sportscotland Coaching, Officiating and Volunteering awards 2018 -

Congratulations to all the winners of the sportscotland Coaching, Officiating and Volunteering awards 2018.

Scottish Disability Sport would especially like to note the following winners who work tirelessly in the field of disability sport or demonstrate inclusion in their coaching:

Young Coach of the Year: Gemma Lumsdaine
Volunteer of the Year: Kirsty Ewen
Performance Development Coach of the Year: Jennifer Scally
Disability Coach of the Year: Gregor McMillan
Technical Official of the Year: Darren Thomson

Each of them is such a worthy winner and so deserve this recognition for all their time, energy and commitment.

This was a wonderful night dedicated to the people who make sport happen. Many thanks to sportscotland for providing such an excellent night and the City of Glasgow for providing such a fitting venue.

Gregor McMillan

Sportscotland coaching awards 2018
Pics by Alan Peebles

An Aberdeen coach has been recognised for his stellar work in para swimming after he was named sportscotland’s Disability Coach of the Year.

Gregor McMillan is the Head Coach of the University of Aberdeen Performance Swimming squad and some of his brightest prospects have had seasons to remember as Toni Shaw won six medals (two gold, two silver and two bronze) at the IPC European Swimming Championships and Conner Morrison won silver at the same competition.

A key part of Gregor’s coaching ethos is to have a fully inclusive programme for both able bodied and para swimmers, with the only goal being to ensure each swimmer is able to reach their potential.

As well as having a great understanding of inclusion and para swimming and creating an equitable environment for swimmers with a disability, Gregor goes to great lengths to adapt his coaching practices to ensure the best fit for each athlete and has linked with both Scottish Swimming and British Para-Swimming to further develop his knowledge and understanding of the para-swimming pathway.

Gregor is working hard with Toni and Conner as they look to make the step up to world level with an eye on Tokyo 2020, but it’s not his athletes winning medals that gives him the most satisfaction in his work, it is seeing improvements in all his athletes both in the pool and away from the pool.

He said: “The success of the guys in the last year has been down to their hard work. They’ve put the building blocks in place in terms of commitment and attention to detail. The progression for them will be to try and step up from European level to try and be successful on the world circuit this season, and beyond that Tokyo is the next goal.

“The most rewarding thing about what I do is seeing athletes develop, both physically and personally. Getting results from perseverance and hard work is so rewarding and I enjoy seeing that on a daily basis.

“The integration of the programme is very important to us, we’re not looking to exclude any athletes or make it able bodied only. It’s about making sure every athlete is included, challenged and able to achieve their potential in the sport.”

Stewart Harris, sportscotland Chief Executive, said: “Every year across Scotland, thousands of dedicated sporting enthusiasts devote their time, knowledge and skills to help others achieve their sporting goals. Our Coaching, Officiating and Volunteering Awards provide us with a chance to celebrate the great sporting achievements that are taking place every day and congratulate individuals on their commitment to Scottish sport.

“Gregor has done an incredible job in para swimming, the improvements in his swimmers are testament to that. The commitment, dedication and support he offers all of his swimmers can’t be overstated and he’s a fully deserving winner of this award.

“At sportscotland we are implementing a world-class sporting system at every level in Scotland and we can only do so with the support of the many dedicated coaches, officials and volunteers.”

Gemma Lumsdaine

A Dundee coach has been recognised for her dedication to wheelchair basketball after she was named sportscotland’s Performance Development Coach of the Year.

Gemma Lumsdaine is a Scotland under-23 wheelchair basketball player whose hard work as a coach in recent years has led to some brilliant results.

Gemma has coached the juniors at the Dundee Dragons for the last two years, leading by example and showing a huge impact on the club’s youngsters.

As well as coaching the Junior Dragons, Gemma coaches the Tayside Regional Squad and she is assistant coach for Scotland U19s, supporting two of the Dundee Dragons to represent the UK in the Invictus Games and the GB under-22 team.

Under Gemma’s guidance as lead coach the Senior Dragons team won a memorable double as they clinched the Scottish League and Cup.

She juggles her coaching and playing responsibilities with an ambassadorial role in the sport with Basketball Scotland and has presented at the UK Coaching Conference, the Scottish Women’s Convention, and was also asked to address the House of Lords at the launch of ‘Supporting Tomorrow’s Superstars’.

But despite her tireless work, Gemma says that she gets more out of the sport than she puts in, saying that having a key role in player improvement is just rewards for all the hours she dedicates on and off the court.

She said: “It is really important to keep learning and trying to improve yourself as a coach. My favourite part about being a coach is seeing players develop, not necessarily on the court but develop as people, seeing their skills and confidence increase and seeing their lives improve as a result.

“Building trust and a rapport with athletes is really important, that’s how you get the best out of someone. It means you have a relationship which isn’t just on the court, you can help them with other parts of life too.”

“Gemma has done an incredible job in a short space of time in wheelchair basketball. The commitment, dedication and support she offers her club and players can’t be overstated and she’s a full deserving winner of this award.

“At sportscotland we are implementing a world-class sporting system at every level in Scotland and we can only do so with the support of the many dedicated coaches, officials and volunteers.”

Jennifer Scally

A Glasgow coach has been recognised for her dedication to wheelchair basketball after winning sportscotland’s Performance Development Coach of the Year Award.

Jennifer Scally has had a major impact on wheelchair basketball in Scotland, helping the growth of the junior and women’s and coaching several teams very successfully.

Jennifer, originally from Northern Ireland, became hooked on wheelchair basketball shortly after moving to Scotland to study sports science and has never looked back after starting off volunteering with the Dundee Dragons. Her coaching career has continued to flourish several years after moving to Glasgow and she now coaches the Glasgow Rocks Wheelchair Basketball Team.

The coach’s academic background has led her towards innovative coaching techniques and performance analysis based heavily on scientific and statistical methods.

Last season alone Jennifer has coached the Phoenix Scottish League team in the development league and was also head coach of the Scottish Women Warriors team which gained promotion in their first year in the British League. She was also asked by British Wheelchair Basketball to support the GB Senior Women’s Squad who achieved silver in the World Championships, the team’s highest ever placing.

Jennifer’s rapid rise in coaching was recognised at the start of this season when she was appointed as head coach of the new Glasgow Rocks Wheelchair Basketball Team playing in British Wheelchair Basketball Division 1.

Despite her climb up the ranks, the main goal and highlight of Jennifer’s coaching remains the same, seeing players improve and getting the benefits of sport.

She said: “To see the commitment of players who put their all into the sport and just want to do their best is my favourite bit, I’ve been fortunate enough to see that across different teams.

“I’ve been very fortunate to work with my coach mentor Tina Gordon for a long time. I’m very scientific and statistically based in terms of performance analysis to read and understand the game. Anything we can use to help players understand the game we do.

“But seeing players get better is just the best part. I’m a coach because I want to help the players, not to do anything for myself. To see them work hard and seeing them get the benefits from that is easily the best part about being a coach.”

“Jennifer has done an incredible job in a short space of time in wheelchair basketball. The commitment, dedication and support she has offered her teams and players can’t be overstated and she’s a full deserving winner of this award.

“At sportscotland we are implementing a world-class sporting system at every level in Scotland and we can only do so with the support of the many dedicated coaches, officials and volunteers.”

Darren Thomson

A Dundee coach and official has had his years of dedication to sport recognised by being named sportscotland’s Technical Official of the Year.

Darren Thomson has been involved in boccia for 26 years, mainly as a coach, but he has been officiating for the last seven years, seeing him take to boccia courts at Paralympic and world level in front of packed crowds.

But that is just a small part of what Darren gives to the sport. As a coach he runs sessions to help players onto the player pathway with the plan of leading on to national and international level. Darren is also passionate about the sport at a recreational level where he oversees sessions where players with physical and mental disabilities play together, saying the effort the players made to overcome their disabilities was the thing that got him hooked on boccia.

Darren officiated at the London 2012 Paralympics and the 2018 World Championships in Liverpool, but he insists what he enjoys most is being on court with the athletes whether that be at home in Dundee or with the world’s best at the ExCel Arena in London.

He said: “It was the sport that grabbed my attention in terms of the efforts the individuals were making to overcome their disability. It dragged me in after that, from an officiating standpoint to be involved on the court with those individuals is fantastic and the passion is still there all these years later.

“I’ve been involved in a range of officiating capacities at a local level, I really still enjoy working at the grassroots and helping to bring on new players.

“One of my career highlights was to be involved in the London 2012 Paralympics. I was there just a year after I passed my international qualification. That was a great experience, I absolutely loved it. Boccia is usually a sport that doesn’t attract a huge audience, to be in the ExCel Arena with 5,000 attendances every day was just incredible.

“The thing I enjoy most is being with the athletes, seeing the highs and lows of the sport first hand. At all levels of the sport to be able to see and interact with the athletes first hand.”

“Darren has given so much to the sport of boccia, his club and of course all of the athletes he has worked with over the years. This award is truly fitting for a lifetime of hard work and dedication.”

“At sportscotland we are implementing a world-class sporting system at every level in Scotland and we can only do so with the support of the many dedicated coaches, officials and volunteers.”