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Great Britain athlete, Victoria Loftus..
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My daughter and Special Olympics Great Britain athlete Victoria Loftus, 15, is competing in artistic gymnastics at the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games.
When Victoria was born, she weighed 1 pound, 4 ounces (560g) and was just 10 inches (27cm) long. Because she was 12 weeks premature, she spent 4.5 months in our local Special Care Baby Unit, much of that time on an artificial breathing machine. She suffered many setbacks, but slowly made progress. Despite a very rocky beginning, Victoria has grown into a pretty, lively teenager, who has a great zest for life and a love of gymnastics, despite having learning difficulties and a moderate hearing loss.
At 11 years old, Victoria joined a local gymnastic club, where her talent as a gymnast was immediately recognized. She competed and won a gold and silver medal just four months later. At this competition, I overheard someone talking about Special Olympics. Victoria fit the movement’s criteria, and after discussing this with her coach, her club became affiliated with Special Olympics and Victoria began to successfully compete in local competitions. At the Special Olympics Great Britain National Summer Games in 2006, Victoria won gold medals in each of her disciplines–bars, beam, vault and floor–as well as a gold medal for the All Round 11-15 age group.
At the time Victoria was born, she was the smallest baby ever to survive in our region, and one of the smallest in the world. She attracted a lot of media attention. Since that time the media have periodically followed her progress, especially her achievements in gymnastics. The BBC also ran a news story about her quest to compete at the 2007 World Summer Games.
Our community has really taken Victoria into their hearts. When we needed to raise the £2,000 to send her to Shanghai, our local newspaper sponsored a campaign to raise the money. The response was overwhelming and within three weeks the money was raised.
In 2006, Victoria was named Junior Sportsperson of the Year for our region as well as Ambassador of Sport to represent and promote our area for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
In addition, Victoria has been selected as one of 12 local elite athletes granted use of free sporting facilities, financial assistance if needed at national competitions, and full use of the Sports Science Department at our local university to help her with training.
Victoria’s achievements have put Special Olympics and sport for the disabled at the top of the agenda in our area. I am due to attend a council meeting soon to discuss the impact that it has had on her life, and how we, as a community, can help others train and enjoy the experience that she currently enjoys.
As a family, it has also had a huge impact. Not only are we incredibly proud of our daughter, but it has inspired her younger sisters, Natasha, 8, and Saskia, 3, to train and compete.
As a mother, it has inspired me to become involved in Special Olympics by attending regional meetings and promoting Special Olympics in our area. It is my hope that after the World Summer Games are over I can utilize Victoria’s success to encourage more groups in our area to become involved in Special Olympics.
Despite Victoria’s disabilities she is currently enjoying experiences that money could not buy. She travels the length and breadth of the United Kingdom for training camps, is very healthy from training 12–15 hours a week, and has a large circle of friends within Special Olympics.
I hope that she will be an inspiration to other children with intellectual disabilities to become involved in sport, and that she will leave a legacy of her own in our area–more Special Olympics groups and sports training facilities for people with disabilities.. |
