Tennis is great fun, which means it’s a great way for children and adults to get fit and healthy.

This taster will introduce people with a learning, physical or sensory disability to the game of tennis. Hosted at Elgin Academy, this is a partnership project between the Tennisfoundation, TennisScotland, Moray Council and Elgin TC.

Sessions are split by age and groups to cater for all needs. Equipment and information on on-going sessions will be provided. Participants with complex needs should bring a buddy who is prepared to join in.

For further information and to book please clink on this link: http://goo.gl/sNEKBB

The new curling season starts at Curl Aberdeen for the Aberdeen Wheelchair Curling Club on Wednesday 28^th September 16:00 – 18:00.  New members very welcome.  For more information contact:

W: curl-aberdeen.co.uk

T: 01224 810369

Scottish Disability Sport (Central) is delighted to launch the Regional Disability Events Calendar for the forthcoming academic year (August 2016 – 2017).

Cheryl Willet, SDS Central RDM, would like to thank partners from Forth Valley Disability Sport, Clackmannanshire Council, Active Stirling, Falkirk Community Trust, Scottish Swimming, Scottish Athletics, Scottish Boccia and the Scottish FA for their ongoing support in collating this robust calendar for the year ahead.

Please click on links below for information:

• Central Disability Events & Coach Education Calendar (local, regional and national events)  
• Sporting Events Descriptor
• Coach Education Descriptor
• FVDS Adult Programme

If you have any questions or would like to find out more about disability sport in Central Scotland, please contact: Cheryl Willet – cheryl.willet@scottishdisabilitysport.com / Phone: 07577 830 360

Both of the following sessions are free of charge and will promote pathways for regular tennis sessions for players with a disability.

Wheelchair Tennis Open session

Monday 5^th September 2016, Gannochy Sports Centre, 6 – 8pm. To book a place on the day please use the link below:

https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/OpenDays/GannochyNationalTennisCentre/12e22fc1-89bf-4bdd-949c-9edeb0d64aa3

Disability Tennis for Players with Hearing and Visual Impairments

Sun 18^th September 2016, Stirling Lawn Tennis Club, 2 – 4pm. To book a place on the day use the link below:

https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/HannahPickfordCoaching/Coaching/Session/1b986d16-fef3-4193-b295-c13473f10982

For more information on both open days, and regular disability tennis sessions, please contact Kirsty Humphries at Tennis Scotland on Kirsty.Humphries@tennisscotland.org.

As well as being an extremely competent distance swimmer in the pool and an important member of the Fife physically disabled swim squad, Kirtsy Brunton from Dalgety Bay is a very able open water swimmer. Kirsty was in fine form in the recent Great Scottish Swim at Loch Lomond where she swam a personal best for the event of 42:18.

Kirsty set a PB earlier in the year at Windermere and indicated she enjoyed Loch Lomond immensely because “the water temperature was 16.5 and a wee bit chilly around the face.”

Kirsty is a relative newcomer to DSF but an inspirational personality in so many ways. Kirsty is a very competent sailor who will try anything new that is presented to her. Aquatic sports are her specialty and DSF has benefited enormously from her arrival on the scene a couple of years ago.

Richard Brickley MBE
President, Disability Sport Fife

Boccia Leaders Award
Saturday 10 September 2016, 11am-2pm
DG One, Dumfries
£20 per person (this course is subsidised through Awards for All funding and would normally cost £30 per person)
Boccia is a Paralympic sport. The Boccia Leaders Award will provide coaches, teachers and volunteers with the knowledge, skills and confidence to introduce boccia to children, young people and adults with a wide range of abilities. The tutor will organise theory and practical sessions that provide an overview of the structure of the sport. rules and relevant practices.

Coaching Footballers with Disabilities
Sunday 16 October 2016, 10am-4pm
Annan Athletics Football Club
£30 per person (this course is subsidised through Awards for All funding and would normally cost £54 per person)
This six-hour course is open to all interested parties aged 16 and over, experienced or otherwise, who work with, or have an interest in working with, footballers with disabilities. Using practical and workshop teaching methods, the course is designed to give coaches an insight into best practice when delivering coaching sessions to groups of players with a wide range of abilities and disabilities.

For further information on either opportunity or to register, please contact Susan Bryson, Coaching Development Officer, on 0303 333 3000 or email Susan.Bryson@dumgal.gov.uk.

Sunday 21^st August 2016

Longniddry Bowling Club

Longniddry Bowling Club welcomed a number of new players to this year’s annual Lothian Disability Sport Lawn Bowls Championships, providing the stage for many individuals with a physical disability or sensory impairment to showcase their undoubted talent on the green.  The competition attracted three new players from Edinburgh and the Borders to compete alongside some of the more experienced campaigners on the disability bowls circuit and the result was some excellent shots and some very tight and entertaining matches.

The event saw an increase of 27% on last year’s number and this is an area that the branch is extremely keen to develop.  Although the competition received some withdrawals on the day, the organisers were able to draw two groups of players, resulting in some enthralling bowls.  Last year’s Section 5 winner Carole Martin (Longniddry Bowling Club) was matched with two newcomers this year in Mike Nicoll (Jedburgh Bowling Club) and Mary Wilson (Fife) and although played well throughout, was pipped to first and second by Nicoll and Wilson respectively.  Robert Kelly, the East Lothian bowler, continued his incredible record at the competition as he claimed his third successive title in the combined section without dropping any points on route to victory. However, he was pushed all the way by Alex Philips (Sighthill Bowling Club) and Gary Clelland (Bellsburn Bowling Club).  Philips was competing at this first LDS competition and has only been bowling from a Bradshaw Buggy for a number of weeks, highlighting the potential he has in the sport.

The club once again provided hospitality that was second to none with President Mike Carey and Treasurer George Anderson on hand throughout the day to assist with setting the green up, marking ties and all round support for all players involved.  A special mention to the club members who also provided the wonderful assistance serving lunch, teas, coffees and cakes.  Additionally, many thanks to all LDS committee members who supported on the day and in the lead up to the event.

Bowls in the Lothian region is exciting at the moment, with the increase in numbers attending local opportunities to the recent appointment of the East Lothian Indoor Bowls Coordinator.  This post holder will work closely with Lothian Disability Sport to increase awareness of local and national opportunities in the sport and engage more players from the region.  If you have a disability and you are interested in the sport, please get in touch for more information – admin@lothiandisabilitysport.co.uk or 0131 475 2364.

Scottish Disability Sport: Reflections on the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games

The Rio Paralympic Games in 2016 did not disappoint as the event proved to be both hugely inspirational and successful.

Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) wish to congratulate ParalympicsGB on the tremendous performances at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games and we hope to see more people with a disability feeling inspired to take up sport as we head into the Tokyo 2020 cycle.  Well done to all the athletes, players and support staff who proved they are amongst the very best performance athletes in the world.  There were many outstanding results, incredible role models and remarkable stories played out during the past 11 days.  A full list of results can be found at www.rio2016.com/en or www.paralympics.org.uk

ParalympicsGB will return from Rio with 64 gold medals, which equates to 12% of all gold medals
awarded and the best performance since Tel Aviv in 1968.  The total medal count of 147 is the highest return from a British team since the Paralympic Games in Seoul in 1988.  The exceptional performances of the athletes ensured that the 121 medal target set by UK Sport was comfortably surpassed as ParalympicsGB finished second in the medal table behind China.

A Scottish Perspective

SDS pays tribute to the 33 Scottish athletes that competed for ParalympicsGB across 12 sports, all of whom made a significant contribution to the overall success of the team, ensuring that the GB team are amongst the world’s elite in para sport.  Scottish athletes and players on the ParalympicsGB team can be immensely proud of their contribution as they will return home with a total of seventeen medals which were won by eleven athletes across five sports.  Notably 33% of Scots on ParalympicsGB reached the podium!  The medal haul includes five gold, eight silver and four bronze medals, accounting for 11.5% of ParalympicGB medals won.  This is the highest medal tally for Scots at a Paralympic Games since Sydney 2000.

The table shows the performance of each of the five sports:

Scottish Medal Winners

Gold
Libby Clegg (Athletics): T11 100m
Libby Clegg (Athletics): T11 200m
Jo Butterfield (Athletics): F51 Club Throw
Karen Darke (Cycling): H1-2-3 Time Trial
Gordon Reid (Wheelchair Tennis): Open Singles

Silver
Stef Reid (Athletics): T44 Long Jump
Maria Lyle (Athletics): T35 4x100m relay
Neil Fachie (Cycling): B 1000m Time Trial
Alison Patrick / Hazel Smith (Guide) (Para Triathlon): PT5
Scott Quin (Swimming): SB14 100m Breaststroke
Abby Kane (Swimming): S13 100m Backstroke
Andrew Mullen (Swimming): S5 50m Backstroke
Gordon Reid (Wheelchair Tennis): Open Doubles

Bronze
Maria Lyle (Athletics): T35 100m
Maria Lyle (Athletics): T35 200m
Andrew Mullen (Swimming): S5 200m Freestyle
Andre Mullen (Swimming): S5 100m Freestyle

For a full list of Scottish results please click here.

Once again the Scots excelled on the Paralympic stage whilst making a significant contribution to the medal tally of ParalympicsGB, with eleven Scots reaching the podium.  These athletes produced many memorable highlights over the course of the Games however, the double gold from Libby Clegg in the T11 100m and 200m stands out; as does Gordon Reid’s gold and silver medals in the wheelchair tennis singles and doubles respectively.  Maria Lyle (athletics) and Andrew Mullen (swimming) won the most medals with three apiece, whilst ParalympicsGB’s youngest competitor Abby Kane, aged 13, won silver in the S13 100m Backstroke!

There were many inspirational moments throughout the course of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games and SDS congratulate all of our athletes and support staff.

Any person with a disability who has been inspired by events in Rio should contact SDS on 0131 317 1130 or admin@scottishdisabilitysport.com.

In addition, local and regional contacts can be accessed on the following links:

SDS Branches:

https://scottishdisabilitysport.com/about-sds/branch-contacts/

Regional Development Managers:

https://scottishdisabilitysport.com/regional-managers/

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Classification is not unique to disability sport and is simply a structure for competition. In mainstream sports such as boxing, weightlifting and judo athletes are categorised by weight classes. In disability sport athletes and players are grouped into classes determined by their degree impairment. Sport specific classifiers determine that an athlete is eligible and then allocate a sports class.

The International Paralympic committee (IPC) recognises six different disability groups. These are:

• Amputees
• Athletes with cerebral palsy
• Blind or visually impaired athletes
• Spinal cord injured athletes
• Athletes with an intellectual/learning disability

Other athletes (les autres) with a physical disability who do not fit into any of the above five groups.

IPC Layman’s Guide to Classification

Divisioning in Disability Sport

Intellectual Impairment Classification Policy

The British Paralympic Association and Home Country Associations (Scottish Disability Sport in Scotland) take the lead from the IPC in recognising eligible sports participants.

Each IPC sport has processes and procedures for classification which conform to guidelines laid down by the IPC. Each sport has a well trained international team of classifiers drawn largely from a medical, physiotherapy or sports technical background. Classifiers operate in panels of two/three and include a representative from each professional group within each panel.

An athlete’s class is determined by a physical and technical assessment and observation in and out of competition. Classification is an ongoing process. On entry to international competition new athletes will carry the status (N). Athletes whose classification is under review because their impairment is progressive or classifiers are still undecided will carry the status (R). Athletes whose class has been confirmed will have a status (C). Some athletes are reviewed over many years and athletes with the (C) status sometimes have their class reviewed if new information becomes available.

Classes are defined by each sport and form part of the sport rules. Individual sports have the responsibility for the education and training of classifiers. Classifiers are now largely sport specific whereas at one time they covered several sports.

At the Commonwealth Games there are events for elite athletes with a disability (EAD). Prior to each Games it is decided which sports will offer EAD events. In the major sports of swimming and athletics EAD athletes compete under their own IPC international class against the world record of that specific class. The athlete closest to the world record is judged the winner of the event.

At the Commonwealth Games there are events for elite athletes with a disability (EAD). Prior to each Games it is decided which sports will offer EAD events. In the major sports of swimming and athletics EAD athletes compete under their own IPC international class against the world record of that specific class. The athlete closest to the world record is judged the winner of the event.