futur OLYMPICS es❵
That’s all you need to say to elicit either excitement or a groan. Whether the Olympics are your thing or not, it’s the event of the summer that everyone’s talking about. The University is no different – here’s a snapshot of some of the ways we are involved, from alumni both in and supporting Team GB, to the student 2016 hopeful and the alumnus who’s looking at the Olympics from a slightly different perspective…
London 2012
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imagine for any sportsperson that there can be no greater honour than representing your country, a feat that 21 year-old student Matt Calverley can proudly claim. Having discovered the world of wheelchair basketball at the age of 10, Matt has spent the last 11 years mastering his craft playing for the London team Capital City and representing Great Britain in the Under 23’s team. “Hand on heart, the best feeling I’ve ever had is sitting there lined up and singing the national anthem, you just can’t explain it. You see people on TV do it but when you actually get that chance, it’s amazing.” Yet, despite his natural talent and engulfing passion for the sport, Matt will be off the court and cheering from the side-lines during London 2012, choosing instead to focus his attentions on the final year of his History degree. “Training is essentially a full-time job and university is all about what you put in. I know the majority of the GB team and how much they are dedicated to this and I will be rooting for them all the way.” The celebrated athlete has a string of awards to his name, including the national recognition of being named the ‘GB Juniors Players’ Player’ in 2010. With the end of his degree in sight, Matt talks of his hopes for the next Olympic and Paralympic games in Rio de Janeiro: “I definitely aspire to be part of 2016; once university is out of the way I will be focussing on that and really dedicating myself to doing it.” Of the preparation it will take to get there he says: “Not only do you have to be physically fit but you have to constantly think about what you’re putting into your body and your sleep pattern. There’s also the mental preparation because although there are a lot of highs, there can also be a lot of lows; you get rejected, you don’t always do very well and you don’t always play well. It can break you and you have to be willing to make sacrifices.” As we talk candidly, it is plain to see that from a very early stage basketball quickly surpassed the realms of a hobby and opened up a new world to Matt. “The biggest thing for me was that I was with other people with disabilities who didn’t care and just got on with their lives. Before, all I saw were the things that I couldn’t do rather than the things that I could do. Being with others that led normal lives was a big wake up call for me. I realised that there was nothing wrong with me.” Probed about his thoughts on the games as a whole,
Matt’s resounding hope is that London 2012 will raise the profile of Paralympic athletes and inspire others with disabilities: “I hope the Paralympics eventually becomes something you talk about for the athletes and what they do, not what they are. It would be great to see London 2012 inspire more people with wheelchairs or a disability to go into sport; if they see more role models, then it may just make them think ‘If he can do it, perhaps I can do that!’” Siobhan Madaras
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14/04/2012 18:05
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