Charles Fryer-Stevens Athlete Profile

Sport is, and always has been, a massive part of my life. Whilst young and able bodied I loved cycling, swimming, cross country running. I learned to ski and took up martial arts. When I became a wheelchair user in January 2011, I just focussed on my 'ability’ not my 'disability’ and now play wheelchair basketball with a passion :o)

Aged 5, I started Ju-Jitsu and I was so keen I begged my Mother to take me to the maximum of 3 sessions a week, and more during school holidays. I progressed through the gradings for my various coloured belts. Aged 10 I passed the grading for my Ju-Jitsu black belt.

However, aged 12, I was diagnosed with Degenerative Disc Disease and early onset Osteoarthritis, at that time I was playing rugby for my school team, Oswestry Rugby Club and was being courted by the county rugby team. Upon diagnosis I had to give up all contact sports immediately.

Aged 14, I took part in the National Velodrome Finals at Newport in Gwent in 2010. My races were the flying 200m and the one kilo sprint. I came 6th in one and 10th in the other. I was invited to the DHL sponsored sprint schools. My aim was to be in the top 3 the next year.

That same summer my condition worsened significantly and some days I was totally unable to walk due to the numbness in my legs caused by the Degenerative Disc Disease and by Christmas I had to give up cycling totally, even just for pleasure and go into a wheelchair full time. I was devastated at having to give up a second sport that I loved, having already given up rugby.

Fortunately, aged 15 in January 2010, I had been invited to a Paralympic Talent Day at Birmingham University and I tried many different sports such as sitting volleyball, wheelchair archery, fencing, shooting tennis and basketball. Immediately the Wolverhampton Rhinos wanted to sign me up and I started training regularly with the team.

I quickly rose through the ranks of players from playing in club teams to the West Midlands regional team in October 2010, to the National Team for Scotland in June 2011. I have played for Scotland several times this year already at the UK School Games in Sheffield and the Lords Taverner’s Wheelchair Basketball Finals at Stoke Mandeville. I play regularly for my club team, the Vikings in St Helens near Liverpool, we have a really inspirational coach, Sue Peel. The Junior Vikings team game 2nd in the Lords Taverner’s Junior league on 31 March 2012. I’m really proud to be a part of the Viking’s team.

Also in late March 2012, I was awarded a High Sheroff of Shropshire Award for Citizenship. I was nominated by my college for the work done to promote wheelchair basketball to both disabled and able bodied students and my commitment to raising money for beatBullying.org. It was a privilige to be nominated and I felt humbled when hearing some of the amazing things others at the ceremony had done for the community.

I am extremely grateful to Haj Bhania the Team GB Juniors Coach who nominated me for this scholarship, and I look forward to working and training hard. A place on the Junior Team GB Wheelchair Basketball Squad would mean the world to me. My aim for the future is to continue to grow and improve as an athlete to enable me to ultimately become a member of the Men’s Team GB Wheelchair Basketball Squad.

I would like to thank all of the people who contributed to the cost of my new sports chair (pictured above). They are: The GBWBA, The Lords Taverners, the Variety Club, the Charlotte Hartey Foundation, Walford and North Shropshire College, Doreen Stevens, Edna Hicks, Pat & John Small, Beryl Matthews and of course my parents.

Lastly, a thing that also means a lot to me is my work for the charity BeatBullying. I felt severely bullied both physically and verbally at school, to the point where my parents removed me from the school in the middle of my GCSE year – not something they did lightly. Thankfully now I am at a great college which does not tolerate such behaviour. However, I want to make a difference to prevent other children going though what I did. Donations to BeatBullying can be made at: https://www.justgiving.com/charliefryer-stevens