Bouncing Back

There's little doubt that getting involved in adaptive sports after injury turns people's lives around. But just how significant is sport participation to those with disabilities?

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At some point in their lives, this group of guys experienced great loss—their ability to walk, their identity, and the feeling of being "normal." But somewhere down the line they made the decision to strap themselves into a solid-metal battle chariot and compete on a national (and, for some, international) stage in a high-speed, full-contact, physically grueling sport that looks like a hybrid cross between demolition derby and Australian-rules football.

So what exactly did sport do for them? How did it help them make this change?

Athletes build meaningful relationships through sport participation. Taking part in sports and recreation activities can also broaden an individual's social circles.

Why Me?

We turned over a few rocks and found the toughest, grittiest, most resilient-looking people we could find in sports. It just so happens they play this little game called Murderball—wheelchair/quad rugby.

Twelve rugby players with spinal-cord injuries, of various ages and causes of injury, shared their stories. They answered questions such as, How did you handle losing your physical abilities? What is the result of the way you handled adversity? How has your participation in sports affected how you handle obstacles?  

Not surprisingly, immediately following the loss of mobility the athletes experienced a great distress. They describe persistent and recurring disturbing thoughts and emotions.

Bob talks about how he felt uncertain about his future:

"You realize you are not gonna walk again. You are not sure of the future. You might not be able to get a job, not really have a girlfriend or get married. Or you might not get to do all this and that, so it's very uncertain times."

Some felt shocked and frustrated.

"So with the impact of everything, I was kind of incoherent at first, and then over time I was really astonished because I could really do nothing," says Dan. "I couldn't move myself out of bed. People had to help turn me and move me, put me in my chair, out of my chair—and so I got flustered a little bit."

The athletes also say they thought about what could or would have been if they were not injured, which led them to a bigger distress. A few repeatedly asked themselves, "Why me?" "Why is this happening to me?" "What did I do to deserve this?" 
While they all experienced some form of distress and loss after injury, they seemed to learn to deal with this disturbance and took the adversity in stride. Though this process is definitely not an easy one, they made it clear it is possible to grow from adversity and become resilient. Often, sport seemed to play significant roles in this process.

Check out the complete article in the January 2012 issue of S'NS.

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