Blog: “I’m an adrenaline junkie after all”
Activity Alliance features a blog post every Friday. This year we have been sharing experiences of disabled people involved in sport and exercise at all levels. Today, we continue this theme and hear from Molly Griffith on how being active has helped her with her self-esteem and independence.
Hello, I’m Molly, I’m 19 years-old and I’m a GB para-alpine skier from Birmingham.
I have cerebral palsy with hemiplegia on my right side. This means the right side of my body is much weaker all the way down – this includes my torso, chest, leg and arm. I also have autism which was diagnosed last summer when I was seventeen. I also have nocturnal epilepsy, which is controlled and I haven’t had a seizure since September 2010.
I’m a full time athlete and absolutely love representing my country. My training schedule is full on, I see my personal trainer every Monday and Wednesday – on Monday I do cardio and conditioning and on Wednesday I focus on strength based exercises. I also ski train on either Tuesdays or Fridays.
I also usually horse ride Thursday evenings. I have trained the horse I ride to communicate with only one hand, so I just use my left to hold the reigns. On Sundays I go on a bike ride with my dad, I use my trike. On other days I tend to go to the gym alone and get on with my fitness programme. Given the race season is coming up in less than a month I am going to exercise daily, be it at the gym, skiing, riding or cycling on my trike. I have also recently started yoga to improve my balance and flexibility.
Ski training is usually done with my teammates, however this summer saw me training one to one, which has been great. I spend most of the time in the gym with my personal trainer, although my mum does come along often too.
I started all my activities as soon as I possibly could. At around the age of three I learnt to go on skis, starting from in between my mum’s legs – I only learnt how to stop aged six. I was also first put on a horse and rode a bike with stabilisers, all at the age of three. I remember getting my trike for my birthday four years ago after my family and I discovered it would have minimal trouble and injury for me – albeit cycling into a curb on holiday whilst watching a man on a zip wire, I was fine!
What I most enjoy about being active is that skiing and my other sports have always been exhilarating, it’s also given me a sense of freedom.
Being active has helped me enormously with my self-esteem, and is helping me to develop my independence. Of course it is not without its challenges. Sometimes I’m tired and don’t want to train, and sometimes my right arm and leg hurt. Sometimes I don’t ski as well as I want to, so I am frustrated and disappointed. Sometimes I don’t finish a race because I’ve fallen over, or missed a gate and been disqualified. This is all part of the journey. There is success and there is failure. What I am learning is to get back on my feet and try even harder the next time.
Being active has helped my joints and muscles get accustomed to movements. I now stretch daily which also helps keep my body mobile. Most of all, being active has taught me to adapt my circumstances to tackle any obstacles that get thrown my way.
When exercising or taking part in sport I’m extremely ecstatic simply because my body allows me to do sport. Sport for me is extremely addictive and I will never stop doing it, or other types of exercise no matter how old I get. I will always incorporate it into my lifestyle – I’m an adrenaline junkie after all.
The support from my family, friends and teammates is vital to my growth – as an elite athlete and personally. Someone who has believed in me from the beginning said this to me recently:
‘Follow your dreams Molly! Remember there is no limit to what you can achieve. Only you stand in your way. One day I’ll see you on the slopes competing for real!’
My support network is much wider than I ever imagined or truly can realise. From teammates, to family and friends, alongside those who have taught me over the years. It’s a part of what keeps me going. They may not all be related to me but they all support me like we’re a big family. This amount of support I’ll never take for granted.
The rest of the year is quite busy for me. I have got a full ski racing calendar, which for me this year starts in November and ends in April 2019. I will continue to horse ride, cycle and swim alongside all my other activities. I am forever looking for new challenges and adrenaline fuelled activities because that’s a part of what keeps me going – it keeps me happy. I would love to try parachuting or skydiving too.
My advice to other disabled people wanting to take up exercising or a sport but unsure is – give that form of exercise a go. If you’re not brilliant the first time round, don’t worry. I’m sure you will be able to get better and improve with the right support. I’d also say to talk to your family and friends and see if you can get them involved in the sport or activity you are interested in taking up. Maybe if you are inspired by a current sportsperson you could send them a message on Twitter and ask how they got involved in their sport and how they went about it.
Follow Molly’s journey on her Twitter page, Instagram page and Facebook.
If you want to be more active but aren't sure how to start, visit our dedicated webpages for advice.
