Many of you will know we have members far and wide. I asked Joanne, who is Essex based, to share her extraordinary story…

We have a number of members who are perhaps wondering whether they will ever return to compete again – this is for you!

I wasn’t a masters swimmer before the accident. I had swum competitively as a child but gave it up when I was a teenager when we moved into the country. I still swam a lot but just for fun, in the pool, sea and river. I kept this up as an adult and was swimming about 1k a day at the time of the accident, purely for fitness with a little dabble in triathlon. 

I was riding my horse with a friend – we went for a canter and my horse fell over. I was catapulted into the air and landed standing. I smashed my right tibia, fibula and my calcaneus (heel). I dislocated my ankle and all but severed my foot. Amazingly it didn’t hurt when I did it; apparently it’s the adrenalin.

Air Ambulance came and I was put roughly back together on the field by the doctor on board, who was on loan from the Canadian forces and had been in Afghanistan so he was ace at my type of injury. 

I spent a long time in hospital. I went in at beginning of August and came out at the beginning of October. In that time, I had 5 or 6 operations, including having a plate and nails in my leg and my foot put back on using spare parts from my left leg – reconstructive plastic surgery is amazing.

I used a wheelchair for a year and crutches for another year. Once I was water tight, I got back in the pool and kept swimming from there on. I couldn’t stand in the pool until I was allowed to stand up on land so I did a lot of floating, and I wasn’t allowed to push off the wall so swam round at each end. 

Once I could stand I tried riding again but I didn’t feel in control, so I’ve given that up. I also ski with Disability Snowsport UK, and they suggested I do the swim for a para team at the Superhero Tri – I did and loved it. The next step was to go on a Triathlon training camp with Judith Brand (Dr J) and she suggested I try Masters,  which I did. I really enjoyed the training. 

It’s taken from 2019 to date to really see improvement, I was doing 100m free in 2:47 at the start, as I couldn’t kick. I’ve just hit a post accident PB of 1:38. I can’t track start because I physically can’t flex or push off with my right foot, but I can dive standing off the blocks. I have little power in my push off the wall, so I don’t bother tumbling as it makes me slower – it’s open turns all the way. I can now kick, which is making all the difference.  

Recuperation – I was told it would take 2 to 3 years to mend and 3 to 5 years to get to where I would be, but I’m still improving and it’s 9 years this August. It’s important to do the physio religiously even if it’s a bore, time consuming or painful. The physios really do know what they are talking about! (Amazingly 🤣). Being fit at the time of the accident really helped with recovery.

I’ve decided not to go for a para rating, I’ll be in the 65-69 age category next year, and chatting to other swimmers everyone has something that’s being a bother. There were several swimmers comparing hip replacements and their recoveries from surgery at one meet, and knee problems crop up on a regular basis. 

I’m looking forward to keeping on improving and to see where I can get my times to, and I’d like to get to meets in places I haven’t been to yet. I know I use up more oxygen catching up with old friends and making new ones than I do swimming at meets but this is definitely part of the pleasure of competing.

I can’t wait to actually meet Joanne in person (we’ve spoken on the phone). She says she hopes this helps – Think I can say a great big YES from all of us at Black Country n Potteries Masters.

Cheers Joanne!