Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) is delighted to announce that Maria Lyle has joined the SDS Events Team as Event Coordinator and is tasked with supporting the SDS Events Calendar for the duration of her internship, including the junior and senior athletics championships, the residential summer camp and a upcoming wheelchair sport engagement event in September.
Maria is one of Scotland’s most decorated athletes and brings with her an extensive experience of events locally, nationally and internationally.
Maria is also currently coaching the next generation of athletes at Meadowmill in her home district of East Lothian and is also returning to her own training after a period out with injury.
Maria can be contacted by email, event.coordinator@scottishdisabilitysport.com from now until the end of her role in September, after which Maria returns to her Sports Coaching course at Napier University.
Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) enjoy a close relationship with Scottish Swimming and continue to work collaboratively to support and develop opportunities for participants with disabilities to get swimming across the country.
Participation opportunities are available to all individuals who would like to swim. The inclusive nature of swimming enables people of all abilities, regardless of experience or background to come together, become connected and get involved.
This week we will be putting a Spotlight on Swimming, our partnership with Scottish Swimming and the inclusive opportunities that are available for people with disabilities. We truly believe that Everyone Can Swim.
Getting Involved in Swimming
Parasport Festivals: Swimming is a mainstay of the SDS Parasport Festivals with many children and young people given a taste of swimming for the first time under the watchful eye of Scottish Swimming staff who are quick to identify and support anyone who is keen to take the sport further. Parasport Festivals have been a key method of engaging school aged young people at grassroots level and supporting them into club activity.
Keep an eye on our Social Media channels for information on upcoming Parasport Festivals.
Learn to Swim & See My Ability – Everyone Can Swim!
Learn to Swim is an inclusive programme that was launched to provide opportunities for young people to become confident, safe and happy swimmers, and to raise standards and achieve consistency in swimming programmes across Scotland.
See My Ability is an inclusive programme that encourages children with a disability to learn to swim. Swimming provides the opportunity to learn a life skill whilst interacting and having fun in a group environment. This should be no different for a child with a disability and where possible your child will be included in a class with their peers.
There are many inclusive opportunities to swim across the country and you can use the Scottish Swimming Club Finder to find an opportunity near you here:
SDS can also support and advise you if you would like to get involved in swimming, where we can work in partnership with Scottish Swimming to find an appropriate and inclusive opportunity for you.
Everyone can swim, and these leading performers all started off somewhere – could this be you?
Toni Shaw
Paralympian Toni Shaw came through the Learn to Swim programme at the age of 8, where she soon developed a talent for swimming where she joined Cults Otters before progressing through the pathway to the University of Aberdeen Performance Swim Club. Her classification is S9 and her favoured events being the 400m Free, 100m Free & 100m Fly.
By the age of 14 Toni held 14 Scottish national swimming records where she was then selected to compete at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, and in 2019 she was to set a new World Record time in the S9 200m butterfly at the Para-swimming World Series in Berlin in 2019 when she was just 15 years old. Following this she won 6 medals at the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships, taking gold in both the 4x100m medley relay. and 4x100m freestyle relay
Toni was then selected to represent Team GB at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, where she medalled in her first games taking bronze in the 400m freestyle event, setting a new PB and Scottish record in the process.
Stephen Clegg
Stephen comes from a family of Paralympic athletes, with both older sister Libby and brother James winning medals for ParalympicsGB at London 2012 in athletics and swimming.
Stephen started swimming in 2014 and quickly took to the sport, breaking through to make his major debut at the 2016 IPC Swimming European Championships in Funchal, Portugal, where he made three finals and set a new personal best in the 400m freestyle S13.
He made his Paralympic debut at Rio 2016 where he recorded his best result in the final of the 100m backstroke S12, finishing in 5th place.
At the 2018 European Para Swimming Championships in Dublin, Ireland, Stephen won three bronze medals and set two new British records.
In 2019 Stephen claimed his maiden global title with a silver medal in the S12 100m butterfly final.
Stephen represented Team GB at the Paralympic Games for the second time in Tokyo, where he got on the podium 3 times with 1 silver and 2 bronze medals.
Scott Quin
Since making his international debut at the 2011 IPC Swimming European Championships in Berlin, Scott has continued to demonstrate his potential by producing consistent results in his favourite event, the 100m breaststroke SB14.
He won silver medals in that event at the 2014 European and 2015 World Championships, before repeating that success in Rio in 2016 where he took the silver medal in his first Paralympic Games.
Following his first Games, Scott once again claimed silver in his favoured event at a home World Championships in London in 2019.
At the Paralympic Games in Tokyo, he added to his Paralympic medal tally with a bronze medal, once again in the 100m breaststroke.
Scottish Swimming offer plenty of Coaching, Education and Learning opportunities for those who would like to inspire the next generation of swimmers in Scotland.
I got involved in curling in 2015. I previously played wheelchair basketball but had to retire due to injury. My first ever basketball coach was Tom Killin, who went on to be a ParalympicsGB wheelchair curler. He asked me along to give it a try and from then on I was hooked! Ever since, he has always been there for me whenever I need advice and help. A massive influence on me.
How many Paralympic Games have you competed in?
None.
What are your ambitions for Beijing?
Like any athlete, your ambition must be going for gold, or at least medal. Time will tell if it happens. It requires us to all keep working hard and going in the same direction and have a bit of luck on the way, then who knows what will happen!
Do you have one piece of advice for an aspiring athlete?
Persevere! Keep working hard on every aspect of training as every small gain adds up. No matter how hard things get, never give up on your dreams!
I got involved with wheelchair curling in 2019, around the time of the World Wheelchair Curling Championships, that were held in Stirling. I was asked to come along to a couple of sessions by Sheila Swan, whilst I was out of action in my athletics, due to a serious injury. This was facilitated through Scottish Disability Sport. This was a turning point in my career, cementing my new passion in wheelchair curling. I just love the “team” element.
Career highlights
Making my first World Championships in Switzerland in 2020 as alternate then making my debut at the 2021 World Championships, but ultimately making the team for the up and coming 2022 Winter Paralympics in Beijing. I would also say making the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow was a career highlight, racing in the T54 Womens 1500m, where I finished 7th in the final.
How many Paralympic Games have you competed in?
At the time of writing this I have been to none yet but going to my first Games in Beijing.
What are your ambitions for Beijing?
My ambitions for Beijing are to go and enjoy the experience, take everything in but ultimately I want to play to the best of my ability to give myself and my team the best chance at coming home with a medal.
Do you have one piece of advice for an aspiring athlete?
My advice for anyone would be, if you have a passion for something, whether you’ve tried it before or not, give it a go and just go for it, and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t.
After my accident when I got home, learning to live with my disability was important to me. Then I found something missing in my life and that was the feeling of winning/losing as I had played sport all my able bodied life, playing football (goalkeeper) and low handicap golfer. I was introduced to curling in 2017 at my local rink in Kelso.
Career highlights:
Winning silver at the 2018 Worlds at Stirling and representing Scotland
How many Paralympic Games have you competed in?
None, this is my first Paralympics.
What are your ambitions for Beijing?
Like all countries, winning any medal would be great.
Do you have one piece of advice for an aspiring athlete?
Never give up. Whatever your age, as I can prove, listen to what your coaches say and if you can just stick in whichever sport to compete in.
Toni Shaw
Stephen Clegg
Scott Quin
Age: 52
Age: 29
Age: 40
Age: 50
Age: 55
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