Just Keep Swimming
https://youtu.be/YE7zcGyad-0
Her arms skim the water’s surface and her legs motor behind her in a pitter-patter rhythm. She’s uncertain if she follows the black line beneath her, or how close the lane rope is beside her. Yet she paddles on with assertion.
Her coach eagerly awaits her arrival. He stands at the end of the lane holding a long stick with an orange ball on the tip. As she approaches, he gently places the tapper in between her shoulder blades. A swift tuck, turn, push and she is away again.
This is Paralympic gold medallist, Mary Fisher at one of eleven trainings she has this week. As a 23-year-old she’s won five Paralympic medals in total. Two golds, two silvers, and a bronze. Added to her collection are over ten world championship medals and countless other awards.
She accomplished all of this with a visual impairment. When Mary was born, her mother, Jenny Fisher looked into her unusually-dark eyes and realised they weren’t tracking movement. At Mary’s six week check her GP confirmed she had aniridia; a rare genetic condition where the irises are absent.
As an inspiration to many, Mary was this year’s spokeswomen at AIMZ Games held in Tauranga. The annual tournament gives the top 11-13-year-old athletes the chance to compete in over twenty different sports.
This was the first year that the competition enabled para-athletes to compete. With para-divisions in swimming and cross country.
“I think it is really important, and it shows how far we have come as a country,” Mary says.
Her coach Aiden Withington agrees “I definitely think it’s going to offer a lot of opportunities for those guys and it’d be good to see a lot more para-athletes getting up there representing New Zealand”.
Mary’s mother, Jenny Fisher nods her head, “I think it’s really important for them that there is an avenue and a competition that they can attend”, She says.
At 9-years-old, Mary trained amongst and competed against able swimmers. This was because para-divisions at most school and club competitions were non-existent.
“For young people with a disability, it is important to have the opportunity to compete against their friends so they feel included,” Mary says.
Now, at only 161 centimetres Mary continues to shatter stereotypes. She is not tall and lanky, or have flippers as feet like most gold medal swimmers. Yet she soars through the water regardless.
Jenny laughs as she struggles to explain where her daughter got her athleticism from. Her eyebrows raise almost touching the tips of her fringe. “We are not a very active family so I’m not sure where Mary gets it from”.
Mary’s parents and brother enjoy the New Zealand outdoors but are not involved in competitive sports. However, they support Mary’s swimming by tapping for her at training and attending her competitions.
Her parents describe Mary as “caring”, “aware”, and “able”. They challenge parents who have children with disabilities to encourage them to take part in anything they wish. Especially if it means training with able athletes.
When Mary was nine she set her dream goal. To compete at the Paralympics. Ten years later she stood on a podium and received her gold medal at the 2012 London Paralympic Games.
She closes her eyes and shakes her head, still in disbelief. “The total highlight of my career has been the gold medal in London.”
The dimple on her right cheek deepens and she tilts her head cheekily. “Going on debut being an Upper Hut kid and really putting it out there.” She says.
As she delves into her memory of her first Paralympics she leans forward “It was incredibly satisfying and I was really thinking about the thousands of people who got me to this point.”
She tells me when preparing for her big race she thought of her supporters. “Ok Mary, how can you show your appreciation for everyone else?” she says as she recollects the moment.
Mary chuckles when asked if she’s competitive. “Quietly competitive” she responds. Her curly, brown hair drips over her wide shoulders, still wet from this morning’s swim.
Her mother agrees, “She was quite shy and timid approaching things, but when she had approached them she’d take them on full horn.”
She tells me about Mary as a toddler as she sways in her office chair. How Mary would ride around on her red tricycle honing so fast she’d end up on two wheels instead of all three. Her enthusiasm continued as she grew, insisting on playing football with her classmates.
With only ten percent vision as a child, Mary was able to identify high contrasts and large objects. “I played soccer, I found it quite good seeing the contrast of the white ball against the green grass,” She says.
But as she reached her teens, Mary’s vision deteriorated to the point it is now. “I can tell the difference between light and dark, but I am considered totally blind.” She says.
Mary signals her head in the direction of the pool behind her as she explains why she chose swimming of all sports. “Just the feeling of being in the water and no one can tell me what to do most of the time, it was quite liberating to start off with”.
Her face puffs into another cheeky smile and it is obvious her love for the sports had not weathered over time.
However, swimming isn’t Mary’s only pastime. She recently completed her Arts degree in Psychology and Human Development at Massey University.
Exploring New Zealand outdoors and Wellington Community music events are other things Mary enjoys when she isn’t swimming up and down the pool. It is also no secret she is a huge Harry Potter fan.
Her thumbs mimic a plucking motion and her eyebrows pull together as she utters a foreign word “mberia”. She explains one thing many don’t know about her is she loves playing this little Zimbabwean instrument.
Her determination and involvement is inspiring. When meeting Mary, her cheerful and cheeky nature makes conversation flow with ease.
As a child, butterfly was Mary’s favourite stroke. Her reasoning is that some of her sighted friends couldn’t do it, but she could.
She has proven she’s good at it too. Just two weeks ago Mary competed in the Auckland short course adding another medal to the pile and a world record for the S11 100m Butterfly. Her time four seconds faster than her previous personal best.
Mary’s coach Aiden Withington says technically her Freestyle is her best stroke. But when you look at Mary’s medals it is obvious she is a swimming superstar. Finishing on the podium for Backstroke, Freestyle, Butterfly, and the IM.
Mary let’s out a giddy laugh as I ask her what the key to becoming a world-class athlete is. She quotes the four Paralympic values. Courage, determination, equality, and inspiration. “I was fortunate enough to have so much support and then just perseverance. It’s the only thing that’s gotten me through”.
“She’s pretty special,” Coach Aiden says. “She is able to do everything by herself, at the start it amazed me.” Even now he is astonished by small things Mary accomplishes every day.
Her mother also applauds Mary saying people often forget how hard she must concentrate on things that we take for granted. “It does take a special person to work that hard constantly.” She says.
Mary is currently training for her “pinnacle competition” The Queensland State Swimming champs in mid-December. This competition is where funding is decided for the coming year.
As we conclude Mary sends one last message to aspiring athletes. “Look around for opportunities,” She says.
“I achieved so much more than I thought I ever could”.
