 By Laura Pilkington and Maria Lyle
Q: What is your disability?
Laura: My disability is Brittle Bones Disease (more technically known as Osteogenesis Imperfecta). The name gives away one of the symptoms, which is my bones break more easily. Brittle Bone disease also means I am short in stature, have bone deformities, loose joints and scoliosis, which is a curvature of the spine. I also have a difference in leg length with my right being longer than my left.
Maria: I have Spastic Diplegia Cerebral Palsy. It affects both my legs. I also experience tightness down the right side of my neck and hand.
Q: How did you get into sport?
Laura: I got involved in sport quite late not till I was about 11/12. I had always loved being in the water and enjoyed swimming on holiday in the summer; I also did swimming at school and really enjoyed it. None of my family were that keen on swimming so was hard to persuade someone to go with me! So, when I was thirteen, I decided to join a club; it wasn’t originally to become competitive but after I got asked to do my first competition I was hooked and ten years later, I am still loving it.
Maria: My mum was my primary school PE teacher. One day we were to do the multistage fitness test (bleep test) as our lesson. I wasn’t very keen on the idea of the lesson as I normally struggled a lot with physical activity. However, I managed to complete the whole test and be one of the only people who hadn’t been eliminated. That was the first time I felt a sense of achievement. From then I joined the local running club and haven’t looked back since.
Q: What challenges have you faced while being involved in sport?
Laura: One challenge I have faced is definitely the number of injuries I have had; so far, every season I have had to have some time out of the water due to injury. Having to build back up after an injury was something; I found very frustrating and challenging. Although, through strength and gym work as I have gotten older it has reduced the amount of muscle/ligament injuries I have had. Over the years I have learnt to focus what I can do when injured and to deal with what I can control, which has made it a little easier. I have also faced challenges in sport within my mental health, over the last few years it is something I have struggled with and at times it has had a big impact on my training and competitions. I have been seeing positive improvements in the last few months though, and I hope that continues into the new year!
Maria: My biggest challenge has been my mental health, specifically anxiety. Around the time I started high school, I started to become aware of how people viewed me, especially as someone with a disability. I’d think people didn’t like me. This resulted in me removing myself from social situations that made me feel anxious. I put all my time, effort and thoughts towards my running career. However, I couldn’t escape from my anxiety and it started to affect my performances on the track. In 2018, it became too much for me and I was really upset. I felt very isolated and down most of the time. Along with the support of my parents, coach and governing body (British Athletics), I got professional help. I realised that I needed to face up to my worries and push myself out of my comfort zone. I needed more of a balance in my life and sport isn’t everything. I’m in a much better place now. From time to time, I still suffer a bit from anxiety but I’m grateful for the support I have from my inner circle.
Q: What advice would you give to someone wanting to get involved in disability sport?
Laura: Just try it, if you don’t you it will never know and there are multiple sports out there. Try a lot of different ones and find out what one you enjoy the most. Also, speak to your local disability sport branch manager and they can advise what opportunities are in your area, so you know all your options! Getting involved in sport was the best decision I made so don’t be afraid to give it a try.
Maria: From my experience, you have to go out and look for opportunities rather than wait for them to come to you. Contact you regional SDS branch to find out what opportunities are in your local area.
Q: How have you adapted your training during lockdown?
Laura: My sport is swimming so without a pool I had to find other ways to keep fitness levels up. During lockdown, I got involved in team workouts on Zoom, went on pushes in my wheelchair, got the old childhood trike out as well as using the weights I had at home. That was all going well until I was on a push and fell out my chair and broke my leg…! A couple of days after, I got back into the workouts but this time upper body only. Being able to still make progress towards my goals as well as still being able to enjoy some form of exercise was a big relief for me, as I was worried, I would struggle without that outlet.
Maria: Before the first lockdown was announced, myself and my coach expected this to happen. I was given some gym equipment to borrow so I could try to replicate my usual strength programme. I’m also quite fortunate that I don’t live in a city and have plenty of open spaces to continue my running training. I actually have a grass track that I can use that is only a 5-minute walk from my house. It was hard at times as sprinting is a technical sport that requires a lot of analysis. However, I would film my runs and send them over to my coach so we could discuss them.
Q: Who is your biggest influence on your sporting career?
Laura: This is a hard one as there has been so many people throughout the years that have helped me in so many ways. I’d say my current coach Andrew has had a big influence on me in general and within swimming. He is a great coach to work with and has helped me achieve so many things within swimming over the years, even if he does like to be annoying! I am definitely thankful for all his support.
Maria: I would have to say my mum. My mum was my PE teacher at primary school and got me into athletics. When I was younger, she would give up a lot of her time to take me to competitions and training session. I’m very grateful for all her support and wouldn’t be where I am today without her.