April 25th is a day Tammy Cunnington rarely even thinks too much about anymore.
There was a time when she did, but 36 years to the day after the freak accident that changed her life forever, it often comes and goes.
On Wednesday, Cunnington addressed a group of high school athletes as part of the Alberta Sport Development Centre- Central Winning Edge Seminar.
It was coincidentally on the anniversary of the accident that left her a paraplegic with the full use of her right arm, plus her core and shoulders.
“Very seldom,” said Cunnington, reflecting on the plane crash in Ponoka when she was six-years-old that left her with severe nerve damage through her hips and legs.
“Even when it came up it was worth a tweet. It’s something that gets me thinking about my journey. It’s just kind of a bit of nostalgia of what it took to get from that day and that accident to competing in Rio.”
April 25, it’s hard to believe that on this date 36 years ago I was injured when a plane crashed at an air show From near death to #Paralympian with a million highs, lows & adventures. I share my story to #encourage others on there path, space free for spring/summer presentations pic.twitter.com/uNHj1ETzti
— Tammy Cunnington (@tj_cunnington) April 25, 2018
Cunnington has represented Canada on the provincial, national and international swimming stage throughout her career, including perhaps the pinnacle in 2016 at the Paralympic Games in Rio. She was also a para-triathlete and a member of Team Canada Women’s National Wheelchair Basketball team.
She now has dreams of competing again at the 2020 Paralympics in Toyoko, Japan and said her message to the athletes Wednesday was all about how to manage the not so good times that come with being an elite athlete.
“I love to share my story and to be able to motivate and inspire anybody. To meet with the next gen of upcoming athletes, it’s even more special,” she said.
“They get lots of coaching on being dedicated and discipline and nutrition, but I have a different angle of just literally what it’s like to overcome obstacles and train every day. That not every day is going to be good and what to do about those days and how to keep moving forward.”
Cunnington isn’t exactly sure what her future holds, she’s currently taking her athletic career one year at a time. She’s in tough to make the 2018 Pan Pacific Para-Swimming Championships this summer after some changes to the qualifying rules, but that’s currently her focus in training.
“That team is going to be a little tight for me to make this year, they made some changes to the rules and taken out my best event. They changed the rules on the (butterfly),” she said.
“It’s a harder year than normal that I can share with these kids and leading me towards making a decision. Still training, still going forward. Go forward to trials in July, see how things go at the end of the season.”
At the end of the day, the 42-year-old knows her athletic career is winding down, but she knows no matter what the future holds, she won’t ever stop fighting.
“I want to wear the Maple Leaf, it means something to me every time,” she said.
“To make those teams and wear the red and white really is an honour and a celebration of the work and the journey I’ve put in. If I could be on the team for the next 10 years I would do it… 2020, if it goes that far, that will be the end.”
Email sports tips to Byron Hackett
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