I now have no competition now until April, so I have the chance to answer a few things I perhaps havent had the time to when I was competing. I was asked what I had actually done before losing my leg. So, here goes! I joined the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards in 2003, at the age of 18, spending 26 long, thoroughly enjoyable (no sarcasm) weeks in Catterick at the Infantry Training Centre. I completed my training in Feb 2004 and later that year, took part in my first Trooping of the Colour. I then spent 6 months on operations in Bosnia, a brilliant experience, aside from spending Christmas away from home and seeing in the New Year on the gate on guard! In 2005, I took part in my Second Trooping of the Colour. On my 21st Birthday, in 2006, we were gathered together as a Battalion, to be told we were off to Iraq in a couple of months, which wasnt the birthday present I thought I was going to get. So I spent 6 months on operations in Iraq. 2007 included my third trooping of the colour and deploying on jungle training in Jamaica. We happened to be out there when Hurricane Dean hit the island and decided it would be a good idea to do a Man Test of who could stand in the hurricane the longest! We returned just in time for me to marry my Wife! The hurricane nearly meant I wouldnt be back for our wedding!! In 2008, we deployed to the Falkland Islands on cold weather training and despite that stage of my life involving enjoying getting in at 3am most mornings, somehow I impressed enough to be promoted to Lance Corporal after a six week promotional course in Pirbright after returning from the Falklands. 2009, We deployed to Kenya on pre-Afghanistan training and it wasnt all bad, after becoming pally with a local who called himself Ken Barlow, he made our time on camp easier, with the local Tusker Kenyan Beer! And, we got to enjoy some adventure training, including a 200ft bungee jump. Later that year, we deployed for 6 months to Afghanistan. We returned to the quickest turn around of any Guards regiment and within 6 weeks of landing back in the UK, we were the Escort to the Colour on what was my fourth and last, trooping of the colour. I spent the first 4 months of 2011 in Brecon, completing my Section Commanders Battle Course, which was made all the harder, as my first son was born 3 weeks in to the course. I completed the course though and promoted to Lance Sergeant. I then enjoyed two precious weeks with my wife and son, before deploying to Canada on pre-Afghan training. Somewhere we saw as just another exercise and just another stint away from home, but as luck would have it, I was subsequently injured during a live firing incident and with it, brought an end to a career I felt I could go far in. I then spent 10 weeks in total, at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. An amazing place that I cannot fault one bit. From there, it was on to rehabilitation at Headley Court Military Rehabilitation Centre. Again, somewhere I owe an awful lot to, that place has done wonders to turn lads that look beyond ill and day by day, helps to piece their lives back together and then show them how amazing their new life as someone with a disability can be. I was there until September 2013, when I was then medically discharged from the Army, but during that time of 2011 and right up to now, I have became a qualified football coach, Boxing coach (the first amputee soldier to complete the course with the ABA), completed a 5km mud race on one leg to raise money for BLESMA and raised over £1,000! I became a qualified Personal Trainer. Then, entered and won first competition as a Disability Bodybuilder at Pure Elite and by no means least, became a Daddy to another little boy during that time. In that time, there were some pretty shitty days and some truly memorable days, but they are all my foundations that got me here and in 2015, I plan to build on them through competing. But, I cant finish boring you all, without giving a big big thank you to the two lads that treated me on 3rd July 2011. Steve Woods and Spencer Beynon are two lads who I will always owe everything that I have enjoyed since and will continue to enjoy. They treated me the day I was injured and without them I would never have achieved everything you read post 2011 and most importantly, I wouldnt have the opportunity to be a Daddy to my amazing boys and a husband to my rock of a wife. So, when you see some bodybuilders and you think they all have egos and are full of themselves (Id agree with some!) know that every time I will step out on stage, it will mean the world to me and I will always remember how lucky I am to be stood there
Posted on: Tue, 18 Nov 2014 14:40:54 +0000
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