Home Town: Stonehaven
Occupation: Development Officer, Active Lifestyles, Sport Aberdeen
Sport: Boccia
Club: Scottish Boccia Squad
Twitter: @andrinne_craig
When and how did you get involved in your sport?
I had my first experience in boccia when working in sports development in Aberdeen and I have been volunteering with SDS since 2010.
Home Town: Ayr
Occupation: Student
Sport: Athletics – racerunning
Events: 100m, 400m, 800m
Classification: RR3
Personal bests: 100m: 17.6; 400m: 77.54; 800m: 2.49.69
Club: Red Star Athletic Club, Ayr Seaforth
Coach: Janice Eaglesham MBE
Twitter: @Gav_DrysdaleRR
Instagram gav_drysdalerr
When and how did you get involved in your sport?
When I was 5, I first tried a running bike after a physiotherapist recommended it to me. I instantly fell in love with the freedom and independence that the running bike enabled me to have.
Sporting Highlights
Winning 5 golds at 2015 CPISRA World Games in Nottingham.
Sporting Aspirations
For RaceRunning to become included in the Paralympic Games.
Do you have one piece of advice for an aspiring athlete?
Always strive to achieve in everything you do!
Home Town: Stirling
Sport: Boccia
Classification: BC2
Personal bests:
Club: Right on Target Boccia Club, Alloa
Coach: Jean Duncan
Facebook: Callum Glasgow
When and how did you get involved in your sport?
2013 at day care and local club.
Sporting Highlights
Playing for Scotland at the 2017 International held at Inverclyde.
Sporting Aspirations
To compete for Scotland at boccia.
Do you have one piece of advice for an aspiring athlete?
Listen to the coaches and never give up until the last ball is played.
Home Town: Wishaw
Occupation: Student
Sport: Swimming
Events: 50m Free, 100m Free, 100m Fly, 200m IM, 400m Free, 100m Breast
Classification: S9/SM9/SB9
Personal bests: 50m Free – 30.19
Club: Motherwell and Wishaw ASC
Coach: Janice Millar
When and how did you get involved in your sport?
I joined Motherwell and Wishaw swimming club at age 5 and have loved swimming ever since.
Sporting Highlights
Selected to represent Scotland in the 2016 and 2017 School Games.
Sporting Aspirations
To represent Scotland in the next Commonwealth Games.
Do you have one piece of advice for an aspiring athlete?
Don’t give up.
Home town: Carlisle
Residence: Newcastle
Occupation: Student
Sport: Athletics
Events: 800m, 1500m
Classification: T38
Personal bests
800m: 2:15.3; 1500m: 4.44
Club: Gateshead Harriers
Coach: John Stephenson
Facebook: Ewan Waite
Instagram: hughie_23
When and how did you get involved in sport?
In Year 9 I finished second in a school cross country event. I was recommended to go down to my local running club in Border Harriers based in Carlisle. I got nationally classified for CP in the autumn of 2012 and from there have been racing able-bodied and disabled athletes. So about eight years I’ve been involved in the sport and obviously gained a lot from the sport and made lots of friends through athletics. Upon starting university in 2015 I changed clubs to Gateshead Harriers.
Sporting Highlights
Do you have one piece of advice for an aspiring athlete?
Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. There are going to be highs and lows throughout a career so cherish the highs and when you are in a low period keep your head up as there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. Keep believing and striving for more and then when you do that you will be a success.
Home Town: Inverness
Occupation: Disability Sports Development Officer
Sport: Athletics
Club: Inverness Harriers
When and how did you get involved in your sport?
Started in school and have always been involved in sport throughout my life. Started coaching athletics in 1985 while still competing for my club.
Sporting Highlights
Do you have one piece of advice for an aspiring athlete?
Train hard, train clever.
Home Town: Glasgow
Occupation: Student and athlete
Sport: Boccia
Classification: BC1
Twitter: @ReeganStevenson
Personal bests:
Czech Open – Silver
UK Championships – Silver
Club: West of Scotland Boccia Club
Coach: Andrinne Craig
When and how did you get involved in your sport?
12 years old when attending secondary school
Sporting highlights
Captained Scotland to a bronze medal.
Sporting aspirations
Progress to the world stage / Paralympic Games.
Do you have one piece of advice for an aspiring athlete?
Never give up!
Home Town: Alloway, Ayr
Occupation: Student
Sport: Discus, Shot Put
Classification: T37
Club: Red Star Athletic Club
Coach: John Scott
When and how did you get involved in your sport?
2015
Sporting Highlights
Gold at UK Championships in Loughborough 2017.
Do you have one piece of advice for an aspiring athlete?
Keep focused.
Home Town: Poole
Residence: Southampton / Wareham
Occupation: Student
Sport: Athletics
Classification: T34
Events: 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m
Club: Poole AC / Southampton Solent University
Coach: Ian Mirfin MBE
Twitter: @NathanB_T34
Facebook: NathanBlackieWheelchairRacer
Instagram: @nathanblackie27
When and how did you get involved in your sport?
I started doing athletics in 2010 when I met my first at a multi sport day at Victoria School in Poole while I was recovering from major surgery.
Sporting Highlights
Sporting Aspirations
Continue to improve and qualify for a world championships and a Paralympic Games.
Do you have one piece of advice for an aspiring athlete?
No matter how difficult things are, don’t give up. The hard work will be worth it in the end.
A summer opportunity for school aged young people from the East of Scotland has so far proved a resounding success, with 12 participants accessing the session during the first two weeks of delivery.
The session, aimed at young people with a physical disability, provides an opportunity to try a range of sports using a sports wheelchair – although participants are not required to use a wheelchair on a regular basis to access the session.
The summer session has been developed by Scottish Disability Sport with significant input from key partner’s basketballscotland, Advantage Tennis, Lothian Disability Sport, Edinburgh Active Schools & Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland and is delivered at Oriam, Scotland’s National Performance Centre for Sport on a Monday afternoon 1pm – 3pm. The session has also welcomed some of the participants’ siblings along to the session, providing an opportunity for non-disabled young people to try sport from a wheelchair. This caveat also lowers potential barriers to participation by inviting families as a whole to access the session, also providing some rest bite for parents during the 2 hour session.
The delivery and participant engagement has been excellent, with current wheelchair athletes and Level 2 coaches Luke Pearce and Josh Manson (both wheelchair basketball) and Lewis McConnell (boccia) acting as superb role models for the stars of the future. This has been supplemented by experienced coaches Michael Millar (tennis) and Tina Gordon (basketball), providing the ideal environment for learning a range of sporting and social skills.
Feedback from parents has been very positive highlighting the need for a more regular opportunity across the region, something that Scottish Disability Sport and partners are currently looking into establishing. The session also provides a direct pathway into existing sports sessions across the region – tennis, boccia, basketball, badminton, athletics and more are already delivering regular sessions across the East of Scotland.
If you are interested in this opportunity, applications can be accessed by following the link below –
https://www.cognitoforms.com/ScottishDisabilitySport/WheelchairSportSummerCamp
For further information, please contact Scottish Disability Sport Regional Manager (East), Neal Herbert, on neal.herbert@scottishdisabilitysport.com or 0131 317 1130.