A partnership between Scottish Disability Sport and Craigie Community Sports Hub has seen support for thriving Craigie athlete, Rhys Colliar. Rhys plays wheelchair basketball for local club Dundee Dragons Wheelchair Sports Club.

The 15 years old Craigie High School student has started additional strength and conditioning sessions at Craigie Community Sports Hub, who have kindly offered their facility to him so that he can continue to develop as an athlete. Rhys was recently named Athlete with a Disability of the Year at the Dundee Sports Awards in recognition of his hard work and training throughout 2016.

Rhys is being supported by David Tolland, a 3rd year Sport & Exercise Science student at Abertay University. David has planned and is implementing an engaging and bespoke training programme with Rhys every week.

Craigie CSH chairperson, Steven Maloney commented: “Craigie CSH is centered around community needs and it is pleasure to support the development of Rhys, a member of the community. We wish Rhys all the best in his aspirations as an athlete.”

Many thanks to Craigie Community Sports Hub and David Tolland for their continued support.

Continuing on the theme of juniors with performance potential, Disability Sport Fife (DSF) is pleased to introduce Cerys Venters Scott from the west of Fife as one to watch. Cerys has a learning disability and recently found out that her classification application, submitted with support from Scottish Disability Sport, has been successful. Cerys has received an S14 national classification and her application will now go forward to the international body INAS for ratification. A successful outcome will offer Cerys the opportunity to compete at all levels of the para swimming pathway.

Cerys is 14 and a member of INcas where she is coached by Garrie Roberts. Cerys became involved with DSF when she joined DSF swimming coach Kay Maxwell at the Carnegie Leisure Centre for the DSF Thursday swimming session. Two years ago she left Kay’s session and signed up with INcas for increased water time and she has not looked back since. Cerys is now an established member of Team Fife and she has been identified as one of the leading young S14 swimmers in Scotland.

Cerys has been at home in the water since was a baby. Like so many talented young swimmers she hopes to represent her country one day. Cerys also has ambitions of taking up open water swimming and following in the footsteps of her Nana Sarah who won lots of medals and cups.  At the age of 16, Nana Sarah was the youngest girl to swim from Tayport in Fife to Broughty Ferry just outside Dundee. Cerys’s father, uncle and sister Taime were also swimmers with INcas.

Away from the pool Cerys would love to meet Robert Smith from the Cure. Cerys has a very keen interest in art and hopes one day to study at Edinburgh Art College. Cerys also has a crazy cat called Koshka.

Tracy Wiscombe and Rebecca Lee are swimmers from Fife who excelled at international level in the S14 class. Each was a multi medalist at world and European level. Tracy was also a multi Paralympic medalist who at one time was the leading swimmer in the S14 class in the world. Cerys is the first S14 swimmer from Fife to produce times that match the achievements of Rebecca and Tracy at a similar age. We wish her well in her efforts to follow in the footsteps of these great Fife champions and ambassadors.

Richard Brickley MBE
President, Disability Sport Fife

Disability Sport Fife (DSF) is proud of the quality and quantity of coaches, volunteers and peer mentors it can call upon for sport specific and multi sport sessions organised across Fife. Some have been influenced recently by the Get Out and Get Active (GOGA) programme in Fife and others have demonstrated commitment over many years.

The team involved in delivering badminton coaching and a racquet sports session on Monday evenings at the Michael Woods Sports and Leisure Centre consistently delivers top quality learning to participants of all levels of ability with additional support needs. The progress demonstrated by participants is impressive and the enjoyment and appreciation are confirmation of the success of the project.

Alex Bird and Euan Bell (back left) are the coaches who lead the two hour Monday evening sessions. They are ably backed up by volunteers Ross Cameron, Maureen McNeill, and Cheryl Leech. They in turn are supported by peer mentors Steven Anderson, Robert Anderson, Briony Clark and Ryan Spearman. This team of nine plus others are committed to ensuring that participants have fun, improve their sports skills and interact in a friendly and safe environment. Numbers have never been higher, thanks to the quality of the programme and this very special workforce of coaches and volunteers.

Richard Brickley MBE
President, Disability Sport Fife

The sixth annual Para Sport Festival took place at Forrester / St Augustine’s Community Sports Hub, Edinburgh on Friday 24^th March, attracting 71 school aged pupils with a physical or sensory impairment from across the East of Scotland.  The festival, previously known as the Paralympic Experience Event, aims to provide a platform for young people from the mainstream education environment an opportunity to access sports delivered by experienced coaches while also raising awareness of Para Sport.

The number of young people attending the event has grown year on year since its inception in 2012 and demonstrates a strong picture of partnership working between Scottish Disability Sport and Edinburgh Active Schools with significant input from key organisations Lothian Disability Sport and Edinburgh Leisure.  Active Schools Coordinators from Edinburgh provide a pivotal presence on the day, facilitating the event and leading the groups of young people throughout while making them feel welcome and supported for the day.  Jill Coleman, who has the responsibility for Disability and Inclusion while also taking a lead role on the festival, commented: “The festival is one of the highlights in the Edinburgh Active Schools school sports calendar. Not only is it a fantastic sporting event for the young people in our schools but it also creates an opportunity for dialogue with young people and their parents regarding further potential sports development in schools and the wider community.”

The day is also supported by some Scottish Governing Bodies and delivered by local inclusive clubs from the region, providing a direct link for any young people who are keen to make that transition into more regular sporting opportunities.  The sports delivered on the day were athletics, badminton, boccia, judo, powerchair football, swimming, tennis and wheelchair basketball.  Additionally, parents are encouraged to attend and stay for the duration of the event to provide an insight into disability sport and the opportunities that are available to their sons / daughters in local and surrounding areas.  This is supplemented by the event Market Place which invites associated organisations to promote their services to parents, young people, professional officers, coaches and volunteers.

Neal Herbert, Scottish Disability Sport Regional Manager (East) highlighted: “The event continues to grow each year, demonstrating its popularity and significance across the East of Scotland.  From the 71 young people who attended on the day, just over 50% were previous attendees while the other young people were attending for the first time, highlighting the hard work carried out by all local partners to identify and support these young towards the event.

“The region has some of the country’s leading sports clubs and they are central to the success of the event, the task is now to help support all interested young people into a regular sporting opportunity.”

For further information, please get in touch with Neal Herbert, Scottish Disability Sport Regional Manager (East) on 0131 625 4414 or neal.herbert@scottishdisabilitysport.co.uk.

Ayrshire Sportsability held the ninth Annual Awards Ceremony on 18^th March 2017 in the Princess Royal Suite, Ayr Racecourse.  The Awards gave us the opportunity to celebrate the fantastic achievements in disability sport in Ayrshire.

We had five categories including Athlete, Young Athlete, Most Active School, Disability Sports Coach and Activity in the Community.

The judges were inundated with nominations which in itself is a brilliant message that disability sport is being practised all over Ayrshire. The three finalists from each category were invited to attend the ball to find out if they won!

We were very fortunate to have shining examples of disability sport in the room on the night. We had Team McCowan who were part of the GB Boccia squad in the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, along with Abby Kane who, aged only 13, won a silver medal in the S13 100m backstroke in Rio 2016.

Also supporting us was our very own patron Angie Malone who is part of the GB wheelchair curling squad.  Angie was just home from the World Wheelchair Curling Championships in South Korea where the team won bronze.

We also had Fiona Dawson who is a multi-Special Olympics swimming medallist and Danielle Joyce who is a multi-world Deaflympics medal holder.

Our guests were inspired by the impressive line-up that was in attendance on the evening.

Dr Waiyin Hatton, Chair of Ayrshire Sportsability said: “This year’s celebration was the most spectacular to date, with the new generation of local Paralympians winning the Athlete and Young Athlete awards. In addition, we saw a host of other aspiring talents.  Together with the momentum of school sports activities, strong coaching and greater capacities in clubs, Ayrshire continues to be the place to nurture athletes in disability sports.”

Ayrshire Sportsability began in 2001 when it was realised that children with disabilities did not have the same opportunities in sport as their peers.  In 2014 we began working with adults with disabilities.

If you would like to find out more about Ayrshire Sportsability, the next Awards, fundraising events or to take part in disability sport please contact admin@ayrshiresportsability.org.uk.

With only three weeks to go until the 2017 Virgin London Marathon, excitement continues to rise in the Sloan household in Dunfermline. With weeks of training behind him under the watchful eye of coach Pamela Robson, teenager Callum Sloan from Queen Anne HS will head to London for his third mini marathon, wiser and more determined than in previous years.

Callum is the only Disability Sport Fife (DSF) wheelchair racer in forty years to compete in the most prestigious event in the racing calendar. Improving his own personal time is as always his key objective but along the way he will once again soak up the atmosphere that is unique to London. Callum has learned so much from his previous outings but he is no doubt whatsoever about the quality of the field and the challenge of the event. The weather will as always play a part but hopefully the 2017 event will be kind to all ambulant and wheelchair athletes.

Callum will as always have family and friends cheering him on in London. In addition, the enthusiastic DSF athletics squad will be behind him all the way. Callum is part of a small group of Fife wheelchair racers who are totally committed to track and road training. They are an inspiration to one another. Callum supplements his outdoor training with work indoors on the rollers. He is a very committed young T53 athlete.

True to form the young West Fife athlete has once again opened a My Donate page to raise funds for Disability Sport Fife. As well as his own personal racing goals Callum hopes that sponsorship money that comes his way will help others to enjoy sport as he has since becoming involved with DSF many years ago.

Richard Brickley MBE
President, Disability Sport Fife

Forth Valley Disability Sport’s new Get Out Get Active (GOGA) project held their first adapted cycling course this week.

Six volunteers attended a full fun day training course held at the Falkirk Stadium on Monday 27^th March, in partnership with Cycling Scotland and Blazing Saddles. This was a great course looking at the various adaptive bikes, how to support individuals to learn to ride and furthermore how to lead a cycle on the correct paths.

We all got the chance to cycle through the Helix Park, switching bikes as we went, and enjoyed the lovely sunshine along the way. Both Graham Harvey and Eva Finlayson from FVDS were on this course. Thank you to everyone involved.

Our volunteers can now support our GOGA project by leading led cycles throughout our community. We hope to provide this training again in the future, if you’d like to get involved then please get in touch: goga@fvds.org.uk.

As part of the GOGA in Fife programme (Go Out and Get Active) supported by Spirit of 2012, Disability Sport Fife (DSF) is launching the first in a series of new football initiatives to encourage non active people to be active.

Walking Football is being introduced to the ever increasing list of weekly DSF sessions. DSF hopes to encourage older adults with additional support needs who are keen on football but can no longer cope with football as we know it currently; juniors who may feel more at home walking as opposed to running; participants with additional support needs who require a buddy for sports.

Walking football is becoming more popular by the day across the country. DSF is joining forces once again with partners Active Fife Football Development and the Fife Sports and Leisure Trust. Dave Costello from the Active Fife Scottish FA Football coaching team will lead the session.

NEW INITIATIVE – WALKING FOOTBALL
Thurs 20 April – end of June – 11.00 – 12.00 hrs
Venue: Beacon Leisure Centre, Burntisland.
Cost: £3.60 per session (participants must register with Norma Buchanan in the first instance on a DSF form). Participants pay weekly at reception.
Coach Dave Costello

This will be the first occasion that DSF has organised a session at the Beacon. If the session blossoms then there are plans to move indoors to Kirkcaldy Leisure Centre over the winter. Walking football will appeal to participants of all levels of ability.

Richard Brickley MBE
President, Disability Sport Fife

The 2017 Fife Performance Football Academy organised by Disability Sport Fife (DSF), in conjunction with the Active Fife Scottish FA Football Development Officers, is scheduled to start late April, the week schools return from Easter holidays.

This will be the third year that pupils with additional support needs are offered quality coaching within school time from Scottish FA popular coach Dave Costello. Sessions will be provided within school facilities courtesy of the Active Fife Football Development Officers, key partners of DSF. Five Secondary schools are signed up for the programme which has had a major impact on the development of the Fife7s League.

Tues 25 April – 16 May
Madras College – 9.05-11.05
Contact Stuart Munn

Tues 25 April – 16 May
Woodmill HS – 12.45-13.30
Contact – Jakki O’Neill

Wed 26 April – 17 May
Glenrothes HS – 8.45-10.30
Contact – Alastair Terris

Wed 26 April – 17 May
Lochgelly HS – 13.45-15.15
Contact Brian Sim

Thurs 27 April – 18 May
Balwearie HS – 14.15 – 15.15
Contact – Pamela Robson

When the the Fife Football Academy programme comes to an end, DSF will join forces with Dunfermline Tennis Club for the Fife Tennis Academy programme for players with additional support needs.

Richard Brickley MBE
President, Disability Sport Fife

Jonny Brown from Coaltown of Wemyss has cerebral palsy and is a recent convert to wheelchair racing. Jonny competes in the T33 class. Support from Scottish Disability Sport enabled Disability Sport Fife (DSF) to access a racing chair for Jonny and Scottish Athletics and British Athletics provided essential expertise and advice on posture, positioning and technique.

Jonny has always been a keen thrower (discus and shot) and with support from his coach and father David, he has made steady progress. Some years ago REMAP built throwing frames for DSF which Jonny has taken full advantage of, with support from the Fife Sports and Leisure Trust. Inspired by Paralympian Sammi Kinghorn and others, Jonny is thriving on being part of the ever growing DSF wheelchair racing squad led by DSF coach Pamela Robson. Jonny is also a frequent visitor to the gym at the Michael Woods Sports and Leisure Centre.

Jonny has recently had difficulty with the positioning of his feet which has had an impact on the power he can generate though his arms. Balance and stability are critical in wheelchair racing and a local Fife company has come to the rescue. Following a meeting with engineers, John Penman and Keith Page of local steel fabricators, Fife Fabrication Ltd. (Fifab), an offer of assistance was immediately forthcoming. John and Keith have now designed and manufactured bespoke footplates which not only offer increased stability but confidence and comfort.

DSF is proud of the range of partners it can call upon in times of challenge and in this instance it is Fifab that has come to the rescue. Jonny is in a much better position now to meet his training commitments and challenge for PBs in the season ahead. Many thanks John and Keith for your time and expertise. A proud coach and athlete are looking forward to forthcoming competitions with renewed confidence and focus.

Richard Brickley MBE
President, Disability Sport Fife