Dundee Dragons Wheelchair Sports Club are a ground breaking sports club based in Dundee city.

We provide sporting opportunities for children and adults who are active wheelchair users or who have a physical disability and a desire to participate in sports including basketball, rugby league, tennis, badminton and curling.

We are currently recruiting for the following positions:

• Volunteer coach to take on responsibilities for coaching wheelchair basketball on a Wednesday evening and/or a Saturday morning;
• Volunteer coach to take on responsibilities for coaching Wheelchair Rugby League on a Wednesday evening and/or a Saturday morning.

Teenager Tyler McLelland from Glenrothes continues to progress in the sport of boccia. In the past year he has taken advantage of every invitation tournament that has been available to advance his skills as a competitive BC4 boccia player. Tyler is coached by his mum Emma and at the Lothian Invitation tournament last weekend he achieved his best results to date. Mum Emma also made a contribution to tournament refereeing duties.

For the first time Tyler was offered the opportunity to play in the adult section of the tournament. In his qualifying pool Tyler won all his matches and this set him up for a semi final rematch against a player who had defeated him last year 11-0. Tyler reversed the result on this occasion with a 5-2 win and progressed to the final. The final was however one game too many on this occasion. Tyler felt that he could hardly lift his arm because he was so tired. Tyler played his heart out in the final against Fiona Muirhead but had to settle for runner up position.

This was by far Tyler’s best competition result to date. Coach Emma was pleased with Tyler’s performance and indicated that Tyler gets stronger with every competition and certainly more tactically astute.

Tyler trains at the Michael Woods Sports & Leisure Centre on the competition court provided by the Fife Sports and Leisure Trust. Tyler plays with competition balls purchased in Spain and financed by the Order of St John in Fife. Disability Sport Fife is currently in discussions with Scottish Disability Sport to try and access a series of masterclass sessions with Scotland’s leading BC4 boccia players.

Richard Brickley MBE – President Disability Sport Fife

The Scottish Football Association, Scottish Disability Sport, Forth Valley Disability Sport and the Central partners are scheduling an upcoming Coaching Para-Footballers course. Please see details below:

Coaching Para-Footballers

19^th Aug 2018, 10am-4pm

Woodlands Games Hall, Falkirk

£54 per person (Discount available to Quality Mark clubs)

This six-hour course is open to all interested parties aged 16 and over, experienced or otherwise, who work with para-footballers. In addition to delivering new content, the course will assist coaches to develop their understanding of working with para-footballers and the ability to develop individual players technique.

On completion of the course, candidates will have better understanding of:

• Understand Para-Footballers LTPD
• Para-football skill level
• Adapting of practices
• Rule of varying para-football events
• Coaching considerations
• Delivering a para-football session
• Para-football terminology

To book onto the course and find out more information please visit https://www.scottishfa.co.uk/football-development/coaching/find-a-course/, or alternatively please contact Martyn Buckie at the SFA on 07841 569 801 / martyn.buckie@scottishfa.co.uk).

Additionally, for more info on disability sport within Central Scotland, please contact: Cheryl Lappin – cheryl.lappin@scottishdisabilitysport.com / Phone: 07577 830360.

North Berwick tennis star Luke Turnbull played in his first International Tournament from 14^th – 22^nd July, representing Great Britain at the INAS World and European Tennis Championships in Paris, France.  The 15 year old, who has been playing tennis for around 8 years, claimed a Bronze medal in the European doubles and Silver (European) and Bronze (World) in the team events as the INAS World and Europeans Championships run concurrently across the course of the week-long event.

Turnbull, a pupil at North Berwick High School, currently represents North Berwick Men’s 1^st Team and St Serf’s U16 and U18 junior teams and is relatively new to the learning disability tennis programme after becoming involved over the last 18 months.  The tournament has provided the East Lothian youngster with a great experience at this level and highlighted the work required to push the top players for the podium places in future events, however at 14 years of age he has time on his side.

The International Federation for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments (INAS) supports more than 300,000 of the world’s most talented athletes to compete in a variety of winter and summer sports and organises International competitions such as the World and European Championships.  The Tennis Foundation and UK Sports Association (UKSA) carried out selection for the Great Britain team.

Home Town: Airdrie

Occupation: Student

Sport: Swimming

Classification: S10/SB9/SM10

Club: Bellshill Sharks

Coach: Scott Warnock

When and how did you get involved in your sport?
Swimming lessons from age 9-13, teacher recommended disability swim club (Clyde Valley Beavers) at age 13.

Sporting Highlights
Qualifying for British Para for my first time in April 2017, improving through the year and being selected for CPISRA World Games.

Sporting Aspirations
To get as close as possible to 1min 10 for 100m free (LC).

Do you have one piece of advice for an aspiring athlete?
Focus on yourself rather than comparing yourself to others and have belief in yourself.

Home Town: Burntisland

Occupation: Teacher of Additional Support Needs / athletics and wheelchair coach

Sport: Athletics

Club: Disability Sport Fife

When and how did you get involved in your sport?
I completed a post grad certificate in 3-14 PE in 2007 and became involved in disability sport when I began working at Balwearie High School DAS in 2008. I began as an assistant athletics coach with Disability Sport Fife then progressed through my qualifications and now run several sessions per week for a variety of athletes with a physical, sensory or learning disability.

Sporting Highlights
My main aim is to make sure I can allow everyone who comes to my session to enjoy their sport, to participate fully to the level they aspire to and to reach their potential.

Do you have one piedce of advice for an aspiring athlete?
Have confidence in your own abilities, be proud of every achievement and enjoy what you do.

Twitter: @pjbr11

Facebook: Pamela Braid Robson

Home Town: Airdrie

Residence: Glasgow

Occupation: Physiotherapist/PhD Student

Sport: Football and wheelchair basketball