Courage is an overused word in sport. Six foot four footballers running headlong into packs is tough, but perhaps more foolish than brave.
This week, however, quadriplegic sailor Hilary Lister showed true courage in the pursuit of a sporting record, becoming the first disabled woman to sail solo around Britain, incredibly using only a straw to achieve it.
A set of three straws to be exact, using ‘sip and puff’ technology, where a sipping or puffing motion on the straws strapped to Lister’s headset controlled an on board computer which adjusted the sails and steering accordingly to combat 40 foot waves in the Irish Sea and Scotland’s infamously treacherous conditions.
The list of tasks Hilary Lister is unable to do is lengthy.
She lived a normal healthy life until age eleven, before being diagnosed with a degenerative condition that left her a quadriplegic by 23. Now 36, she cannot feed or dress herself nor go to the bathroom without assistance from her husband or a carer.
Hilary can move her head, eyes and mouth. Nothing more.
The journey was broken into many legs, taking several months of sailing across more than a year to allow Lister to dock most nights to be fed, receive drugs to ease her constant pain and analyse weather conditions for the following day.
Given her achievements since taking up sailing to beat the inevitable depression that set in since becoming virtually house-bound, it is perhaps more appropriate to talk of all the things Hilary is capable of.
She is the first disabled woman to cross the English Channel, now first to solo circumnavigate Britain and perhaps most significantly, an impressive beacon of true courage in sport and life.
I hope commentators and fans alike keep some perspective on ‘courage’ and ‘heroes’ during this footy finals campaign.
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