Pitreavie Athletics Centre

The following major trophies were awarded at the 2019 DSF Track and Field Championships at Pitreavie on Wednesday 12th June:

Inter Community Support Services Team Trophy
2019 winners – West Fife Community Support Services

Ben Mills Trophy – outstanding male athlete
2019 winner – Steven Anderson DSF

Lita Allan Trophy – outstanding senior female athlete
2019 winner – Marie Wilson DSF

Ian Watson Memorial Trophy
2019 winner – Wayne Moreland East Fife CSS

Gilbert Trophy – top junior athlete
2019 winner – Edwin Barron Woodmill HS

Inter Schools Trophy in Memory of Russell Hogg
2019 winners – Woodmill HS

Derek Frew Inspiration Award – Top Junior Athlete with a Physical or Visual Impairment
2019 winner – Callum Sloan Queen Anne HS/DSF

In the Inter Community Support Services Team Competition the scores were as follows:

West Fife CSS – 40 track points – 27 field points – Total 67

East Fife CSS – 32 track points – 25 field points – Total 57

Central Fife CSS – 13 track points – 17 field points – total 30

In the inter secondary schools competition for the Russell Hogg Trophy the scores were as follows:

Woodmill HS – 60 track points – 61 field points – Total 121

Balwearie HS – 34 track points – 32 field points – 66 points

Bell Baxter HS – 33 track points – 24 field points – Total 57

Queen Anne HS – 23 track points – 15 field points – Total 38 points

Glenrothes HS – 11 track points – 19 field points – Total 30 points

Lochgelly HS – 25 track points – 2 field points – Total 27 points

Well done to all the junior and senior athletes who participated in the team competitions.

The Championships are supported by Fife Sports and Leisure Trust. Huge thank you to the duty staff at Pitreavie on the day who looked after us all so well from crack of dawn till close of play.

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

In 2019 the LTA will again be running a series of Regional tournaments for athletes with a visual impairment and learning disabilities. In Glasgow we will be organising a Visually Impaired Tournament on 27th & 28th July at Newlands Tennis Club and a Learning Disability Tournament on 7th & 8th September at Scotstoun Tennis Centre.

The regional series of tournaments provides the opportunity for many athletes to participate in local competition. Those that play will range from beginner to advanced level and many require support on court to ensure their competitive experience is a positive one.

Each regional tournament will be held over a weekend at an indoor venue. There will be LTA Licensed Officials working on all the matches but we are looking for enthusiastic volunteers aged 14 or over to help players on court.

No experience is necessary. For details please see the letter here:

GDT LD & VI Tournament Volunteer letter 2019

Congratulations to Disability Sport Fife volunteer and boccia coach Kerry Hick who has successfully completed the Active Fife/NHS Fife challenge of walking the West Highland Way in the month of May.

Disability Sport Fife encouraged as many participants, coaches, volunteers and significant others as possible to accept the challenge.

Pedometers and phones have been used to count the daily steps that eventually add up to 96 miles. DSF members, volunteers and significant others have been operating individually and in teams.

Well done Kerry who was the first DSF volunteer to complete the challenge and most significantlysignificantly before the end of May.

Richard Brickley MBE – President Disability Sport Fife

The Get Out Get Active movement in Fife, supported by Spirit of 2012, is flourishing because of the quality of coaches, volunteers, peer mentor volunteers and support staff who make significant contributions to the weekly sessions organised by Disability Sport Fife in conjunction with Fife Sports and Leisure Trust.

Thanks to GOGA investment in Fife, the weekly Thursday multi sports session at the Michael Woods Sports & Leisure Centre is flourishing. The coaches and volunteers who lead the sessions are supported by professional staff and significant others whose input is invaluable to the success of the sessions. This group of individuals are critical to the success of participant engagement, satisfaction and enjoyment.

Last week the GOGA in Fife team awarded another five Volunteering Matters thank you certificates to session volunteers whose input to the weekly session is considered far and beyond the call of duty. All recipients were identified and recognised by the session coaches.

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

Visibility’s Children and Families Team would like to invite you to an Ice Skating session on Monday, 1st July at The Time Capsule Waterpark, 100 Buchanan Street, Coatbridge ML5 1DL at 11:30-2pm. Lunch will be provided for children on the day, so please let us know if you have any dietary requirements.

The children will have an opportunity to learn about what ice skating is and then have a go themselves. All children must have a parent accompanying them on the ice rink in order to participate.

If you would like to join us on the day, please get in touch by calling the Children and Families team on 0141 332 4632. Places for this event are limited, so booking is essential.

We look forward to seeing you on the day. For more information contact  info@visibility.org.uk.

I have just checked the IPC world rankings for the T20 class following the recent run by Fife ACs Owen Miller in Manchester.

The Dunfermline athlete is now number one in the world rankings following his 3:56.32 run over 1500 metres. How very special is that for the past pupil of Woodmill HS and his coach at Fife AC, Steve Doig.

Congratulations Owen from all of us at DSF.

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

Men’s 1500 m T20

Rank Name Time Date City Country
1 Miller, Owen GBR 3:56.32 2019-05-25 Manchester Great Britain

2 Pereira, Cristiano POR 4:01.92 2019-05-10 Beijing China

3 Iwata, Yuki JPN 4:06.80 2019-05-10 Beijing China

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

Congratulations to Graham McIntyre from Leven who has been in London for the Vitality Westminister mile and the Vitality London 10K. Graham completed the former in 4:23 and the latter in 32:27.

Two outstanding performances by Graham who is still a relative newcomer to high performance wheelchair racing.

Graham paid tribute Michele Weltman from GB Athletics who along with some of the leading GB wheelchair racers made the Fife man enormously welcome and helped calm his nerves.

Graham found the road surface very bumpy and the pollen count under the trees very tricky. Coach Pamela Robson was delighted with Graham’s two performances and was in no doubt that he rose to the challenge in the company of more experienced athletes.

Most importantly Graham enjoyed the experience of the big occasion. Graham is growing in confidence with every event and his addition to Team Fife has prompted the whole Fife squad to step up their training and commitment to competitions.

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

Congratulations to Forth Valley’s Lewis McDermid, who won the National Learning Disability Sport Achievement Award 2019.

Lewis received his award at Scotland’s National Learning Disability Awards on 17th May in Glasgow. He was overall winner in the Sport Achievement category and is pictured being presented with his award by Megan Glancy of the Scottish Young Person’s Sports Panel (YPSP) and STV presenter Rona Dougall.

Lewis received the award because of his achievements in athletics and martial arts. He has 60 medals so far (25 gold, 16 silver and 14 bronze and 5 in judo). He’s also won the Clacks Triumph Over Adversity Award for the past two years running and qualified for the Scottish Kickboxing Team after only 6 months in the sport. He’s heading to a couple of world championships and the Scottish Open with them later this year.

Most importantly though, he won the award because of how much his commitment to sport has changed his life and inspired him to support other children with autism and learning disabilities to achieve in school and in sport.

Lewis is hoping to look at opportunities to support others in sport now that he’s left school and will be starting college in Alloa.