As the clock struck midnight to welcome in 2012, one person who was a little more excited than most was the captain of the women’s GB sitting volleyball team, Emma Wiggs.
Although sitting volleyball has enjoyed full Paralympic status since 1980, with a men’s GB team previously competing at the highest level until 1991, 2012 has been the first real opportunity for the GB women to get involved.
Since the announcement of the London Games, the GB programme has been re-established with the girls going full steam ahead. Although yet to receive the official ‘yes’ to take up their host nation spot, Emma is quietly confident and can’t wait to hit the ExCel.
Following a hugely successful 2011, we grabbed the 31-year-old for a quick off-court catch-up…
How does it feel to finally be in the year of the Games?
It’s massively daunting, but also incredibly exciting. I think it was New Years Eve when it really hit me but it’s more excitement than pressure or daunting. But there’s definitely goose bumps and tummy flips when I think about it.
What did 2011 hold for you?
As a team, 2011 was a hugely successful year in terms of progress. We’ve had a number of players move to full time training at Roehampton and we train every weekend together as a squad. We also have players on a talent transition programme through Bath University with Paralympics GB, where we get the support, in terms of world class practitioners, for psychology, nutrition and physiology. In terms of competitions, our main milestone was the European Championships in Holland in October. We went to that and were incredibly pleased with both our progress and our performance at those Championships.
Can you talk us through your competition and training diary ahead of the Games?
Obviously training is cranking up from now, so players are training anywhere in excess of 24 plus hours a week. Some of that is on top of jobs. In eight weeks time we go to Egypt for the Intercontinental Cup, and then at the end of March we go to the Continental Cup which is in the Ukraine, so they are the two big major competitions, pre-Paralympics. In the months leading up to the Games, we will be training as a full time group, probably based around London and Bath as the main training centres, and then we will go to Bath for the official holding camp, just prior to the games.
How does qualifying work for sitting volleyball, have team GB already booked their spot?
This is the slight complication. Because we are a brand new team, along with the men’s team we are entitled to an attempt to be deemed credible for the host nation spot, so the men were given credibility last summer, based on the fact they’ve been going a couple of years longer than us. We are waiting for the official yes decision at the beginning of March, but we’re pretty confident that the progress and the hard work that both myself and the team have put in will mean that it is a yes. Officially that’s the sort of progress you have to go through to be deemed credible by meeting performance criteria and then you can take up the host nation spot.
How does it feel to be taking part in a home Games as a part of this new team?
I never dreamt that I would ever reach the level of international competition. Prior to my disability I played hockey at quite a high level but I was never good enough pull on a GB shirt. Since my disability I thought that my own sporting participation was over, so to suddenly find myself, not only doing competitive sport again, but making massive lifestyle changes to adopt an athlete lifestyle has just been the most bizarre but also most amazing experience. Then you put on top of that the opportunity to go to a Paralympics Games, it’s pretty mind blowing, and for it to be at home, it’s incredible! There’s not an athlete that I’ve met in the last two years that hasn’t been blow away by the opportunity of having a home Olympics.
Being a new team, the team spirit must be very important?
It’s a team sport and if we’re not in it for each other and together then we won’t get there. Martine Wright, who is on our team, is an incredibly good friend, and also just a phenomenal person to sit alongside on a volleyball court. She was the worst surviving female from the bombings in London and every day when you’re busting yourself in the gym, you’re doing it to get the team but also Martine to London 2012, because it’s a phenomenal situation that she’s turned around to be a massive success story.
Who is going to pose your biggest competition in London?
China are the reigning gold medallists but I believe the USA will probably pip them to the gold this year. That’s probably quite controversial to say but the USA are a team that are exploding in terms of development, so they’re definitely one to watch. Ukraine won the European Championships and they’re always a threat, so I think we’re going to be up against some incredible opposition, which makes the home crowd and getting everyone on our side more important.
Is having a home crowd important to you? Why should people come and show their support?
I think the home crowd is massively important and as far as we are concerned it’s going to make a huge difference. We are trying to get everyone to get online and apply for these tickets because we’ve got ten thousand seats in our arena, and particularly from our point of view we need those ten thousand voices to be firmly behind us. We are a new team, this is the first time we’ve had a women’s sitting volleyball team in the Paralympics, and we are somewhat behind some of the technical experiences that the other teams have got. But we are going to make up for that in sheer effort and determination and support from the home crowd.
Jessica Whittington, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine
Tickets for London 2012 Paralympic Games are on sale now until February 6th. To apply visit tickets.london2012.com.
