Monthly blog round-up: March
The English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS) website features a blog post every Friday - sharing the experiences of disabled people involved in sport and exercise at all levels, and those who support disabled people, on their journey to being more active. Today, we take a look back at our blogs throughout March and look forward to April’s stories.
Brooke Mottram – wheelchair basketball
At the beginning of March, Brooke told us how she started wheelchair basketball by coming across a leaflet at one of her physiotherapy sessions.
"I’ve not looked back since and I can proudly say I now also represent a number of other teams - Tees Valley Titans Premier League team, Division Three team and Junior League team. I also represent the England North Team at the School Games, North East England at national level, Sheffield Steelers in the Women’s League and the GB under 25s women’s team."
Shona – becoming active
March saw our second blog post from disability, lifestyle and beauty blogger, Shona - as part of a regular feature about becoming more active. In her March blog post she speaks about when life gets in the way.
“My diary kept filling up though and suddenly I was halfway through the month and I hadn’t been swimming once. Then the cold and snowy weather came in, adding more difficulty. At first, I was disappointed in myself for not finding the time to swim as much as I wanted but I was putting so much unnecessary pressure on myself to do something that I was doing for fun.”
Ruth Spurr - monoskier
March had many key dates to celebrate, such as International Women’s Day on March 8th and the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Paralympic Games. EFDS marked both occasions and celebrated inclusion in sport with a blog from skier Ruth Spurr.
“I love skiing, I still remember being bucketed down the slope for the first time and I felt so free and alive. I couldn’t stop smiling; the speed, adrenaline and freedom were great to feel.”
EFDS celebrates winter snow sports
To mark the start of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Paralympic Games EFDS caught up with skiers Angie Hamilton and Josh Lloyd at one of Disability Snow Sport UK’s inclusive skiing session to hear about their love for skiing and get their take on the Games.
Matt Coleman – Para Ice Hockey
March also saw us hear from Peterborough Phantoms Para Ice Hockey player, Matt.
“Over the years, I’ve tried lots of different sports, from wheelchair basketball, tennis and athletics, but the one that grabbed me the most was Para Ice Hockey.”
Max Stainton – horse riding
We heard from Max in mid-March. He spoke about how horse riding is an incredible therapy for him and his plans to trek to Everest Base Camp on horseback.
“As well as providing me with a great sport and social circle, riding is first and foremost an incredible therapy for me. It stretches out my inner thigh muscles- which can give me a lot of trouble. Stretching them out allows me to do some walking, and makes a lot of my everyday care a lot easier too.”
Jeannie Di Bon - Pilates
Jeannie told us how she is a passionate believer in making fitness accessible to everyone, including people with impairments and those living with chronic conditions.
“As an instructor, I believe it’s important that the fitness community is supportive, accommodating, and understanding of the full spectrum of varied abilities.”
Owais Niaz – Blind cricket
Our last blog in March saw us hear from Owais who loves how active playing cricket keeps him.
“Walking and cricket makes me feel great afterwards because I know I’ve had a good workout. Being active has also really supported me in my daily life. It enables me to get out into the fresh air and socialise with my friends, rather than staying in and feeling isolated.”
That's all for our March round-up. April will see in stories from the National Junior Swimming Championships and the London Marathon. We will also hear from Shona again on her journey to being active.
If you're interested in writing a blog about your experiences of sport and exercise, please email news@efds.co.uk or call 0161 228 2868.
