Celebrating Opportunity

“I remember it wasn’t fun to be singled out and people looked at me walking funny. Swimming changed that for me. Cerebral palsy is not a disability for me, it’s something that has given me an opportunity – an opportunity to celebrate.”​ - Abi Tripp    

By David Grossman

Time for a Canadian adventure of a young girl, with a promising script, an interesting narrative and a powerful real life story. It’s something fit for the cinema.

That individual is Abi Tripp.

A youngster born with cerebral palsy then, at age 17, learns that she has been diagnosed with dystonia, a neurological disorder that causes involuntary muscle contractions leading to possible sudden and un-planned movements in the arm or legs.

Not something one wants to hear, and even more so if the person, like Tripp, is a swimmer.

While there are some people who would have difficulty comprehending what the future would look like, there are others like Tripp who strictly focus on the future. For her, it was examining the circumstances, reviewing the situation with her family, and then making some tough decisions that were mixed with emotional, physical and mental challenges.

A character individual with a strong attitude, Tripp is poised and the owner of a gold medal personality. She was prepared to change the way she did things to appease physical challenges. It was all about moving forward in life and continuing on to a rewarding future as a competitive swimmer.

Born in Kingston, Tripp is from the Ontario city that is known for history, culture and tourism.

There are some familiar names from that part of the world, too. Among the more popular, the figure of Confederation and a Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald. Also, Canadian actor Dan Aykroyd, and former lead singer for the Tragically Hip, Gord Downie. The lineup goes on, but nowhere has the city produced a swimmer that fits the tale and portrayal of Tripp.

A three-time Canadian swim record holder, Tripp has already competed at the 2016 Paralympics, World Para Swimming championships, the Commonwealth Games and is currently, in her specialty breaststroke category, among the top five on the planet. She was set for a trip to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, but we all know about the coronavirus pandemic and that story.

Tripp remains optimistic, and will treat the extended time as more reason to practice and train harder for 2021.

It was at the age of six, when Tripp started swimming. There were lessons as well as the desire to be just as active as her sibling. Then, in 2006, when Tripp competed in a Kids of Steel triathlon competition, little did she know that one of the world’s elite swimmers, an inductee to the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame and owner of 19 world records, was taking mental notes, and liking what she was seeing in the pool.

Vicki Keith, who had retired in 1991 after an impressive swimming career, had dedicated herself to helping young athletes with physical disabilities. Keith, now running one of the largest programs in Canada for swimmers with disabilities, approached Tripp and did so with charm and affection. It’s a special relationship that still continues.

“From the day I first met (Keith), she’s been outstanding - and I am so very lucky,” said Tripp, who is a member of the Kingston Y Penguins Swim Club. “It’s not every day that you get to learn from someone with her knowledge and fame. I remember being eight years old, watching the Olympics, and decided that I wanted to do that one day.”

Tripp advanced to compete in her first regional championship in Nepean. She didn’t win, but it was a huge moment in her life. Bigger things were on the horizon.

“In Kingston, there was no other sport for kids with physical impairments, just swimming,” recalled Tripp, who later went on to score academic honors for four consecutive years at Regiopolis-Notre Dame Catholic High School.

“I remember it wasn’t fun to be singled out and people looked at me walking funny. Swimming changed that for me. Cerebral palsy is not a disability for me, it’s something that has given me an opportunity – an opportunity to celebrate.”

In 2018, Tripp was 17 years old when she was referred to a specialist in Toronto. She would later learn that a new medical diagnosis, that of dystonia, was something that would affect her arms and legs. It was a setback, especially being informed it would be something that she would have to deal with for the rest of her life.

Tripp didn’t like the news, anticipated it would end her swim career and that huge dream of reaching the world stage. Frustrated with the uncontrollable spasms in her arms, training was tough. She had a feeling that things were not right. A recipe for success had to be formulated. Tough decisions had to be made, but there was Keith, working with Tripp, on a plan.

“It was a huge challenge and amounted to (Tripp) changing the way she trained and did things, as her body was reacting violently to the extra work,” said Keith. “She was doing something differently and working 10 times harder.”

Focussed and determined, Tripp said things have improved, including confidence, due to how she is following the advice of Keith.

“The first time I saw her, there was this little girl with a life jacket and watching her perform was something really special with fire and determination. After learning of (dystonia), she lost complete hope. She’s taken the situation and turned it in to a positive. We’re using active mental imagery to train the brain to do what she wants.

“An incredible young woman, that’s (Tripp), a leader and she has this goodness that you’d wish for in every child. There’s no doubt in my mind that she’s medal material at the next (Paralympic) Games.”

Tripp made her major international debut at the Toronto Pan Am Games in 2015. She finished fourth in four races: the 50-metre freestyle, 100m freestyle, 100m breaststroke and 200m individual medley, all in the S8, SB8, SM8 classifications. That’s the swimming categories, which includes cerebral palsy, used for categorizing swimmers based on their level of impairment.

But 2016 was something exciting. Tripp started the year breaking the 14-year-old Canadian record in the women’s 200m individual medley (S8) at the Canadian Para-swimming Trials in Toronto. Until then, it was owned by Andrea Cole who had held the mark since 2002.

Later that year, at the Paralympic Games in Brazil, Tripp made the finals in the 400m freestyle (6th), 100m freestyle (7th) and 200m individual medley (8th). Even better news, her times in the 400m and 200m races were Canadian records.

At the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia, Tripp won a bronze medal 50-metre freestyle (S8). A few months later at the Pan Pacific Para Swimming championships, Tripp finished fourth in the 200m individual medley SM8 and fifth in the 100m backstroke (S8).

Hearing Tripp elaborate on her success in the pool showed that there was something even better down the road.

“I started an initiative in 2019 called “Inclusion for Ability” and it’s about accessibility and inclusion,” she said. “I want to encourage people to welcome physical impairment to society. We are all different and it’s important that we all put ourselves in the shoes of others.”

David Grossman is a veteran award-winning Journalist, Broadcaster with some of Canada’s major media, including the Toronto Star and SPORTSNET 590 THE FAN, and a Public Relations professional for 45+ years in Canadian sports and Government relations.