D swimmers to Paralympics triumph

When MICK MASSEY arrived in Singapore in 2014 to take up the position of Head of Swimming at Dulwich College (Singapore), little did he know he would coach two swimmers to medals at the Rio 2016 Paralympics. Following his triumphant return, Mick charted t

The emotion of the moments when Yip Pin Xiu claimed two gold medals and Theresa Goh a bronze is still very raw for Mick Massey. Just a week after returning from Rio, he is back at work and fielding requests for interview after interview. And rightly so: the former Team GB National High Performance Head Coach is superbly qualified – and justifiably proud – of delivering Singapore’s second and third gold medals, and its first bronze, at the Paralympics Games.

Mick began coaching the girls in January 2015 at the request of Singapore’s sporting leaders, with a clear directive that the two athletes were capable of making the final – and the podium – in their respective events in Rio. “My philosophy is always the same when given a challenge. I say yes, then I go away and work out how to do what I’ve just signed up for,” he says.

Does coaching athletes with disabilities require different skills from those for able- bodied athletes? “As well as an understanding of sports science physiology, years of coaching experience and the ability to communicate and build professional relationships, coaching Paralympics athletes requires experience in thinking outside of the box,” he says. By way of example, Mick says there are no textbooks that explain how to coach an athlete with Yip Pin Xiu’s disability, muscular dystrophy.

“A coach has to research the condition and ask experts how it affects the body. Above all, you need to build a relationship with the athlete based on trust – so that she isn’t afraid to tell me if she’s having a bad day. After this, basically it’s the same training an able-bodied athlete would do, pro rata.” Mick places great emphasis on building and leading a solid support team made up of a physiotherapist, a physiologist, a biomechanics specialist and a nutrition expert, all of whom play a huge part in the training.

For more than 18 months, Mick, Theresa and Pin Xiu met and trained at the Dulwich College (Singapore) pool and the OCBC Aquatic Centre for between six and eight sessions a week of up to two hours, plus two hours of strength and conditioning. “Having Headmaster Nick Magnus and the college embrace and welcome the girls to use our facilities was a pivotal moment. Bringing training onto my doorstep and thereby reducing the travelling time was a massive bonus for all three of us,” he says.

Mick was with the athletes all the way to the starting blocks at Rio. His elation at their win is as intense as that of Theresa and Pin Xiu because he has invested so much time and energy in preparing them. “It was amazing when they received their medals; I was so proud for the girls and so proud for the nation of Singapore,” he says.

What’s next for Theresa, Pin Xiu and their coach? The athletes will now think about their future and decide whether they want to compete at the 2020 Games. “That is for the girls to decide,” says Mick.

Mick came to Singapore in 2014 to build a swim team for Dulwich College (Singapore) and he is keen to take the team to London in 2019 for the Dulwich Olympiad to celebrate the school’s 400 years. “Very few coaches will ever get the opportunity to start a project from scratch and leave a legacy in a foreign land. I love life in the college; the drive and commitment that the PE and swim staff show is just infectious. Working with and positively influencing very young children is one of the greatest privileges life can throw at you. It’s an amazing place to work, and there is never a day when I don’t remind myself of that,” he says.

“I pull her out of the water, kiss her on the cheek and she screams, ‘Did we win?’”

As well as being the coach of Yip Pin Xiu (or ‘PX’ as she is known by many), I also manage her preparation before races. It’s often extremely stressful; she needs help with everything she does, except swimming. There’s a great deal of pressure in getting everything right and I lay awake for most of the night prior to the 50-metre backstroke final.

When we race, everything is done meticulously, to exact timing. After we arrive at the pool, she has time to settle in, have soft tissue therapy, warm up and take 30 minutes to suit up – PX needs a female assistant to help her with that. Then I give her 10 minutes undisturbed time to mentally prepare.

At major competitions we must report to the call room exactly 20 minutes before the race start time – one minute late and it’s disqualification. Once in the call room, the pressure starts to build – if I speak to PX she is disqualified. We are almost telepathic and communicate with our eyes. With about eight minutes to go I plait her hair and put her swim cap on; it’s a very challenging operation. PX cannot do this herself, as she cannot open her hands to grip the cap. Next, I put the goggles in the exact position she likes, and leave the straps in place so I can put them back over her eyes at the last minute before we race.

On this day, there is a delay before the event, so PX goes over and over her mental preparation. My heart is pounding, because if anything goes wrong in this wait we have lost before we even step out. All of a sudden the head marshal says, ‘Sorry, change of plan: the race is in four minutes.’ PX whispers to me, ‘Easy, Coach, don’t panic – we’ve got this.’

We refit the goggles and wait our turn to face the cameras and 12,000 people; I feel sick as I push her out. At the block, I ready her for the race and refit the goggles; I lower her into the water and hold her wrists gently in readiness for the start. She knows what I’m thinking when we make final eye contact: ‘This is your time now; do what you are good at!’

The starter says ‘Take your marks’, and I pull her arms out of the water, ready for the backstroke start we’ve practised thousands of times. She looks perfect, but if we make a single move now we are disqualified. A lasting memory for me is getting severe cramp in my arm at this point – it seems like an eternity before the buzzer sounds. It wasn’t a great start; I just couldn’t get my arm out of the way quick enough and she caught my arm as she threw her own arms back. At the 25-metre mark, she is head-to-head with the Chinese swimmer and my pulse is racing. At 35 metres, though, PX has edged out in front, and at 40 metres she is a body-length ahead and I know we’ve got it. The crowd is going crazy.

Her win is a huge relief for me, but I know no one else in the building realises that she can’t see the scoreboard. Her disability is degenerative, and her eyesight is getting worse every year. She doesn’t actually know she’s won! I pull her out of the water, kiss her on the cheek and she screams, ‘Did we win?’ I hug her and she knows. The emotion is unbelievable, the Singapore supporters are screaming in the stands and it’s done. Almost two years of preparation for 60 seconds of glory. My job is finished; now it’s all about her.

“No one else realises that she can’t see the scoreboard”