IN TODAYS HERALD

Paralysed curler has willpower made of granite
RICHARD WINTON April 03 2009

POWERFUL: Jim Taylor propels the curling stones using solely the force of his shoulder. Picture: Marc Turner
Jim Taylor has spent most of his adult life exceeding expectations. Paralysed from the chest down at the age of 23, he has confounded convention throughout the past 30 years while becoming one of Scotland's foremost wheelchair curlers, so his latest defiance of probability should come as no surprise.

The concept, if not its execution, was relatively straightforward: push a succession of curling stones a combined distance of one mile on the ice to raise money for charity. The practicality, though, was somewhat different. Labelled as moving a tonne of granite for a mile, it soon became clear that to cover the stated distance with 44-pound curling stones would require closer to two-and-a-half tonnes of ailsite or 128 stones.

"I actually thought I'd do 80 and hit the wall and most of my mates agreed," reveals Taylor, whose 75 minutes of hard graft last December raised £8800 for Poppyscotland's Hearts & Heroes challenge. "A lot of folk didn't know how it would work - everybody thought I'd shove a tonne of granite up and down the ice but even Hercules couldn't do that. In reality, when I hit 128 I still had plenty in the tank. I wanted to go on but my coach said no that's enough, you've done what you set out to achieve' but my fear was that someone might do it another year and beat my target."

What happened to Taylor on September 9, 1978 would have extinguished such a competitive fire inside many. While playing rugby for Kelvinside Academicals against Old Aloysians, a scrum collapsed, breaking his neck and severing his spinal cord, leaving him paralysed from the nipple line down, with no individual finger movement or grip.

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A life of plans, dreams and ambitions died on the field that day. Taylor insists only good fortune prevented him from joining them.

"I was lucky that one of their guys, Roddy McLeod, was a doctor because he effectively saved my life by not letting anyone move me," he recalls matter-of-factly. "I could have died that day had it not been for him so I've nothing to be bitter about. At the end of the day an accident is an accident - no regrets, no remorse, just one of these things. I could have got knocked down crossing the road, anything could have happened, because realistically if your number's up, it's up. I just had an accident and ended up in a wheelchair and while it's not the life I would have chosen, I've still had a great 30 years."

Twenty-four of those years have been shared with Sandra - "my nurse, carer, wife and best friend" - who Taylor married in 1993. She washes and dresses him in the morning before going to work as a hairdresser and her support enabled the Glaswegian to return to his job with the Bank of Scotland until he took early retirement three years ago to care for his mother, who had Alzheimer's. Within six months, she had fallen victim to the C.diff bug while in hospital, and now Taylor dedicates his time to working for Marie Curie Cancer Care as a telephone appeals organiser.

"I need to keep busy," he admits. "I'm too young to retire and mentally too active because I get bored and need a challenge - I would become a vegetable if I just sat in front of the TV. I curl two or three times a week and I've also got a handbike that I go on for about 15 minutes every night just to tone up."

While perhaps painted as a vanity project, his evening exercise is conducted to complement his curling. When he first took up the sport five years ago, he could barely shove the stone 10 feet but as his shoulder strength developed, so too did his ability to compete. A twice-winner of the Scottish Championships, he added the British crown and UK pairs title last year and has reached such a stage of competency that he can also take to the ice with able-bodied curlers, further rehabilitating his morale.

"It's a huge part of my life now and I've been really fortunate to punch above my weight and have a sport I enjoy again after rugby," Taylor admits. "I tried a couple of things but there was always an inequality between spinal injuries. I tried track racing once and got hammered by a guy by about 50m in a 200m race but he could get up and out of his wheelchair, which I couldn't do. I realise that I could train every day of the week without being able to surpass or even equal him, so there wasn't much point continuing. I messed about with table tennis and pool but to no great degree of satisfaction but now I've found something that can interest me and keep me physically happy."

His success is an inspiration and Taylor is keen to use it to give hope to others in his situation. This week, he returned to the spinal unit for his "annual MOT" but spent time talking to some of those who will be indirect beneficiaries of his charity work through Hearts & Balls, who provide pastoral and financial care to those who have suffered serious injury playing rugby.

"Hopefully I can let them know it's not all doom and gloom and they can still have a life ," he says. "It's good to give something back because the old campaigners taught me all the basics, sucha s shaving, and I want to impart some of that to the younger folk and give them a bit of encouragement."

This article was posted on 3-Apr-2009, 07:18 by Hugh Barrow.