In 2009 ASA introduced awards to promote and applaud local achievements in sports for people with a disability in Ayrshire and Arran.  This years winners will be announced at our annual Charity Ball on Saturday 21^st March 2020 at the Princess Royal Suite, Ayr Racecourse.

 Ayrshire Sportsability Award Categories

Young Athlete of the Year Award sponsored by University of the West of Scotland  —This award is for a student who has displayed exceptional qualities in disability sport (The young person must have been 18 or under at the time of participation) The deciding criteria will be: Dedication, Effort, Significant achievements in medals/trophies.

Athlete of the Year Award —This award is for an athlete who has displayed exceptional qualities in disability sport (over 18 at the time of participation) The deciding criteria will be: Dedication, Effort, Significant achievements in medals/trophies

Most Active School Award —This award is made to a school in Ayrshire or an individual within a school who has promoted a new initiative for children and young people with a disability: Criteria will include Inclusion and Innovation

Activity in the Community Award sponsored by Vibrant Communities East Ayrshire —This award is for a club that has made a difference over the year in delivering sports to people with a disability. This award recognises the skill, experience and devotion that exist in disability sport.

Disability Sports Coach of the Year sponsored by Ayrshire College   – This award is for a coach who has made a difference in delivering disability sports to people with a disability.

The Award will be decided using the following criteria: Continual professional development, Helping others achieve their goals, Club/Individual Achievements.

Nomination form

 

Just under 200 athletes registered for round 3 of the East Series Cross Country scheduled for the Beveridge Park in Kirkcaldy on Thursday 6th February. Hopes and expectations were high in schools throughout the East of Scotland because rounds 1 and 2 were cancelled in late 2019 due to severe weather conditions. On the day we could not have asked for better Kirkcaldy weather and all races and “walks in the park” went ahead as planned.

Disability Sport Fife and Fife Athletic Club as usual organised round three on behalf of Scottish Disability Sport and Scottish Athletics. On the day 130 athletes lined up for one of nine races from 500m to 3K and another 60 plus participated in one of two “walks in the park” inspired by GOGA with support from Spirit of 2012. Kirkcaldy Rugby Club was the hub for the event and as always Fife Council provided pavilion and park space. Fife AC officials turned out in significant numbers and families and school staff cheered on participants throughout the 90 minutes of the event.

Lothian Schools were represented Pilrig Park, Cedarbank and Royal Blind School. Cedarbank had an amazing entry this year as clearly indicated in the headline photo. Fife schools were represented by Balwearie HS, Glenrothes HS, Bell Baxter HS, Levenmouth Academy, Kirkcaldy HS, Lochgelly HS, Woodmill HS and Auchmuty HS. Some schools had to withdraw at the eleventh hour because of transport and staffing challenges. The final round on Tuesday 25th Feb in Lothian will determine the overall year group winners of the East Series and a high turnout is guaranteed.

Some of the leading performances of round 3 were as follows:

• Wiktoria Kabaca (S1) from Pilrig Park recorded the fastest time for secondary girls over 500m – 2.46
• Sean Barnes (S5) from Glenrothes HS recorded the fastest time for male secondary pupils (2.08) and Codie Kane (S1) from Bell Baxter HS ran a magnificent 2.40 in the same event.
• One of the outstanding performances of the day was by Zoe MacNulty (S2) from Balwearie HS who completed the 1K course in 4.39 and finished well ahead of other athletes.
• Andrew Grist (S2) also from Balwearie HS ran the fastest S1/S2 1K time of the day of 4.35.
• Michael Brown (S6) from Pilrig Park completed the 1K course in 3.56 to record the fastest S3-S6 time.
• Ruby McDonald (S2) from Auchmuty HS (12.38) was first girl across the line in the 2K race
• Kieran McCulloch (S5) from Cedarbank was first boy in 2K (9.34) and the time of Keir Fisher (S2) in second (10.28) was particularly impressive.
• Stuart Stevenson (S6) from Cedarbank was the leading junior male athlete over 3K, finishing in a magnificent time of 11.13.
• Fife AC athletes Sam Fernando (9.47), Owen Miller (10.13) and Carter Taylor (10.13) finished in the top three adult male positions over 3K.

Norma Buchanan in the Disability Sport Fife office has circulated the full results to all participating schools and key partners. Entry forms for the Scottish Disability Sport national cross-country championships to be held in Glasgow later in the year are about to be circulated. It is worth noting that there are no 500m races in the national championships and those wishing to participate should consider their event entry carefully for round 4 of the East Series.

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

 

 

I had the pleasure today of visiting Auchmuty High School in Glenrothes along with Boccia UK Performance Coach and Scottish Disability Sport Board member Claire Morrison. Our mission was to lay out a boccia court for Auchmuty HS pupils and I am delighted to report that we achieved our objective within 35 minutes.

Principal teacher of PE Ally Jack and his staff team are fully behind the project. Auchmuty HS pupil Tyler McLelland is a member of the Scottish Boccia squad of fourteen and is keen to train and develop his considerable playing skills and where better than within school hours or after school. The Physical Education team and support assistant clearly articulated today that they are behind Tyler and the court is clear evidence. Tyler is already coordinating a lunch time boccia session for his peers and we were informed today that it is thriving. Tyler is coached by his mum Emma.

Well done Auchmuty HS staff for responding so positively to a request from DSF for a boccia court in one of the school’s magnificent gym spaces. Congratulations to Tyler on securing a place in the Scottish Disability Sport national squad. Having this perfect training space will hopefully inspire other pupils to enjoy the game of boccia and help Tyler achieve his dream of climbing the BC4 ranking list. Boccia is a Paralympic sport for participants who use power or manual wheelchairs.

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

192 athletes have registered for the third leg of the 2019/2020 East Series cross country scheduled for the Beveridge Park in Kirkcaldy on Thursday 7th February. Inspired by GOGA and supported by Spirit of 2012 there will once again be a Walk in the Park and 11 races covering distances from 500m to 3k. This is the largest entry to date and there is a strong male and female entry.

The event is organised by Disability Sport Fife and Fife Athletic Club on behalf of Scottish Disability Sport and Scottish Athletics. The organisers are indebted to Kirkcaldy Rugby Club and Kirkcaldy HS Sports Leaders for support. Nine Fife schools have pupil representatives and as always Fife AC has an entry of top athletes.

The cross country season concludes with the final East Series race in Edinburgh, followed by the Scottish Championships in Glasgow and finally the Fife Championships at the Beveridge Park. This Thursday athletes will be running for points towards the overall Series championship in each individual year group.

May the sun shine brightly on our enthusiastic young athletes and the conditions under foot be all that we would hope for.

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

I learned this evening that Disability Sport Fife peer mentor volunteer and DSF coach Lucy Walkup has officially passed UKCC Level 2 swim coaching qualification. Lucy coaches at Carnegie Swimming Club and her journey in swimming teaching and coaching has been inspirational. Following a hugely successful career in high performance swimming with British Deaf Sport, Lucy has committed totally to swim teaching and coaching while studying at university.

DSF Trustees were pleased when Lucy accepted our offer to become a DSF coach at the successful Monday evening and Thursday morning multi sports sessions at the Michael Woods Sports & Leisure Centre. Initially, thanks to support from Spirit of 2012 through GOGA, and then with support from Fife Sports and Leisure Trust, this was made possible. Lucy is working alongside DSF coaches Pamela Robson, Gayle Sloan and Alex Bird. Working initially as a peer mentor volunteer prepared Lucy for her coaching DSF posts. She has made great progress over the past few months working with learners with additional support needs. Lucy has also benefited from the Scottish Disability Sport Young Start programme and is currently studying to be a physical education teacher. Despite all that is going on in her very busy life, Lucy has decided to sign up with Carnegie Masters and return to completition swimming. A remarkable young woman whose commitment to DSF over many, years has been significant. Congratulations again Lucy on your most recent swim qualification.

Richard Brickley OBE MBE Chairman Disability Sport Fifer (SCIO) board of Trustees

Borders Disability Sport launches their inaugural ‘Celebrating Success Awards Evening’, an event that will recognise the outstanding achievements and contributions made by our local athletes, coaches and volunteers throughout all disciplines of disability sport within the Scottish Borders.

There will be six awards presented and they are:

• Lifetime Service to Disability Sport
• Sportsperson of the Year
• Junior Sportsperson of the Year
• Volunteer of the Year
• Inspirational Achievement of the Year
• Outstanding Sporting Achievement Award.

This prestigious event will be held at Mansfield House Hotel, Hawick on Friday 22nd May 2020 commencing at 7.30pm.

Ruth Hounam, Chairperson, Borders Disability Sport: “Our inaugural event will showcase what can be achieved through active partnerships. Acknowledging the many clubs, coaches and volunteers who enable disability participation, while sharing and recognising athletes’ successes and stories.

“It’s a wonderful way to shine a spotlight on disability sport in the Scottish Borders and recognise and celebrate those who contribute to bringing inclusive sport opportunities to the region.

“There is still time to sponsor some of our categories, so I would encourage any businesses or individuals looking to support the development of disability sport across the region and help us positively change lives within sport.

“It would be fantastic to have you in attendance to celebrate such a special evening.”

Tickets are priced at £15 per Adult and £10 for children 16yrs and under – ticket price includes buffet catering.

Tickets are available from Alan Oliver at aoliver@liveborders.org.uk or on 01750 700 110.

Any contributions made from the evening will be reinvested into Borders Disability Sport for future initiatives.

Nominations are now open; to nominate an individual please email Alan Oliver with their name, a short description on their achievements and why you believe they should win the award.

Borders Disability Sport Awards

The annual Para Sport Festival is on the horizon for 2020, welcoming young people from across the East of Scotland with a physical, visual or hearing impairment and providing them with an opportunity to try a range of Para Sports, delivered by some of the best clubs and coaches across the country.  This year’s festival is scheduled for Friday 27th March 2020 at Forrester / St Augustine’s High School, Edinburgh.

The event, previously named the Paralympic Experience Event, is entering its ninth year since inception prior to the London Paralympic Games in 2012.  This year’s event is especially exciting as we look forward to the Paralympic Games in Tokyo between 25^th August and 6^th September, showcasing the considerable talents of thousands of para athletes from over 100 countries.

It is a fantastic opportunity for primary and secondary aged young people to experience some of the sports that are successfully showcased at the Paralympic Games.  The activities selected reflect the strong club structure in the region and will aim to ignite the transition from the event to more regular sporting activity with one or more of the session’s being delivered.  Several Scottish Governing Bodies of Sport (SGB’s) have also expressed a desire in supporting the event over the years and this further emphasises the amount of collaborative work involved.

The festival is a partnership event between Scottish Disability Sport, Edinburgh Active Schools, Lothian Disability Sport, Borders Disability Sport, Edinburgh Leisure and the Active Schools Network who work together, along with local club coaches, to offer sessions in athletics (including race running) swimming, boccia, football, orienteering, wheelchair basketball, judo, goalball and more to the children and young people from East Lothian, Edinburgh, Midlothian, the Scottish Borders and West Lothian. This year’s event will also be supported by the Celtic FC Foundation.

Video footage has been captured from previous festivals highlighting the aims and potential impact of the event featuring testimonies from young people, parents, club coaches and professional officers.  We hope this footage will prove a useful tool in providing an accurate insight to the event – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdkfhV4KwNc

If you are interested in attending the event, please find an online entry form by following the link here.  Alternatively, you can download a paper copy of the entry form by clicking here: East Para Sport Festival 2020 Entry Form

If you have any questions surrounding this information then please contact SDS East Regional Manager Neal Herbert on 0770 939 3514 or neal.herbert@scottishdisabilitysport.com.

 

Last week I was delighted to report that a number of Disability Sport Fife sessions have increased their attendances considerably at the start of the new term.

Numbers are up considerably in run, jump and throws, badminton and adult swimming improvers. We are looking at capping numbers in some sessions, increasing water space in others and taking on new coaches/volunteers in another. The legacy of GOGA in Fife supported bySpirit of 2012 is clearly there for all to see.

One of the key targets of GOGA in Fife was to establish a network of inclusive sports clubs across Fife that are open, welcoming and inclusive in ethos and practice. The Enigma Gymnastics Club was one of the first to come on board and the progress made by club volunteers has been significant.

In 2017 a GOGA in Fife partnership was established with Headwell Indoor Bowling Club in Dunfermline. Up to 24 players and club members now play weekly. Three rinks of 8 or four rinks of 6 are the norm. The remaining rinks are occupied by club members not involved in disability bowls. The club is able to provide 3-4 coaches for every session. So successful is the project that the club has decided to cap numbers at 24. A remarkable achievement by a very committed group of club volunteers.

Congratulations to the very inclusive Headwell BC and many thanks to Alyn and Chris in particular who have led the programme from the start with considerable support from Headwell Club member colleagues.

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

Colleagues, former colleagues and friends gathered together at Bilbirnie House Hotel on Friday afternoon to pay tribute and offer best wishes to Judy Black from Freuchie who recently retired from her teaching post at Kilmaron School in Cupar.

Judy was highly respected as a Fife Council member of teaching staff. During her career she made a significant contribution to the learning of pupils at Bell Baxter HS DAS, Southwood Primary and Kilmaron, working with pupils with pupils with physical impairments or severe and complex needs in particular. Judy is highly respected for her patience, composure, innovative approach and excellence in delivery style.

Judy was Disability Sport Fife’s first teenage volunteer. I arrived in Fife in the mid 70s and worked with Judy’s late mother Jean when she was my key contact at Age Concern in Glenrothes. Jean introduced me to Judy and the rest is history. Through time she became our most loyal, reliable and committed young volunteer.

Judy progressed from helping out as a volunteer at the Fife Sports Institute Saturday morning multi activity session for participants with spina bifida to Disability Sport Fife’s first weekly swimming session coach supported by Fife Council. Judy was a founding member of the Disability Sport Fife “rent a gala” team when it was organising up to ten local and national swimming galas for swimmers with disabilities all over the country.

It was inevitable that Judy would be called up for the Scottish Disability Sport monthly squad coaching team and thereafter travel with the junior and senior teams to competitions at Stoke Mandeville, Darlington and Sheffield in particular. Experiences gained from supporting national swim squads and volunteering at Tulliallan multi sport training weekends prepared Judy for the challenges of international team travel. International selections followed and Judy’s career highlights were travelling with the Scottish Youth Team for the World Young Games in Miami in 1989 and then Team GB for the Barcelona Paralympic Games in 1992.

During her professional and voluntary career, Judy has influenced the lives of many participants with different impairments and fellow volunteers and professional colleagues. Judy has always been incredibly industrious and hard working and one of the most well liked individuals in our movement. I do not recall coming across anybody who has anything other than positive comments to make about this very genuine, caring woman.

Isla Lumsden, headteacher at Kilmaron coordinated proceedings for Judy’s farewell at Kilmaron during the day and at Bilbirnie House Hotel later in the afternoon. A school poem was read out and reference made to testimonials about Judy from colleagues, parents and school partners. Isla was enormously positive about Judy as a senior staff colleague and emphasised how much she will be missed by pupils, colleagues, parents and partners. Isla emphasised how Judy has influenced Kilmaron and the wider community. Judy’s legacy will involve high standards, innovative learning practices, child centred learning, loyalty, compassion, consistency, adaptability and high energy. A true teaching professional in every sense.

Judy may have left Fife Council and is now embarking on the next phase of her full and active life but Disability Sport Fife is hopefully that she will continue to support our members in some capacity as a volunteer, where she started out 40 years ago. In the meantime, thank you Judy for your friendship, expertise, commitment, loyalty and for simply being the individual we all respect and admire.

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

We are delighted to announce details for the upcoming Scottish Disability Sport Tayside Parasport Festival 2020

Date:     Wednesday 4^th March 2020

Time:     10.00am – 2.15pm (9.45am arrival and registration)

Venue: Dundee & Angus College, Gardyne Campus, Gardyne Road, Dundee, DD5 1NY

The Parasport Festival is designed to introduce pupils with a physical, visual or hearing impairment, aged P1-S6 to try new and exciting sports. It has been identified that these groups are significantly under-represented when it comes to participating in weekly sport or physical activity. The activities selected reflect the strong club structure in the region and the key impact of the event is to provide a multisport opportunity to these pupils, identify talented individuals within specific sports, alongside channelling pupils onto local, regional club programmes and sessions.

We would like to welcome back all pupils who have attended in the past, alongside engaging new pupils to attend for their first experience. Please watch our ‘Get Involved’ video – https://youtu.be/JdkfhV4KwNc which highlights the aims and impact of the event featuring testimonies from young people, parents, club coaches and professional officers.

The festival is a partnership event between Scottish Disability Sport, Active Schools, Angus, Dundee and Perth & Kinross Disability Sport Branches, Scottish Governing Bodies of Sport along with local club coaches, to offer sessions in badminton, boccia, powerchair football, wheelchair basketball, athletics, tennis, football, bowls and curling to young people across Tayside. This year’s event is supported by the Celtic FC Foundation and we would like to express our gratitude for their ongoing support.

Booking information

Please see below event information and online application form, with a closing date of Friday 28^th February 2020 – https://scottishdisabilitysport.com/tayside-parasport-festival-2020/

Alternatively, please contact Graeme Doig for a paper or electronic copy of the information and registration pack.

If you have any questions or would like to find out more about the event or disability sport in Tayside, please contact:

Graeme Doig – SDS Regional Development Manager for Tayside – graeme.doig@scottishdisabilitysport.com / Phone: 07999544549.