Prizes from a Paralympian
Wheelchair tennis star Lucy Shuker was Guest of Honour and presented the prizes at the annual Queen's College Speech Day. Lucy had been playing at Wimbledon only a few days earlier and is currently Britain's highest ranked woman in the sport, and holder of both singles and doubles titles.
"Taunton and the Blackbrook sports centre have been really key factors in my progress in the sport," Lucy told a fascinated audience of over 1,000 pupils and parents. "They've been so generous with time and facilities. In fact I've played wheelchair tennis there with Hattie Dingle, one of your own pupils."
Lucy explained how a crash on a motorbike - bought with her first pay-cheque after graduating - left her paralysed. Previously she had been a sports-mad, somewhat rebellious, and not very academic student.
"I'm not pretending it wasn't very tough but it's brought things to my life that wouldn't have been there otherwise - like sitting in the players' café 10ft from Roger Federer the other day, chatting to Martina Navratilova in the changing rooms. That's all pretty surreal.
Lucy described the thrill of entering the stadium in Beijing as part of the 2008 Paralympics and her ambition to do the same in London 2012. Her final message to the students; work, strive and achieve.
Wheelchair tennis star Lucy Shuker was Guest of Honour and presented the prizes at the annual Queen’s College Speech Day. Lucy had been playing at Wimbledon only a few days earlier and is currently Britain’s highest ranked woman in the sport, and holder of both singles and doubles titles.
“Taunton and the Blackbrook sports centre have been really key factors in my progress in the sport,” Lucy told a fascinated audience of over 1,000 pupils and parents. “They’ve been so generous with time and facilities. In fact I’ve played wheelchair tennis there with Hattie Dingle, one of your own pupils.”
Lucy explained how a crash on a motorbike – bought with her first pay-cheque after graduating – left her paralysed. Previously she had been a sports-mad, somewhat rebellious, and not very academic student.
“I’m not pretending it wasn’t very tough but it’s brought things to my life that wouldn’t have been there otherwise – like sitting in the players’ café 10ft from Roger Federer the other day, chatting to Martina Navratilova in the changing rooms. That’s all pretty surreal.
Lucy described the thrill of entering the stadium in Beijing as part of the 2008 Paralympics and her ambition to do the same in London 2012. Her final message to the students; work, strive and achieve.
