Living the Dream

Photo copyright Vaughn Ridley/SWpix.com

Representing your country at the Commonwealth Games is a dream come true for most athletes, but for British swimmer Stephanie Slater it is a dream that just three years ago she thought was shattered forever.

Having been tipped for success as an able bodied swimmer, Stephanie suffered nerve damage in her left arm in 2011 and was told she would never swim again.  But after volunteering at London 2012 and witnessing the success of the British Paralympic swimmers, Stephanie was inspired to get back into the pool and will represent England in Glasgow this summer in the S8 100m freestyle.

Stephanie fell in love with swimming at the age of three, to such an extent that she would put her swimming costume on over her clothes in the desperate hope she would be visiting the pool that day. She joined her local swimming club in Preston at the age of four and began competing at eight. Stephanie was also a keen gymnast but at age 11 had to make a tough decision and choose which sport to progress. Having chosen the pool, Stephanie went on to represent Lancashire and won her first national medal at the age of 17.

As one of the hottest young prospects in the country, Stephanie was invited to train at the High Performance Centre in Swansea to train alongside the county’s other top swimmers. Having just missed out on a place at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, a place in Team GB for London 2012 was well within her sights. However, one fateful evening during training, Stephanie’s life was to change forever.

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