Scott Ballard-Ridley

Scott Ballard-Ridley, 24, suffered a brain injury in June 2007 and was in a coma for 3 months and was in hospital for 15 months overall. As a result of his injury he is registered blind and has a number of mobility and neurological issues. Scott became the first athlete in Evesham's adaptive rowing section in late 2007. At the time he was largely confined to his wheelchair. The athlete, his physiotherapist and coach agreed that improving his physical capabilities after many months of enforced inactivity was a higher priority rather than teaching him to row. In the last 7 or 8 months Scott's ergo times have improved by more than 20% and his BMI has dropped by about 4%. A mixture of ergo, body circuits and weight training and the natural recovery process has resulted in Scott now attending training on crutches rather than his wheelchair.

Since April outings on the river have become ever more frequent. Using a large trainer boat - effectively a coxed single - Scott is now able to enjoy regular outings on the Avon. He is now got a reasonable arms only stroke. The footplate in the boat is currently being modified to allow  for Scott's lack of flexibility in his feet and he will  then be able to start working on a full stroke. The coach is looking for a solution to allow Scott to determine exactly when he is squared or feathered.

His coach says "Coaching adaptive rowers is a matter of finding practical solutions to practical problems. At each stage of Scott's development new issues have arisen. We find answers - often by trail and error. The help of a number of ERC members and British Rowing has been invaluable in this"

Evesham RC has many internal facilities for the disabled. Scott will soon technically need to move on from the trainer. The club is seeking the funding and sponsorship  to provide the additional equipment Scott and any new adaptive rowers' development will require.

Scott has just completed his first competitive "row" at the Evesham Golden Mile.  This is an Indoor Rowing event held every year in July at the Rowing Club. Scott had not broken a 2 minute 500m split prior to the day. He completed the mile, thoroughly earning his gold medal, in 6 minutes 19.9 seconds at an average split of 1.57.7. A PB by nearly 9 seconds. His next target is a split of less than 1.55 for the 2000m at the BIRC later in the year.

Gold for Neil

The Home Countries International Regatta is an annual event between England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. This year, an adaptive class for disabled athletes was included in the event.

Stratford Boat Club's Neil Smith was selected to represent the English team in the adaptive single scull category. The race was held over the final 500 metres of the Welsh National Regatta course in Cardiff Bay within sight of the Welsh National Assembly Building. Conditions were good, with bright sunshine and a gentle breeze. Neil got a good start and after a few nervy early strokes rowed an almost perfect race to win by 75 metres from his Scottish opponent.

Neil, who has cerebral palsy, is a former world champion disabled swimmer and world record holder who only began rowing a year ago. His coach, Kim Robinson, commented "I keep setting Neil impossible goals, but as he's new to rowing, he does not realise they are impossible so he just goes ahead and achieves them. He is an incredible athlete." Neil's victory helped win England the Senior Men's match and, as team captain, he later collected the Winner's trophy at the Regatta banquet held at the Cardiff Indoor Arena.