Summer Courses
Overcoming fears on a Back-Up course
Facedown in the water, I started to panic...
Used to helping others overcome their fears by teaching wheelchair skills, trainer Ian Gelately C5/6 recently attended a Back-Up Waterski week and actually had a few fears of his own to overcome.
“Six years ago I broke my neck when I hit a sandbar diving into the sea in Spain. I thought instantly that I was paralysed but things got rapidly worse when I realised that I couldn't move my arms and I was floating face down with no way of righting myself. I held on as long as I could but eventually had to take a breath. My lungs filled with salt water and I passed out.
I came round on the beach. My mates had dragged me out of the water and I was revived by the lifeguards.
When Sean asked me to come on the waterski course as a wheelchair skills trainer, I was pretty apprehensive. I can’t swim and I hadn’t been in water, apart from the hydro pool in the spinal unit, since my injury. I was definitely worried about being in a situation where I couldn’t right myself again. Trusting someone else to be there if I needed saving was a big step.
The instructors and buddies on the courses earned my trust when I went over on a corner. Just as I feared, I couldn’t keep my head out of the water and panic started to creep in. I must have been under for about 3 seconds before Roger was there pulling me back upright. I was scared, but realised that the support was there and from then on, I knew it would be ok. Roger told me what I should do if it happened again. Basically I just needed to take a big breath just before falling in and stay calm.
The next time it happened I was ready. I was a little further away from my buddy skier this time but I was completely certain that he was coming and only waited about 10 seconds before he was there. As I progressed with my water skiing I got more and more confident in the water. By the end of the week I was crossing the wake and apart from starting off, I was skiing independently. More importantly though, I had conquered my fear of water.
Doing a course with Back-Up gives you the security to try things safely with the knowledge that they know what they are doing and they’ve done it before. My first course with Back-Up was a ski week in Sweden in 2004 and I had similar worries before that one. All the courses I have done have given me the confidence to go off travelling again with my mates and have opened up possibilities that I wouldn’t have even considered when I was just out of hospital.
My advice to anyone thinking about doing a Back-Up course would be to go for it. Overcoming fears can give you a real sense of achievement as well as boosting your confidence... that’s what Back-Up is all about.”
Back-Up will be taking bookings for next summer soon, so whether it’s waterskiing like Ian, a multi-activity week, a drama course or even the city challenge in Edinburgh, email us and we’ll see what’s right for you. Contact courses@backuptrust.org.uk to find out more.
Interested in participating in our summer courses?
We have been running summer courses for over 15 years specifically for people with spinal cord injury, led by people with spinal cord injury.
Back-Up runs a range of activity days, weekends and residential weeks that cater for both men and women, injuries from L4 to C1 (including those with high care needs) and those ranging from 4 months to 40 years post injury.
‘"The course made me realise that I can achieve so much more than I thought and I met a great bunch of people." Michelle, T12, aged 29
All courses rely on a mix of able bodied volunteers, medical professionals (we provide a carer if you need it and have physio’s and nurses on the majority of our courses) and spinally injured participants to take part in social activities that help develop skills that will stand everyone in good stead back home.
Dates for 2010 coming soon, contact the Courses Team via telephone or email on 020 8875 1805 - courses@backuptrust.org.uk for further information.
Courses:
Multi-activity courses
Sailing
Water-skiing courses