Hi my name is Ellie Finlayson, and through being part of Scottish Disability Sport’s Young Start programme, I recently had the privilege of attending Disability Sport Wales Dylanwadu Conference in Aberystwyth alongside other members of Scottish Disability Sport, including Young Persons’ Sports Panel member Anna McBride. It was a brilliant chance to gain an insight into the work being done to level the playing field within sport and coaching for people with disabilities, and to look ahead at what still needs to change. Here’s how the trip went…
We drove to Aberystwyth the day before the conference fuelled by a good music playlist, quiz questions, and sweets, plus a highly anticipated stop for lunch at Tebay Services! The winding Welsh roads were less appreciated…
When we arrived, we went out for dinner with the Disability Sport Wales team. The promenade, which looked beautiful! Dinner was lovely, and it was a perfect opportunity to get to know some of the Disability Sport Wales staff in a relaxed, informal environment. We had some brilliant conversations about the work they do, and it was great to share what we get up to as part of Young Start and the Young Persons’ Sports Panel. Having some familiar faces to look out for on the day of the conference definitely helped ease our nerves too.
After an official welcome in the main auditorium, retired para archer and Sport Wales board member Pippa Britton gave a talk on her journey into sport, the setbacks, and the triumphs. Her story proves that you do not need to have been participating in sport from a very young age, nor do you need to be instantly good at it (in fact, you probably won’t be!), to get involved and thrive. Sport is for everyone, and first and foremost, it should be fun! It was so refreshing to hear such a candid, down-to-earth account of an athlete’s journey, especially from someone as successful as Pippa. It may not be straightforward or simple, but the hard work is always worth it. As a wheelchair user and para archer myself, I related to a lot of what Pippa was saying and felt very seen!
After this introduction to the day, we all split off into different workshops across the day. These covered topics such as intersectionality, the importance of non-tokenistic representation of disability sport in media, and the barriers to sports coaching with a disability and how these could be overcome.
I left the conference with such a sense of empowerment having spent the day amongst so many people who were clearly very passionate about disability sport. From the presentations and panels to the small passing moments of connection with other disabled attendees, there was such a positive atmosphere with a determined, hopeful view to the future of disability sport. I am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to attend this conference, and I have taken a lot from the whole experience.
In light of it being Scottish Women and Girls in Sport Week, I have been reflecting on the Dylanwadu Conference and the many powerful women’s voices I heard from throughout the day. It really highlighted how far we as a society have come in championing women’s perspectives. To all the women and girls who are reading this and feel like they might not have a place in sport, or are hesitant to say yes to an opportunity because they think someone else could do it better, my advice to you is do it anyway. Say yes, take the chance. Do it scared. Do it despite not having all the answers. Do it because you care. Your passion means something. You have earned your place just as well as anyone else has. You may not be the best in your sport, you may not be the loudest in the room, but you don’t have to be. As women, we all have something valuable to bring to the table, whether we are highly experienced with a lot to share, or are new to sport. So don’t forget your voice.
To find out how you can get started on your pathway in sport, reach out to Scottish Disability Sport at admin@scottishdisabilitysport.com or contact your local SDS Branch.
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