I pursued a varied sporting line in many sports at the inception of my sporting career including racing, table tennis, Athletics, tennis, fencing, archery, (the list goes on.....)
I was beginning to realise there were options other than just watching other children run around and play sports that I could not join in with. This sadly being an all to common form of social exclusion for children with physical impairments.
I joined a disabled sports club and began racing alongside many well known athletes and winning numerous medals at the Junior Wheelchair Games for racing and athletics. I engaged in athletics and multi sports for some time finally making the decision that Wheelchair Basketball held my interest and love.
It was when I was selected as a 14 year old for the Paralympics in Seoul that the decision was really made easy for me. I then decided to specialise and dedicate everything to the all consuming obsession that was to be my chosen sport and biggest commitment.
I have been a Paralympic athlete since the age of fourteen and have competed in the Seoul, Atlanta, Sydney,Athens and Beijing Paralympics, it has been an enormous commitment and I dread to think how much time effort and money have been poured into the past twenty six years of both joy and pain.
I have gained all of the domestic honours including, winning the (Men's) National League, Women's National League for six consecutive years as Captain, Winning the Big 8 competition 1992 (the top eight teams in the country), Winning the Andre Vergauwen European tournament, winning the National Cup finals, winning the International European tournament in Paris in 97 Winning the national wheelchair games in 92 I have had the honour of Captaining the Great Britain Women's Wheelchair Basketball team for fifteen years.
I have Coached and Captained a Men's National League tam and Captained the Women's national League team. I have won bronze at the European's in 95, 97, 99, 03 and 2005 I have been honored as a legend of the game in the publication "A History of Wheelchair Basketball" I was voted as the Most Valuable Player in Europe in the 93 competition, I was voted onto the "All Star Team" in the European games in Hamburg, I was voted into the "All star Team" in the Spitfire Tournament in Canada. I was top scorer in the First Women's league ever to be held in this country, I have also top scored at many international competitions in Europe.
I have competed in eight European Championships, four World games (Gold Cups):-
1990 | |
1994 |
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1998 | |
2002 |
European Championships
| 1991 | ESP (El Ferrol) |
| 1993 | GER (Berlin) |
| 1995 | NED (Delden) |
| 1997 | ESP (Madrid) |
| 1999 | NED (Roermond) |
| 2003 | GER (Hamburg) |
| 2005 | FRA (Villeneuve) |
| 2007 | GER (Wetslar) |
I was the first and youngest female to play in the Men's national league Premier division and the first female to play in the European champion's league.
I am a National League Coach for both men's and women's squads and have coached successful First and Second Division teams at a high level. I coach a junior wheelchair basketball team (ages 4 upwards) and assist with the personal training of Great Britain athletes. I have always tried to give as much back to the sport as I have taken out, this is why I have given time energy and commitment to other Junior players, female players and any men's team to help their development in this country.
I am very proud of my country and the collective representation that my club side stands for.