In the run in to the opening ceremony of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Paralympic Games, SDS is featuring the seven Scottish athletes who will compete as part of the ParalympicsGB team and today we feature Wheelchair Curling and the Great Britain team of Aileen Neilson, Robert McPherson, Gregor Ewan, Angie Malone MBE and Hugh Nibloe.
The sport is governed by the rules of the World Curling Federation (WCF) with one key difference, there is no sweeping, meaning the delivery of the stones has to be even more precise. Teams comprise male and female athletes with a physical impairment in the lower half of their body. This can include spinal-cord injuries, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis and double-leg amputation. The team has four players: Lead, second, third and skip, plus an alternate who can come in as a replacement.
The object is to slide stones across the ice, aiming for them to come to a stop on a target, called the house, which is marked by four concentric circles. When an athlete delivers their stone, a team mate holds the wheelchair to eliminate chair movement. The lead delivers the first stone and play continues with each athlete delivering two stones alternating with the opposing team (16 stones in total). The team which places the most stones closest to the centre of the house wins a point for each stone closer that their opponents. Each game is played over eight ends with an extra end played should the teams be tied.
Curling stones are made of smooth granite and must conform to very precise parameters: a circumference of 91.44cm and a height of not less than 11.43cm. The weight including the handle must not exceed 19.96kgs. Delivery of the stone may be undertaken by the conventional arm/hand release or by the use of an extender cue.
Further information relating to wheelchair curling in Scotland can be found at Curling.
Brief History
The first World Wheelchair Curling Championship was held in January 2002 and, in March that year, the International Paralympic Committee granted official medal status to wheelchair curling for mixed gender teams.
Scotland has historically been strong in wheelchair curling: the team were world champions in 2004 and 2005, and secured world silver in 2011 as well as bronze medals in 2002, 2007 and 2017.
At the 2006 Winter Paralympic Games in Turin, the Great Britain team of Frank Duffy, Michael McCreadie, Angie Malone, Tom Killin and Ken Dickson secured an inaugural silver medal following a dramatic last stone defeat to Canada by 7-4.
At Sochi 2014 the ParalympicsGB team, comprising of skip Aileen Neilson, Gregor Ewan, Bob McPherson, Jim Gault and Angie Malone MBE, finished 4th at the end of the round robin matches, having won five and lost four. A semi-final defeat to Russia meant Britain met China in the bronze medal game where they triumphed 7-3.
Following Sochi 2014 the Scottish team suffered a disappointing defeat to Germany in their relegation play-off at the 2015 World Championships in Finland. They subsequently gained promotion back into the top flight of competition, securing 2017 World Championship qualification and a spot at PyeongChang 2018.
At the 2017 World Championships, in the Gangneung Curling Centre which will host them at the PyeongChang Games, the Scottish team won bronze with a 9-5 victory over China.
Meet the Team
Aileen Neilson
Curling runs in the family for Aileen. Her grandfather and uncle both represented Scotland and she first tried the sport when she was 15 although it was not until 2005 that she started playing competitively.
A year later she joined the Scottish/GB performance programme and made her Paralympic debut at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, becoming the first woman to skip a wheelchair curling team in either the Paralympics or World Championships.
The team were to miss out on a medal at those Games but four years later in Sochi they did not leave empty handed after beating China to win bronze.
A multiple world Championship medallist, including the bronze that Scotland won at the 2017 World Championships in PyeongChang, Aileen is currently a full-time athlete, in a career-break from her usual role as a primary school teacher.
Read Aileen’s athlete profile at https://www.scottishdisabilitysport.com/aileen-neilson/
Robert McPherson
Robert (Bob) McPherson started playing wheelchair curling in March 2007 and immediately took to the sport before eventually making his international debut at the 2013 World Championships in Sochi where the team finished sixth. On his Paralympic debut at Sochi 2014, Bob was part of the team that beat China to claim bronze.
Bob, who likes to listen to heavy rock and punk music as part of his pre-game ritual, has been a key part of the Scotland team ever since.
Last year he helped the team to World Championship bronze medal in PyeongChang, which remarkably represented his first podium finish at that level.
Read Bob’s athlete profile at https://www.scottishdisabilitysport.com/robert-mcpherson/
Gregor Ewan
Gregor first tried wheelchair curling in September 2007 at Moray Ice Rink and made his international bow in 2009. He made his debut for ParalympicsGB at Sochi 2014 where he was part of the team that beat China to claim bronze.
He was also part of the Scotland team that claimed World Championship silver in 2011 and bronze in 2017, the latter acting as the test event for PyeongChang 2018.
Away from the rink, three-time Scottish wheelchair curling champion Gregor enjoys handcycling and supports Dundee FC.
Read Gregor’s athlete profile at https://www.scottishdisabilitysport.com/gregor-ewan/
Angie Malone MBE
Angie first tried wheelchair curling in 2003 and quickly took to the sport. One year later, she was part of the Scotland team that were crowned world champions.
Angie and Scotland retained their world title in 2005 on home ice and she made her ParalympicsGB debut at the Turin 2006 Winter Paralympic Games where the sport made its debut on the winter programme and the ParalympicsGB team won silver. A year later Angie was back on the podium, this time as a World Championship bronze medallist.
In 2010 Angie was part of the ParalympicsGB team that travelled to the Winter Games in Vancouver where they finished sixth. The team bounced back in style four years later however with a bronze medal at Sochi 2014 – Angie’s second Paralympic medal, while she added to her world medal tally last year with bronze.
Angie’s contributions to wheelchair curling were also recognised in 2017 when she was made an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.
Read Angie’s athlete profile at https://www.scottishdisabilitysport.com/angie-malone/
Hugh Nibloe
Hugh turned to wheelchair curling in October 2012. Previously a keen rugby player, having represented Stranraer Academy as a youngster and Wigtownshire RFC before joining the merchant navy, Hugh was no longer able to play rugby after he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.
Hugh played in his first Scottish Wheelchair Curling Championships in March 2013 and was part of the Paralympic Inspiration Programme at Sochi 2014 – watching on as his future teammates won bronze. He made his major debut for Scotland at the 2015 Wheelchair Curling World Championships in Lohja, Finland, helping them to an eighth-place finish.
Medals have also arrived in the years since, with silver at the 2016 World B Championships followed by bronze the 2017 World A Championships, which also doubled up as the test event for PyeongChang 2018, where he will make his Paralympic debut.
Read Hugh’s athlete profile at https://www.scottishdisabilitysport.com/hugh-nibloe/
Sheila Swan (Head Coach)
Sheila, a Level 2 coach, was appointed to lead the Wheelchair Curling programme in June 2015. She is a former World Champion having won the title in 2002 and also won the Scottish Curling Championships for the first time that same year.
Sheila has worked with wheelchair curlers for eight years in a development role and also coached the Scottish team to a World Championships silver medal in 2011 and a bronze medal in 2017.
Great Britain Wheelchair Curling Paralympic History
Sochi 2014
Bronze medal – Team: Aileen Neilson, Gregor Ewan, Bob McPherson, Jim Gault, Angie Malone (alternate)
Vancouver 2010
Seventh – Team: Michael McCreadie, Aileen Neilson, Tom Killin, Angie Malone, Jim Sellar (alternate)
Turin 2006
Silver – Team: Frank Duffy, Michael McCreadie, Angie Malone, Tom Killin, Ken Dickson (alternate)