Gemma Lumsdaine is a 23-year-old wheelchair athlete from Dundee who, from a young age, was involved in sports such as swimming and horse riding. In 2013 she joined her local wheelchair sports club Dundee Dragons, which she identifies as a life changing moment at a time when she struggled with her disability and had low confidence. It was seeing other people with disabilities being independent and succeeding in life that really changed her perception of disability.
Her first experience of wheelchair sport with the Dragons was wheelchair rugby league but the Dragons then developed into a multi-sports club including opportunities to play basketball, tennis, badminton and curling. When basketballscotland Wheelchair Basketball Development Officer Tina Gordon came looking for someone to play for Scotland, Gemma was already established in wheelchair rugby league and para-equestrian dressage but had never played basketball before. Not to be deterred, Gemma enthusiastically accepted the challenge and played her first game of wheelchair basketball for her country with only two weeks practice.
Gemma subsequently became a key player for Scotland’s National League Club, the Lothian Phoenix, and was an all-star for the Women’s League Club, the Angels of the North. She has captained the Under 19s team for Scotland at the Lord Taverner’s National Junior Championships and was appointed Vice-Captain of the Scotland Under 23 Squad. She was also awarded the Lord’s Taverners ‘Jean Ratcliff Outstanding Achievement Award’ in 2014.
When the Dundee Dragons looked to introduce the sport of wheelchair rugby to the club’s list of opportunities, they invited the Caledonian Crushers to deliver a taster session. This was Gemma’s introduction to the sport and she never looked back. She started training with the Crushers in 2015 and played her first game 6 months later. In recent years, Gemma has progressed within the sport and now plays for the GB Talent Squad. This Squad supports athletes to make the transition to the World Class Squad and the opportunity to compete at the Paralympic Games. Gemma made this rapid progression in the sport whilst studying Sports Development and Coaching at Abertay University.
Gemma is also a coach at the Dundee Dragons, Abertay University and was assistant coach for the Scottish University Team that won the silver medal at the British Wheelchair Basketball University Championships. She is a Scotland U23 wheelchair basketball player, combining playing and coaching skills to great effect, which also presents an opportunity to younger players to see what can be achieved through hard work and determination. Gemma epitomises a coach who has the desire to keep learning and as a result was nominated for the Scottish Disability Sport/basketballscotland mentoring programme and was also named Disability Coach of the Year by Basketball Tayside and Fife.
She also has an ambassadorial role in the sport with basketballscotland 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”.
Last year Gemma agreed to talk on film to Scottish Disability Sport about her journey and experiences in sport and this can be viewed here:
Gemma Lumsdaine leads by example and is an excellent role model for women and girls looking to progress in any role in their chosen sport. She displays exceptional skill, knowledge and expertise beyond her age with a maturity and empathy which make her an ideal coach and performance athlete.