Blog: "Let's make adventure and extreme sports more affordable"
The English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS) website features a blog post every Friday through the year. In 2016 we’re taking a look at an A-Z of accessible sporting and fitness opportunities available to disabled people. This week it’s X for extreme sports, and 34-year-old Tim Farr discusses his need for speed and rediscovering a sense of freedom.
Tim's blog
In 2004, aged 21, I was skiing on a university ski trip. At one point I hit a jump with too much speed and I overshot the landing, shattering my L1 vertebrae and changing my life in an instant.
Before my injury I had always been active and enjoyed playing a variety of sports like rugby and football. But it was extreme sports, such as windsurfing, skiing, waterskiing and failed attempts at surfing, that I really loved and from which I got the most enjoyment.
I hated the thought that I might not be able to participate in these sports again after my accident.
At first I started getting involved in the usual wheelchair sports like basketball and tennis. Then within a year of my injury I was back on the slopes on a Back Up Trust course in Colorado.
I loved the freedom that it gave me, leaving the wheelchair at the bottom of the slopes and being able to do any run that anybody else could. On the slopes I could forget about my disability and be equal to everyone else.
When I wasn’t skiing I started participating in some of the other extreme sports that I thought might not be possible any more, such as aterskiing, downhill mountain biking, kayaking, climbing even a canyon swing in New Zealand.
One of the first things I wanted to do after my injury was find a way to go kitesurfing. At the time there wasn’t really anybody doing it and although a few people were interested in helping out, other sports and commitments were taking up more of my time.
Soon, working with a couple of friends called Jane Sowerby and Clare Williams (a physio at Headly Court, the military rehabilitation centre) we decided to set up Access Adventures. We had all talked about it for years while on different adventure holidays together with other friends. We wanted to share our passion for adventure sports and enable disabled people to push their boundaries.
The aim is to make adventure and extreme sports more affordable and accessible for everyone with a physical disability.
I guess you could call me an adrenaline junkie. I just love trying sports that challenge me and help me feel free. A lot of the sports that I do might look extreme but are actually pretty safe if done in the right way.
I’ve always liked the saying “do something that scares you every day.” Nothing puts a smile on your face and boosts your confidence like a bit of adrenaline. Once you have taken part in a sport that challenges you, or that people might have said you can’t do, then the feeling of accomplishment is fantastic. You can go on to achieve anything.
Read more in the A-Z blogs series.
