Stories - experiences around people living with disability
|
GENERAL STORIES
Hadleigh - a sporting career
My name is Hadleigh Pierson; I am the Sports Co-ordinator for Parafed Canterbury. Before I started working for Parafed Canterbury, I was a New Zealand representative swimmer. During my swimming career I competed in two Paralympic Games, one World Championship and international competitions in the United States, England, the Netherlands and Australia.
I got involved in sport, as many have, by competing in the CCS Independence Games. I competed in track, field and swimming events, and enjoyed the challenge of competing against athletes with similar disabilities to myself.
I got involved in as many sports programmes and Parafed events as I could when I was younger. I competed in competitions and attended lots of training clinics. Attending these competitions and clinics was fantastic and I learnt lots from the senior athletes about what it was going to take to become a Paralympian.
I found swimming was the sport I was best at, and it was also the sport I enjoyed the most. Around the age of 13, I was encouraged to join an able-bodied swimming club to further improve my fitness and skills. My swimming started to improve, and I was selected for the New Zealand Junior team to compete in the Australian Junior Games when I was 14. This event was fantastic and I really got a feel for what top disabled sporting competition is like.
Over the next six years I continued to train hard, competed in lots of competitions and was selected in Canterbury and New Zealand teams. I achieved my goal in 2000, when I was selected in the New Zealand team to compete in the Paralympic Games in Sydney, Australia.
I continued to swim for another four years and in 2004 I competed in my second Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece.
The Paralympic Games were the highlight of my sporting career and I would recommend it as an event to strive for in the future for any dedicated disabled person. In the meantime, make sure you get out there and involved in as many activities as you can, because it is a lot of fun.
If there are any athletes out there that have any questions about the Paralympic Games, disability sport or Parafed Canterbury, please feel free to contact me on:
TEL: (03) 385 4449
EML: hpierson@parafedcanterbury.co.nz
Hadleigh Pierson
More general stories to read
Russell - Back behind the wheel
Kerri's trip to Japan