Ollie Carter from Cupar became the first physically disabled swimmer to break one minute for 100 metres freestyle at the Scottish Senior Championships for physically disabled and sensory impaired swimmers at Grangemouth Sports Complex. Ollie swims for Carnegie Swimming Club and is coached by Morag Mitchell. In total the Bell Baxter HS teenager won five national titles from five individual swims but the new Scottish Senior Championships record was the highlight of his outstanding day.

The three INCAS swimmers who were part of the seven strong Fife team are coached by Garrie Roberts. Cara Smyth from Dalgety Bay is Scotland’s number two junior physically disabled swimmer. Cara had four excellent swims against Scotland’s number one Beth Johnston from the Borders. Cara’s personal best performances were a clear indication that the young Inverkeithing HS pupil is improving with every major meet.

Kirsty Brunton from Dalgety Bay in her first season with INCAS had four swims and four titles in by far her most impressive national championships to date. Cameron Hemphill has only recently joined INCAS but within a short period he has demonstrated considerable improvement across all his strokes. The young Bell Baxter HS pupil swam as a junior guest and recorded a series of PBs at the championships.

Scotland swim squad member Steven McCormick from FINS picked up two silver medals on his way to another successful national championships. Experienced Michelle Hill from Strathmiglo won double gold in the women’s events for swimmers with a severe physical impairment and Connor Brown from Woodmill HS in his first national championships had similar success with double gold in backstroke and freestyle.

Team Fife finished runners up behind a dominant West of Scotland Team but the highlight of the day for Fife was that excellent national record for Ollie Carter.

Richard Brickley MBE
President Disability Sport Fife

As part of Grampian Disability Sports ‘Get Out, Get Active’ project the first ever adapted cycling hub will be set up at Garioch Sports Centre, Inverurie, Aberdeenshire.  This will be the first ever hub in the North East.  On Friday 21^st April eight cycles leaders were trained who will lead the weekly group rides in the near future.

The cycle leaders got to try out the inclusive cycles available so that they could understand each individual bike and how people with a disability can benefit from taking part in the sport of cycling.

Thanks to Garioch Sports Centre, one of our partners, for hosting this course.

For more information on this project contact gemma.lewis@aberdeenshire.gov.uk.

It was great to see new faces at our open day for swimmers with a physical and/or sensory impairment.

The day was held at Westhill Swimming Pool on Saturday 22^nd April in partnership with Aberdeenshire Council.

The swimmers who attended had a great time showing off their swimming skills to our fabulous coaches.  The swimmers will become part of the transition squad who train on a weekly basis.

The squad is designed to support the swimmers develop their technique with appropriate adaptations being made in training to suit their individual needs thus maintaining progression and long term engagement in the sport.

If you would like further information about the swimming squad please don’t hesitate to contact Claire McDonald on 07533056564 or email: claire.mcdonald@scottishdisabilitysport.com.

Ruairi Logan was in action recently at the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Knokke Zoute Junior Roller Open in Belgium, claiming victory in the doubles section and falling just short in the singles and finishing in second place.

Logan, a former player at Edinburgh wheelchair tennis club Winning Wheels, was in impressive form throughout the singles competition recording three victories and falling to just one defeat against number one seed Jef Vandorpe from Belgium.  The 15 year old claimed victories against slightly more experienced players including number 2 seed Justin Peraux (Belgium), adding to the valuable experience gained in 2016.  Logan, a previous winner of the Lothian Disability Sport Junior Sports Person of the Year, was partnered with Dutch player Floor Van Stijn and the pair secured a first place finish with a win in the final against Fleur Gobes and Coen Van Werkhoven (both Netherlands).

Since securing a new Bromakin wheelchair, with support from Education Scotland through Scottish Disability Sport, Jonny Brown’s commitment to track and field training has taken off in a big way. Jonny from Coaltown of Wemyss has been committed to throwing for several years now and is excited about the forthcoming Throws Grand Prix Series organised by Scottish Athletics. Most importantly however Jonny has signed for his first ever 10K in Edinburgh on Saturday 27th May.

Jonny shares two coaches. His father David has taken on the role of throws coach and with support from Disability Sport Fife David is progressing along the coaching pathway. Jonny’s track coach is DSF’s lead athletics coach Pamela Robson who has decided to run with him in Edinburgh to help him through his first ever road racing experience. They are a formidable coaching team and Jonny is benefiting immensely from their support.

A standard week for Jonny now is a couple of sessions in the gym at the Michael Woods Sports and Leisure Centre plus one or two track sessions at Pitreavie or Glenrothes. Because of his additional interest in road racing, a session on the Kirkcaldy prom or Beveridge Park has been added to the weekly schedule. The progress this young Fife athlete has made in the last couple of years is significant. Jonny has managed to combine training with work and hopes one day to fit in volunteering and perhaps even coaching.

All the very best Jonny as you prepare for the Edinburgh 10K at the end of May. Jonny has decided to seek sponsors for his Edinburgh adventure to raise funds for DSF.

Many thanks indeed Jonny for your support and good luck.

Richard Brickley MBE
President, Disability Sport Fife

Glasgow Triathlon Club is a welcoming and inclusive club open to all ages and abilities (disabled or non-disabled athletes). Triathlon consists of swimming, cycling and running, however some events are swimming and running (aquathlon) or running and cycling (duathlon) so you don’t need to do all three to join us. Many of our members just do one of the sports but like the ethos of the club. Our current athletes range from have-a-go participants  to leading amateurs at European and world age group level. Our team of enthusiastic, knowledgeable and qualified coaches work with each athlete to find what works for them and support them to achieve their goals. The club offers coached sessions in swimming, cycling and running all-year-round.

More information about paratriathlon (http://www.glasgowtriathlonclub.co.uk/paratriathlon/

More information about Glasgow Triathlon Club (http://www.glasgowtriathlonclub.co.uk/)

Back in 1976 the Annual Disability Sport Fife Sports Festival was run over one single Saturday afternoon in March at the Fife Sports Institute. For the first part of the session activities were held in the games hall and then everybody headed through to the swimming pool for the swimming event that lasted just over an hour. Apart from an enjoyable day of physical activity the purpose of the Festival was to raise awareness of disability issues and services available to disabled people in Fife. Education and Social Work Services cooperated to organise the Festival but there was no Disability Sport Fife.

Fast forward to 2017 and the Festival is now run over three weeks. It starts with the Fife Swimming Championships which this year had 175 individual entries and was run over five hours. The Fife Badminton Championships are now held at Kirkcaldy Leisure Centre and this year entries exceeded 60 for the first time. Around the same number participated in Basketball/Netball and Tug of War and the Football/Unihoc 5s and 6s exceeded 130. Archery moved to the new venue of Queen Anne HS and during the Festival period there was also a leg of the 7s Football Series at Kirkcaldy High School. Approximately 566 participants took part in the 2017 Sports Festival in 11 sports in four venues in central and west Fife. Around 200 support personnel and volunteers were engaged over the three week period. This was by far the most successful Festival to date.

Many thanks to Fife Council for grant aid to support the Festival and to the Fife Sports and Leisure Trust for the provision of facilities as part of the Service Level agreement. Many thanks in particular to the young sports leaders from Kirkcaldy High School who make such a significant contribution as Festival officials. DSF members are already asking about dates for 2018 for the longest running event in the DSF calendar.

Richard Brickley MBE – President Disability Sport Fife

Within the past few days Disability Sport Fife (DSF) has learned of the loss of athlete Derek Frew from Glenrothes who passed away following a long illness. Our thoughts are with Derek’s friends and family during this period of sadness and loss.

DSF will remember Derek for the contribution he made to the Association as a young enthusiastic wheelchair racer in particular. Derek was ahead of his time but at the same time at the cutting edge of the development of Para sport north of the Border.

Like so many young Fife athletes with a physical impairment Derek was introduced to DSF when he was a pupil at Southwood Primary and attending a learn to swim class at the Fife Sports Institute led by Colin McGinlay. Swimming was never his favourite activity but it led to engagement in sport and the Monday evening multi sports session at the Institute. Wheelchair basketball in particular was a favourite activity.

It was evident early on that Derek had exceptional wheelchair handling skills and he was fast around the basketball court. This led to involvement in wheelchair racing and his friendship with coach David Sellar blossomed. In one of the early photos of Derek, he is lined up with Kenny Suttie, Iain Matthew and Paul (PJ) Johnston. PJ and Iain went on to successfully represent Team GB in Para swimming. Kenny and Derek became racing and training partners for many years..

Thanks to support from the Order of St John in Fife, DSF was able to purchase its own mini bus and travel to race meets all over the country. The late Danny Montague and thereafter Dale Wilson supported the developing Fife wheelchair racing team that also included Evelyn Cran (nee Neave), Martin McArdle and Nicky Diatchenko. As a group they contributed to the increase in interest in the wheelchair race that was part of the Glenrothes Half Marathon/10K. Leading racers from all over the UK travelled to Fife for the meet and during the early years accommodation was provided at the Forward Centre.

Derek became a committed wheelchair racer and through time was coached by Rachel Edgar at Fife AC. Vicky Strange at the Tayside and Fife Institute of Sport supported and believed in Derek and during the early years he delivered. Derek was however unable to make the transition to GB level but his races against Ross Lowe and Kenny Suttie will be remembered by many and formed the basis of the wheelchair racing programme of the present day. Derek was the master of the short sprint whereas the others were more at home in middle and longer distance races.

Along with a very talented group of young Scottish swimmers, Derek and Kenny went on to represent Scottish Schools Sport at the European Schools Games in Lisbon. This was Derek’s only international representative honour but he seized the opportunity enthusiastically and performed exceptionally well. His commitment to his sport at the height of his career involved him wheeling daily from home along Boblingen Way to the Fife Sports Institute. With support from the staff at Provident Personal Credit, DSF was able to purchase new racing chairs for Derek and also build a shed and training rollers at home. It is not an exaggeration to describe Derek as the fastest Fife wheelchair sprinter in the 40 year history of DSF.

Derek Frew was a man of few words but exceptionally popular within his peer group. Derek was a team player, determined competitor and a young man who worked hard in the gym and on the track. Derek was around when support services were available but limited. Derek was a loyal DSF member who could always be relied on to support Team Fife. Derek had an excellent career in athletics and was part of a very special era in wheelchair racing in Fife. Derek may have passed away but will always be remembered.

Richard Brickley MBE
President, Disability Sport Fife