Congratulations and well done to Dundee Dragons Wheelchair Sports Club who were winners of the Community Hub, Club or School of the year at the Team Scotland Scottish Sports Awards 2019 in Edinburgh on Thursday 3rd October.
Dundee Dragons Wheelchair sports club offers participation, development and competitive opportunities for people with a disability who can manoeuvre a manual wheelchair. As well as wheelchair basketball and rugby league, the club also offers thriving badminton, tennis and curling sessions throughout the week. This gives variation and offers opportunities for individuals to participate in a diverse range of sports, learn new skills, meet new people, get healthier/fitter, increase confidence as well as compete in local, national and international events and competitions.
The club has had a very good year reaching the Scottish Development League play-off final in wheelchair basketball.
Two of the club’s male junior players, Ben Leitch and Rhys Colliar represented Scotland at the National School Games picking up silver medals, the team was also managed by a club member. Ben has also been selected for the GB Under 23 Training Squad, a stepping stone onto the Paralympic Squad.
In June 2019, the Dragons provided six players into the Tayside under 18 and under 13 regional squads which saw both teams win all their group games before each won the knockout stage to collect the trophies in each category at the Scottish Basketball RGK Regional Basketball Festival.
In Wheelchair Rugby League the club competed in the Rugby Football League Challenge Cup achieving a place in the final in both the cup and plate competitions, the first Scottish club to do so.
In representative competition the club provided players into the Scotland Under 15, Under 19 and Under 23 playing squads as well as providing 2 coaches and the team manager.
The club provided 5 players to the Scotland Wheelchair Rugby League squad who competed in the Celtic Cup in April and then subsequently in the World Cup in Toulouse.
Jay Anderson has also been selected for the GB Wheelchair Rugby Talent Squad, another athlete making progress towards future Paralympic participation.
One of the club’s senior athletes, Mike Mellon represented Team GB in the Invictus Games in Australia winning a Bronze and two Silver Medals. John Willans travelled to the USA to compete in the Warrior Games in a number of wheelchair sports returning home with a gold medal in Tennis.
In local Awards club members were awarded the Fife Disability sportsperson award and Angus Coach of the Year. Gemma Lumsdaine won the SportScotland Young Coach of the Year capping off some amazing achievements for all involved with the club.
The club supports the local community, working in partnership with Leisure and Culture Dundee, Dundee City Disability Sport and Perth & Kinross Disability Sport, providing taster sessions in local mainstream schools as well as bringing wheelchair sports to ASN schools in both Dundee and Perth, giving opportunities to so many young people to enjoy sport whilst creating a pathway for further participation.
They have also heavily supported the Scottish Disability Sport Parasport festival in Tayside and the NHS fit club where young people with a physical disability experienced sport for the first time.
Anyone in Tayside looking to get involved in wheelchair sports can contact Graeme Doig – Graeme.doig@scottishdisabilitysport.com
