze) at the IPC European Swimming Championships and Conner Morrison won silver at the same competition.

A key part of Gregor’s coaching ethos is to have a fully inclusive programme for both able bodied and para swimmers, with the only goal being to ensure each swimmer is able to reach their potential.

As well as having a great understanding of inclusion and para swimming and creating an equitable environment for swimmers with a disability, Gregor goes to great lengths to adapt his coaching practices to ensure the best fit for each athlete and has linked with both Scottish Swimming and British Para-Swimming to further develop his knowledge and understanding of the para-swimming pathway.

Gregor is working hard with Toni and Conner as they look to make the step up to world level with an eye on Tokyo 2020, but it’s not his athletes winning medals that gives him the most satisfaction in his work, it is seeing improvements in all his athletes both in the pool and away from the pool.

He said: “The success of the guys in the last year has been down to their hard work. They’ve put the building blocks in place in terms of commitment and attention to detail. The progression for them will be to try and step up from European level to try and be successful on the world circuit this season, and beyond that Tokyo is the next goal.

“The most rewarding thing about what I do is seeing athletes develop, both physically and personally. Getting results from perseverance and hard work is so rewarding and I enjoy seeing that on a daily basis.

“The integration of the programme is very important to us, we’re not looking to exclude any athletes or make it able bodied only. It’s about making sure every athlete is included, challenged and able to achieve their potential in the sport.”

Stewart Harris, sportscotland Chief Executive, said: “Every year across Scotland, thousands of dedicated sporting enthusiasts devote their time, knowledge and skills to help others achieve their sporting goals. Our Coaching, Officiating and Volunteering Awards provide us with a chance to celebrate the great sporting achievements that are taking place every day and congratulate individuals on their commitment to Scottish sport.

“Gregor has done an incredible job in para swimming, the improvements in his swimmers are testament to that. The commitment, dedication and support he offers all of his swimmers can’t be overstated and he’s a fully deserving winner of this award.

“At sportscotland we are implementing a world-class sporting system at every level in Scotland and we can only do so with the support of the many dedicated coaches, officials and volunteers.”

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Gemma Lumsdaine

A Dundee coach has been recognised for her dedication to wheelchair basketball after she was named sportscotland’s Performance Development Coach of the Year.

Gemma Lumsdaine is a Scotland under-23 wheelchair basketball player whose hard work as a coach in recent years has led to some brilliant results.

Gemma has coached the juniors at the Dundee Dragons for the last two years, leading by example and showing a huge impact on the club’s youngsters.

As well as coaching the Junior Dragons, Gemma coaches the Tayside Regional Squad and she is assistant coach for Scotland U19s, supporting two of the Dundee Dragons to represent the UK in the Invictus Games and the GB under-22 team.

Under Gemma’s guidance as lead coach the Senior Dragons team won a memorable double as they clinched the Scottish League and Cup.

She juggles her coaching and playing responsibilities with an ambassadorial role in the sport with Basketball Scotland and has presented at the UK Coaching Conference, the Scottish Women’s Convention, and was also asked to address the House of Lords at the launch of ‘Supporting Tomorrow’s Superstars’.

But despite her tireless work, Gemma says that she gets more out of the sport than she puts in, saying that having a key role in player improvement is just rewards for all the hours she dedicates on and off the court.

She said: “It is really important to keep learning and trying to improve yourself as a coach. My favourite part about being a coach is seeing players develop, not necessarily on the court but develop as people, seeing their skills and confidence increase and seeing their lives improve as a result.

“Building trust and a rapport with athletes is really important, that’s how you get the best out of someone. It means you have a relationship which isn’t just on the court, you can help them with other parts of life too.”

Stewart Harris, sportscotland Chief Executive, said: “Every year across Scotland, thousands of dedicated sporting enthusiasts devote their time, knowledge and skills to help others achieve their sporting goals. Our Coaching, Officiating and Volunteering Awards provide us with a chance to celebrate the great sporting achievements that are taking place every day and congratulate individuals on their commitment to Scottish sport.

“Gemma has done an incredible job in a short space of time in wheelchair basketball. The commitment, dedication and support she offers her club and players can’t be overstated and she’s a full deserving winner of this award.

“At sportscotland we are implementing a world-class sporting system at every level in Scotland and we can only do so with the support of the many dedicated coaches, officials and volunteers.”

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Jennifer Scally

A Glasgow coach has been recognised for her dedication to wheelchair basketball after winning sportscotland’s Performance Development Coach of the Year Award.

Jennifer Scally has had a major impact on wheelchair basketball in Scotland, helping the growth of the junior and women’s and coaching several teams very successfully.

Jennifer, originally from Northern Ireland, became hooked on wheelchair basketball shortly after moving to Scotland to study sports science and has never looked back after starting off volunteering with the Dundee Dragons. Her coaching career has continued to flourish several years after moving to Glasgow and she now coaches the Glasgow Rocks Wheelchair Basketball Team.

The coach’s academic background has led her towards innovative coaching techniques and performance analysis based heavily on scientific and statistical methods.

Last season alone Jennifer has coached the Phoenix Scottish League team in the development league and was also head coach of the Scottish Women Warriors team which gained promotion in their first year in the British League. She was also asked by British Wheelchair Basketball to support the GB Senior Women’s Squad who achieved silver in the World Championships, the team’s highest ever placing.

Jennifer’s rapid rise in coaching was recognised at the start of this season when she was appointed as head coach of the new Glasgow Rocks Wheelchair Basketball Team playing in British Wheelchair Basketball Division 1.

Despite her climb up the ranks, the main goal and highlight of Jennifer’s coaching remains the same, seeing players improve and getting the benefits of sport.

She said: “To see the commitment of players who put their all into the sport and just want to do their best is my favourite bit, I’ve been fortunate enough to see that across different teams.

“I’ve been very fortunate to work with my coach mentor Tina Gordon for a long time.  I’m very scientific and statistically based in terms of performance analysis to read and understand the game. Anything we can use to help players understand the game we do.

“But seeing players get better is just the best part. I’m a coach because I want to help the players, not to do anything for myself. To see them work hard and seeing them get the benefits from that is easily the best part about being a coach.”

Stewart Harris, sportscotland Chief Executive, said: “Every year across Scotland, thousands of dedicated sporting enthusiasts devote their time, knowledge and skills to help others achieve their sporting goals. Our Coaching, Officiating and Volunteering Awards provide us with a chance to celebrate the great sporting achievements that are taking place every day and congratulate individuals on their commitment to Scottish sport.

“Jennifer has done an incredible job in a short space of time in wheelchair basketball. The commitment, dedication and support she has offered her teams and players can’t be overstated and she’s a full deserving winner of this award.

“At sportscotland we are implementing a world-class sporting system at every level in Scotland and we can only do so with the support of the many dedicated coaches, officials and volunteers.”

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Darren Thomson

A Dundee coach and official has had his years of dedication to sport recognised by being named sportscotland’s Technical Official of the Year.

Darren Thomson has been involved in boccia for 26 years, mainly as a coach, but he has been officiating for the last seven years, seeing him take to boccia courts at Paralympic and world level in front of packed crowds.

But that is just a small part of what Darren gives to the sport. As a coach he runs sessions to help players onto the player pathway with the plan of leading on to national and international level. Darren is also passionate about the sport at a recreational level where he oversees sessions where players with physical and mental disabilities play together, saying the effort the players made to overcome their disabilities was the thing that got him hooked on boccia.

Darren officiated at the London 2012 Paralympics and the 2018 World Championships in Liverpool, but he insists what he enjoys most is being on court with the athletes whether that be at home in Dundee or with the world’s best at the ExCel Arena in London.

He said: “It was the sport that grabbed my attention in terms of the efforts the individuals were making to overcome their disability. It dragged me in after that, from an officiating standpoint to be involved on the court with those individuals is fantastic and the passion is still there all these years later.

“I’ve been involved in a range of officiating capacities at a local level, I really still enjoy working at the grassroots and helping to bring on new players.

“One of my career highlights was to be involved in the London 2012 Paralympics. I was there just a year after I passed my international qualification. That was a great experience, I absolutely loved it. Boccia is usually a sport that doesn’t attract a huge audience, to be in the ExCel Arena with 5,000 attendances every day was just incredible.

“The thing I enjoy most is being with the athletes, seeing the highs and lows of the sport first hand. At all levels of the sport to be able to see and interact with the athletes first hand.”

Stewart Harris, sportscotland Chief Executive, said: “Every year across Scotland, thousands of dedicated sporting enthusiasts devote their time, knowledge and skills to help others achieve their sporting goals. Our Coaching, Officiating and Volunteering Awards provide us with a chance to celebrate the great sporting achievements that are taking place every day and congratulate individuals on their commitment to Scottish sport.

“Darren has given so much to the sport of boccia, his club and of course all of the athletes he has worked with over the years. This award is truly fitting for a lifetime of hard work and dedication.”

“At sportscotland we are implementing a world-class sporting system at every level in Scotland and we can only do so with the support of the many dedicated coaches, officials and volunteers.”

 

European Champion Toni Shaw was today unveiled as a Learn to Swim Ambassador for Scottish Swimming’s National Framework for Swimming in Scotland, proudly supported by Scottish Water.

Shaw, who was Team Scotland’s youngest athlete on the Gold Coast, went onto win six medals at the World Para Swimming Allianz European Championships in Dublin in August on her senior GB debut. As an Ambassador she will work alongside Duncan Scott to help highlight the benefits of learning to swim from as young an age as possible, as Scottish Swimming roll out the National Framework for Swimming across Scotland.

Shaw joined 30 children from Hanover Street School in their swimming lesson at the Aquatics Centre, Aberdeen Sports Village, shared some tips and took part in a question and answer session. Shaw, who swims with the University of Aberdeen Performance Swim Team said:

“I’m really proud to be named as an Ambassador for the Learn to Swim Programme. My swimming journey is really no different from how these children are learning. I had lessons at Northfield Pool, enjoyed them and was then encouraged to join the local swimming club, Cults Otters.”

Shaw who competes in the S9 classification, which includes athletes with a range of impairments, said of the National Framework’s approach to swimmers with a disability,

“I am really pleased that swimmers with disabilities are taught in an inclusive learn to swim environment. If there is someone with a disability and the swimming teachers are aware of their impairment the lessons can be adapted as required. It has been great to develop as a swimmer and be seen beyond my disability, this has helped me integrate into a performance environment where I get to train alongside the likes of Hannah Miley.”

Gavin Macleod, Chief Executive of Scottish Disability Sport, said: “Scottish Swimming is a great example of an SGB that is committed to and actively delivering their sport in an inclusive way and this is particularly prominent with their work around the Learn to Swim Framework.”

Forbes Dunlop, Chief Executive of Scottish Swimming, said: “Introducing swimming at an early age brings a whole host of benefits for children. We are delighted to have Toni on board as an Ambassador for Learn to Swim in Scotland; she is a fantastic example of what hard work can achieve.”

“Thanks to Scottish Water’s support and the hard work of our country’s leisure trusts and aquatic providers, Scottish Swimming is able to roll out the National Framework which will ultimately reach over 100,000 young people.”
Brian Lironi, Director of Corporate Affairs with Scottish Water, said: “This is an excellent scheme for us to be involved with in so many ways and we’re proud to support it.

“The programme equips children with key, life skills that will help them to be safer in the water, whether at their local pool, at the beach on holiday or even just out and about around Scotland’s miles of coastline, rivers and lochs.”
The Learn to Swim Framework helps to create quality Learn to Swim environments for children from birth upwards where they can become competent, confident and safe swimmers with opportunities to progress through the aquatic pathway and to swim for fun.

There are already more than 53,000 kids – including 5,600 pre-school children – who are on the programme and the target is to reach 100,000 children across Scotland by 2020.

The World Is Coming To Stirling & We Want You To Be A Part Of It

We are delighted to be hosting the World Wheelchair Curling Championship for 2019 at The Peak, Stirling Sports Village in March 2019.

It is a wonderful opportunity for the community to pull together as volunteers and put on a great event, and showcase not just Wheelchair Curling as a sport but also the City of Stirling as a venue for World Championship Curling.

After a week of preparation, the event runs from 3^rd March 2019 – 10^th March 2019 with three separate draws a day at 9am, 2pm and 7pm.

Make sure you don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity!  More information and the application form is available here

Deadlines for receiving applications is Sunday 9th December 2018.

If you have any questions please get in touch with the Scottish Curling Workforce Development Manager, Fiona Harfield on 0131 333 3003 or email: fiona@scottishcurling.org

Due to support from the Voluntary Action Fund, we are able to offer tailored support to volunteers who may experience disadvantage, or barriers to volunteering. Please indicate on your application form if you feel this applies to you.

The forty-first Junior Championships for sensory impaired and physically disabled swimmers organised by Scottish Disability Sport were held at Grangemouth on Wednesday 7^th November. For over two decades successive generations of Grangemouth staff have supported the event. The Junior Swimming Championships are one of the longest running events in the national calendar organised by SDS.

The Junior Championships have witnessed memorable contests over the years between emerging and established Scottish swimmers. SDS and its partner governing body Scottish Swimming have developed a comprehensive pathway in the sport so there is a competitive outlet for swimmers with a disability at every stage. This event has witnessed most of the finest para-swimmers Scotland has produced. Many of the entrants on Wednesday will aspire to follow in the considerable footsteps of Paul Noble MBE, Sean Fraser, Stephen Clegg, Abby Kane and Lara Ferguson to mention only a few who have graced this event through the years. Thanks to the bespoke time-banding classification system used, swimmers new to competition can swim at the same meet as Paralympians and Commonwealth Games representatives. This means that these athletes are accessible and inspiring to all participants there. SDS were delighted to welcome one of these athletes back for her final year at this competition. Beth Johnston has been a mainstay at this event for years and won yet another Best Female trophy thanks to her 5 gold medals. Beth headed up a buoyant Borders team who secured further medals through Connor Livingstone, Amy MacKay, Jenna Brus and Kirsty Gibb. Another swimmer competing in their final junior championships is Fife’s Cara Smyth who chased Beth all the way. It was fantastic to see her back in the pool. They will both be missed from this event, however we look forward to seeing them again at the senior events.

Grampian’s Rhys Gill engaged in some thrilling battles with the West of Scotland pair Kyle Hughes and Lewis Beagrie on the male side. Rhys and Kyle –  – both medalists  at the 2018 CPISRA World Games in Sant Cugat, Spain – were on this occasion outstripped by Lewis who claimed all 5 titles – along with the inevitable Best Male Performer (his first time winning the award) – and was under a second away from some of the Championship Records – four of which were claimed by Fife’s Ollie Carter in 2017. The one record that eluded Ollie was the 50m Backstroke which still belongs to Lothian’s Robert Dalgleish as he swam 31.96 in 2011. It was fantastic to see Robert back at the event to help Jim “The Swim” Anderson OBE dish out the medals to the deserving youngsters. It also gave Robert a chance to have a reunion with his old adversary in the pool, but firm friend outside it, Stefan Hoggan who did yet another sterling job as the announcer. Mentored by the maestro Paul Noble MBE in previous events, Stefan is a man at ease on the microphone and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the role.

There were many other performances of note amongst the other teams. Lothian’s brothers Aaron and Corey McDowell turning in some excellent performances with Aaron winning the sibling rivalry on this occasion. Fife’s Katie Pake returned to the Kingdom with no less than 4 golds. Many other swimmers from those areas and Tayside, Highland, Forth Valley, Grampian and a strong West of Scotland team also put in some brilliant times. A big thank you to all the committed coaches, volunteers and parents for creating such a lively atmosphere at the event. Many had taken time off work to support the event and it is very much appreciated by all at SDS.

It was heartening to see another rise by 10% in entries following a similar rise in 2017. This shows that more and more swimmers are being engaged in schools, clubs and branches in swimming and are being identified in learn to swim programmes or at engagement opportunities such as parasport days. Swimmers should continue to be identified in order to ensure this event remains for a further 40 years and beyond. The SDS/ Scottish Swimming partnership is one of the longest running in Scottish sport and both organisations continue to work closely to drive forward the development of disability swimming in Scotland.

Congratulations to all the swimmers and especially Beth and Lewis on their respective titles and we look forward to the second Junior Swimming Championships now at Tollcross on the 21^st November for our athletes with a learning disability.