Stephen Clegg and Scott Quin both broke three records each at the weekend’s Scottish Short Course Championships held at the Royal Commonwealth Pool, Edinburgh (7th – 9th January 2018).

Clegg, representing Sunderland ASC, was in sparkling form over the three days of competition and claimed two World Records (S12 50m Backstroke and S12 50m Butterfly) and one British best (S12 50m Freestyle). A former Lothian Racers and East Lothian Swim team athlete, Clegg has been with Sunderland ASC for around 12 months since his move down south and seems to be reaping the rewards, recording personal bests over several events. Clegg, who has a visual impairment, will now be turning his attention to the trials for the IPC World Championships in 2019.

Midlothian swimmer Scott Quin continued his tremendous form, claiming World Records in the SB14 100m and SB14 200m Breaststroke and one Scottish record in the SB14 50m Breaststroke. This supplemented his World Record at last weekend’s National Para Swimming Championships in Manchester – the former Lothian Racers man recording a WR in SB14 100m Breaststroke (long course). Like Clegg, Quin will now be focusing his efforts towards the trials in April for the IPC World Championships and seems to be happy with his current form and the work that is being done in the pool under coach Kostas Kalitsis at Warrender Baths Club.

Results and times for Clegg and Quin can be found below –

Stephen Clegg
S12 50m freestyle
BRITISH RECORD S12 50m Freestyle – 24.37 (Friday 7th December)
WORLD RECORD S12 50m Backstroke – 27.28 (Saturday 8th December)
WORLD RECORD S12 50m Butterly – 25.30 (Sunday 9th December)

Scott Quin
SCOTTISH RECORD SB14 50m Breaststroke – 29.89 (Friday 7th December)
WORLD RECORD SB14 100m breaststroke – 1:04.67 (Saturday 8th December)
WORLD RECORD SB14 200m breaststroke – 2:19.66 (Sunday 9th December)

Grampian’s School Boccia Festivals experienced a surge in participation this month thanks to a drive from the region’s Active Schools Teams.

More than 100 pupils with additional support needs and physical, sensory and learning disabilities from primary and secondary schools across Aberdeen City and Shire took part in three Festivals, held in Aberdeen City, North Aberdeenshire & Central Aberdeenshire. It’s the first time that the entry levels have warranted the need for multiple Festivals to take place simultaneously and follows a successful summer term where Scottish Disability Sport staff and volunteers engaged hundreds of Grampian pupils in the sport through the delivery of Boccia Bonanza sessions within a number of mainstream schools.

This month’s Festivals are part of a series, which runs throughout the school year, and the next round is planned for March 2019. The top teams will then go through to the Final, which will take place on Wednesday 8th May.
It is hoped that the increase in Festival participation will lead to the development of new regular boccia sessions in more locations, and a new session is set to be launched in Peterhead in the near future.

Well done to all of the teams who entered and competed, and thank you to all of the Active Schools staff, Grampian Disability Sport volunteers and school staff who made the day possible. A special mention to national boccia squad player, Hannah Craig, who made a guest appearance at the Aberdeenshire Central Festival. Hannah really inspired the youngsters and got stuck in with the officiating!

If you or anyone you know lives in Grampian with a physical, sensory or learning disability and is interested in getting involved in sport, please get in touch with Alison Shaw on alison.shaw@scottishdisabilitysport.com or 07828 744 848.

Bathgate Academy in West Lothian played host to the annual No Limits Multi Sport Club Boccia Competition on Saturday 17^th November, welcoming 67 players from across Scotland and the North of England.

The competition, named in memory of the former No Limits member Andrew Slack, is delivered by a band of dedicated club volunteers including event organiser Elaine McCallum and offers the last competition of the year in Scotland.

The competition was played in great spirits throughout, highlighted through the friendly yet competitive nature of the games.  The competition was split into numerous sections, aiming to provide the best experience for all participants while maintaining fair competition throughout.  The event offered players with a learning and physical impairment the opportunity to play against their peers from clubs across the country, including Right on Target (Forth Valley), Lothian Special Olympics, Dumfries & Galloway Disability Sport, Borders Boccia Club and of course No Limits Boccia Club.

The club also attracted several established and developing players with Scotland squad member, Callum Glasgow narrowly losing out to emerging Fife talent Tyler Mclelland in the Physical Disability section.

To find out more about boccia across the East of Scotland, please contact Regional Manager Neal Herbert on 0131 625 4414 or neal.herbert@scottishdisabilitysport.com.

Please find the winners and runners up from each section below –

Players with a Physical Disability
1^st Tyler McLelland (Fife)
2^nd Callum Glasgow (Forth Valley)
3^rd Fiona Muirhead (West of Scotland)

Players with a Learning Disability –

Female Section
1^st Phillipa Robertson (Lothian)
2^nd Kim Burnett (Lothian)
3^rd Lindsay Aitken (Lothian)
3^rd Helen McAllister (Dumfries & Galloway)

Male Section
1^st Darren Rooney (Forth Valley)
2^nd Daniel Strang (Lothian)
3^rd Michael Gillooly (West of Scotland)
3^rd Christian Mason (Dumfries & Galloway)

Beginner
1^st Ryan Flynn (Forth Valley)
2^nd Millie Smith (Forth Valley)
3^rd Scott McIntyre (Forth Valley)
3^rd Eleanor Little (Dumfries & Galloway)

Lothian Wolves powerchair football player Chris Jacquin has been selected for the first ever Scotland squad in powerchair football. Thirteen players have been called up to the national squad to face Middlesbrough Powerchair Football Club (PFC) at sportscotland’s Inverclyde National Sports Training Centre in Largs on Saturday 15th December (3pm kick off). The day will commence at 12pm with some development games culminating in the main fixture.

The rise to the top of the game in Scotland has been rapid for Edinburgh based player Jacquin, having only began playing the sport regularly in November 2016 and selection is testament to the ambition, hard work and talent he has displayed during that time.

Jacquin was instrumental is setting up Edinburgh based side Lothian Wolves and has been a pivotal part of the team during matchdays and training sessions. Lothian Wolves, the East of Scotland’s only powerchair football team was established by Lothian Disability Sport (LDS) in 2016 and has been developed by a team of dedicated players and volunteers.

PowerChair football is a unique sport that provides opportunities for people with a high level of impairment to access the game of football. The game is for anyone who uses a powered wheelchair or those who have limited movement in a manual wheelchair. The sport is fast-paced and dynamic and allows all ages, disabilities and both genders to compete alongside together.

For more information surrounding powerchair football and local opportunities relating to the sport, please visit the Scottish PowerChair Football Association website – https://thespfa.org/

Up-and-coming Grampian para swimming sensation, Toni Shaw, ended an incredible week on a high after scooping up a national award.

Toni, an S9 para swimmer from Aberdeen, took home the ‘Emerging Athlete of the Year: Para Swimming’ title at the 2018 British Swimming Awards.

It follows an incredible season where Toni was selected as the youngest member of Team Scotland at this year’s Commonwealth Games, and where she won 6 medals at the World Para Swimming European Championships in Dublin.

Additionally, at the start of the week, Toni was confirmed as an Ambassador for Scottish Swimming’s Learn to Swim Framework. Later in the week, her coach, Gregor McMillan, earned the ‘Disability Coach of the Year’ award at the sportscotland Coaching, Officiating and Volunteering Awards.

It’s been an exciting week for para swimming in Grampian! Congratulations to Toni and Gregor!

If you or anyone you know lives in Grampian with a physical, sensory or learning disability and is interested in getting involved in sport, please get in touch with Alison Shaw on alison.shaw@scottishdisabilitysport.com or 07828 744 848.

A para trap shooter from Aberdeenshire is celebrating after claiming two titles at this year’s British Shooting Awards.

Grampian athlete Allan Ritchie from Whitecairns was delighted and surprised to be awarded ‘Major International Medalist’ and ‘Para Trap Shooter of the Year 2018’ at the ceremony on 9th November at Bisham Abbey.

The awards follow Allan’s incredible autumn of competitions where, within the space of three weeks, he was crowned British Champion in Wales before driving through France and Italy to compete in the the WSPS World Cup and the WSPS World Championships where he took home a team gold medal. In the year 2017 – 2018, Allan also held Scottish, British, European and World Records, which is an incredible achievement.

Well done to Allan and all his supporters.

If you or anyone you know lives in Grampian with a physical, sensory or learning disability and is interested in getting involved in sport, please get in touch with Alison Shaw on alison.shaw@scottishdisabilitysport.com or 07828 744 848.

The 15^th Jed Renilson Wheelchair & Hand Cycle 10k race took place on Sunday 25^th October, attracting a small field to Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders.  The event has been renamed in honour of its late founder, Jed Renilson, and is now organised and driven by Graham Cook from the Scottish Borders Disability Sport Group (SBDSG).  The race is supported by scottishathletics and Scottish Disability Sport.

First over the line was Ben Rowlings (Red Star AC) who clocked a time of 24.03, slightly slower than his excellent time from last year, 23:27 which remains his personal best for a competitive 10k.  Rowlings commented ‘the conditions were good going out, however it was tougher on the way back in due to the slight headwind’.  Rowlings took advantage of the absence of 9-time race winner Simon Lawson, who was unable to defend his title this year through injury.

Second to pass under the finish arch was West of Scotland athlete Kyle Brotherton (Red Star AC) who finished in a time of 25.08 – 50 seconds faster than his 2017 time at the same event.  Although Brotherton finished 2^nd, he claimed the event title as the first Scottish athlete to cross the line as Ben Rowlings is from South of the Border and entering as a guest.

Third to finish and first female was Borders born athlete Sammi Kinghorn who clocked the fastest woman’s 10k time in the UK this year.  Kinghorn (Red Star AC), now based in Glasgow, is the current T53 100m and 200m World Champion so it was great to have an athlete of this stature involved in the race again this year.

The race also saw two Hand Cyclists complete the 10k distance with Alastair Corps-Bell claiming another event victory and Edinburgh’s Mike Thomas finishing in second place.

Full wheelchair results can be found below :

Male
Pos	Time	Name	Club
1	24.03	Ben Rowlings	Red Star AC
2	25.08	Kyle Brotherton – 1st Male Scottish Finisher	Red Star AC
3	29.31	Alasdair McMonagle	Red Star AC
4	29.36	Luke Deighan	Red Star AC

 

Female
Pos	Time	Name	Club
1	25.21	Sammi Kinghorn – 1st Female Scottish Finisher	Red Star AC
2	41.04	Murran Mackay	Red Star AC

Congratulations to teenager Connor Brown from Dunfermline who won silver for disability kata at the JKS national championships last Sunday at Grangemouth Sports Complex. The Woodmill HS pupil has a brown/double white belt for karate plus a green belt for judo. Connor has a type of cerebral palsy that impacts on an arm and leg on one side of his body but remarkably he is able to use all four limbs in his martial arts.

Connor is an exceptional all round young sportsman excelling in cross country, track and field, swimming and rugby. His greatest challenge is making time for all his many sporting interests. After he leaves school in the summer of 2019 Connor hopes to pursue a career in sport and recreation.

JKS Scotland is currently the largest and most successful Shotokan karate federation in Scotland. JKS has 98 clubs across the country with a membership of over 5000 students. The Scottish Headquarters are located at Elgin Industrial Estate in Dunfermline. Inclusive head coach Paul Giannandrea includes students with disabilities in the Dunfermline programme and Disability Sport Fife considers JKS a key partner in the provision of inclusive karate. Sessions organised for West Fife CSS and East Fife CSS are particularly special.

Well done Connor on your most recent success in national sport. Best wishes as you head back to Grangemouth for your final SDS Scottish Junior Swimming Championships in a couple of weeks.

Richard Brickley MBE – President Disability Sport Fife

Try curling at Dundee Ice Arena!

• Monday 29th October 2018: 1800 – Free (wheelchair try curling only)
• Tuesday 8th  January 2019: 2000-2100, £3.00

For a full list of dates and information on booking your spot, visit trycurling.com.

Dundee Try Curling Poster 18-19

Larkhall Jazzy Movers is a brand new music and movement class for kids with disabilities and their parents or carers. Come a long give it a try, sing your heart out and shake your booty. Initially we are doing monthly classes, the second one is on Saturday 27th October at 1pm. Venue is Larkhall Leisure Centre.

If interested please get in touch either via Facebook or give Jan a call on 07900 265723.

As Jazzy Movers is a non-profit making class the cost per class will vary depending on how many kids attend.