Paralympian pays tribute to 'Supermum' for Mother's Day
They were branded ‘The Superhumans’ at London 2012, but who could possibly bring one of those stars into the world and nurture them towards the Paralympics? Only a ‘Supermum' of course.
In honour of Mother’s Day wheelchair tennis player Louise Hunt has paid tribute to her mum Linda for supporting her every step of the way in of her sporting career.
Linda, like many mothers of sporty children would take her daughter to all corners of the country and do anything possible to give Louise the best opportunities. The ‘Supermum’ support would not stop as her daughter was talent spotted and progressed to the adult game.
Louise was 20 when she faced her most crucial and nerve racking match of her career in 2012. The tournament in Israel that featured the world’s top players had climaxed with the youngster needing to win in order to qualify for the home Paralympic Games.
Just her mum’s presence gave the Paralympic hopeful a boost in her performance. Louise recalls the moment:
'Having her there to support me in that nerve-racking moment and to share the excitement is priceless and something I’ll never forget. I’ve never seen my mum so nervous as she was watching that match. I really think having her by my side made all the difference and I’m so grateful she was there.'
Among 80,000 packed in to the Olympic Stadium, Mrs Hunt was then able to proudly watch her daughter parade alongside Great Britain’s Peter Norfolk and Jordanne Whiley. On the celebration parade in London after the games, Louise spotted her mum dashing alongside the bus to keep up and cheer them on.
'It was just magic to share that with her. I was also able to take her to Buckingham Palace after the games which was such an amazing day and great thing to share with my Mum.'
Influential tennis mothers can become renowned from Judy Murray’s role in moulding a Wimbledon champion, to Gloria Connors breaking gender stereotypes in the 70s to coach son Jimmy. But whether it’s is a world class athlete or child just enjoying playing sport at a local club, there is no doubting the influence a mother-daughter or a mother-son relationship can have.
Since the age of five, Louise was brought to Stoke Mandeville Stadium by her mum to take part in WheelPower’s junior sports programme. After which Louise went to join the Tennis Foundation’s Performance Programme.
Louise remembers her experience at the birthplace of the Paralympic movement well:
'It is hard to describe what an amazing place it is, and at such a young age, it gave me much more than just a chance to try out a variety of sports. It was here where I met many friends who I am still in contact with today, gave me confidence and ambition to believe in my abilities.'
She continues:
'When I was younger I tried so many different sports until I found the one or two that really stole my heart. I dread to think just how many hours we spent in the car driving all around the country.
My mum has always been an inspiration to me, her give it a go attitude has really impacted the way I have approached my whole life, and especially sport.'
