Where there’s will, there’s way to play
DARYL Sterling Jr was on a family holiday in 1986 when tragedy struck.
“I was with my grandma and cousins in Santa Barbara,” he said.
“We were going for lunch and the restaurant we wanted to go to was just across the street, so we walked.”
With his cousins in front of him and his grandmother walking behind him, Sterling was crossing the road when a driver failed to stop.
“The sun was in her eyes and she didn’t see me,” he said.
“I saw her. I was in the middle of the crosswalk. I tried to get back to the curb but it was too late. She hit me with the car directly and I flew.”
The life-threatening accident completely “smashed” Sterling Jr’s left leg, resulting in its amputation. He was only eight years old. “From what I’ve seen with people who have gone through the same thing, I think I was young enough that it naturally became a part of normal life,” said Sterling.
“Adaptation was just the way things happened,” he said.
When something challenging came up, whether it was getting in the shower or riding a bike again, Sterling just “found other ways of doing things”.
“If I was older and this happened to me, I might have thought ‘I can’t do this’, but being so young, I learnt different ways to do the things I wanted to do.” That attitude – that, although it might be difficult, it is possible – has stuck with him and pushed him to explore new pursuits in life, from powerlifting to outrigger paddling to his “favourite sport”, table tennis.
“It was about 10 or 11 years ago when I started (table tennis),” he said.
“I saw this sport and it was like, ‘OK, how can I do this’.”
Sterling started to play by hopping around on one leg but, after discovering that was “way too tiring”, he began to use one crutch.
“My coach back in San Diego worked with me on the crutch and helped me to move around.
“It was a building up of skill based on forgetting how to do things.”
Earlier this month, Sterling was part of the Queensland team at the National Para Table Tennis Championships in Murray Bridge, South Australia.
He won gold in the Class 7 men’s singles and silver in the men’s doubles and men’s team events.
“It was great and a real change for me,” he said.
“I’ve competed in the US before and since we don’t have the same numbers in each class, often times we have to combine lots of classes together,” he said.
He said having Table Tennis Queensland coach George Logothetis in attendance helped his performance “a lot”.
“I had coaching in the US, but since moving over to Cairns I haven’t really had any,” he said.
“Coaching really matters, particularly in close games, and that’s what I had when I was at Murray Bridge.
“They were really close, especially the final.
“George really helped me a lot. I was glad he was there.” AT the end of the day we are all human and all have different struggles, weaknesses, emotions and barriers in life.
Many of us wonder why we are not losing weight when we are following a strict diet, meal plan or exercise routine.
A weight loss journey is not as simple as what we make it out to be.
We eat wholesome nutritious food, establish a regular exercise pattern, we lose weight, right?
But when you realise the weight isn’t coming off, you start to ask “what am I doing wrong?”, or tell yourself “I give up” or “I just wish I could feel and look good in my own body”.
For those starting a weight loss journey, surround yourself with positive people and be selective with who they may be.
LOSING WEIGHT IS GOING TO BE ONE OF THE HARDEST THINGS YOU EVER DO; HOWEVER, IT IS GOING TO BE ONE OF THE MOST REWARDING.
If we are trying to change our lifestyle habits first we need to be embedded within a supportive environment.
Secondly, identify your barriers and why they exist. Why is the weight not coming off? Why do you eat when you’re bored? Why do you snack when you get home? Is it a stress release?
Often we break our healthy habits not out of cravings but convenience. Sometimes you will need to seek support to identify your why.
We need to stop thinking about what could happen, but what we want to happen and how we are going to make it happen?
Losing weight is going to be one of the hardest things you ever do; however, it is going to be one of the most rewarding.
Stop thinking “what if...” and start thinking “when I succeed...”, and write down what will happen when you do succeed. Matt Hart is the sports dietitian at Health Management Dietitians.