About Vicki
Vicki was 23 years old when in 2002 she was diagnosed with cancer and given six months to live.
Against all odds she recovered following major lung surgery and a below knee amputation. A year after her terminal diagnosis Vicki was back at work in her job as Sports Development Officer at Surrey University.
Having cheated death she decided to live life to the full and make the most of every moment.
Having always been a keen athlete Vicki threw herself into sport for rehabilitation after her amputation. She learnt to run with a prosthetic leg with a few falls and broken arm along the way. Vicki began winning medals in the T44 class – open to athletes with below knee amputations. She took gold at the 100m at the British Open Championships in 2005 and set a new British record for the event in her first ever competitive outing!
Following the British Open Championships success Vicki then went on to win gold in the 100m at the Wheelchair and Amputee World Games in Rio De Janeiro in 2005.
Seeking even greater challenges she then transferred to rowing in 2006 and astounded the crowds at the World Rowing Championships by not only winning gold in the Legs, Trunks and Arms Mixed Coxed Fours Adaptive Rowing (LTAMX4+) but also by setting a new world record for the event.
Vicki was named as BBC South Disabled Sportswoman of the Year in December 2006, very much deserved after such a successful year.
During 2007 whilst continuing with training Vicki was also very busy at work and became involved with developing sport within Surrey University and externally she is now part of the Campaign Board for new sports facilities which she feels are very much needed to develop sport in the Surrey region and contribute to the national agenda, particularly in developing disability sport not just for students but also the local community.
In September 2007 Vicki and her team mates won Silver in the World Rowing Championships in the Leg, Trunks and Arms Mixed Coxed Fours Adaptive Rowing. Since that time Vicki has been training very hard in her chosen discipline with the GB squad, with the aim of representing her country in adaptive rowing mixed coxed fours at the Paralympics, in Beijing this year. Not one to rest on her laurels she has also been studying for a Masters in Sports Psychology which she should finish this year.
Vicki realised early this year that she would have to concentrate on training full time if she wanted to be considered as a serious contender for a place in the GB mixed coxed fours squad to complete at the Paralympics.
Vicki's blog
Vicki also regularly gives presentations to universities, schools and business organisations on a number of topics including the following;
• Experiences of elite sport
• Coping with disability
• My Journey of returning to sport after illness
• Motivational story of her journey of survival against the odds
• Goal setting and need to plan your life
She is always happy to consider speaking at events and can be contacted by email at v.hansford@surrey.ac.uk
March 10th, 2008
I asked Vicki what her typical week was like prior to her taking a sabbatical from work. Here is her reply;
‘In the week I’m up at 5.30 am and train until 9 am. I am at work in the morning and train during my lunch hour. Then it’s back to work until 3pm when I then train for a further hour and a half, returning to work until 7.30 pm. After that I go home for dinner. The rest of the evening is taken up studying for my Masters until bedtime. On Saturdays I have two training sessions and three on Sundays, each two hours long’
When I asked how she managed to balance intensive training with her work, study and home life she said;
‘I struggle, to be honest. It’s a case of good time management, prioritisation and sacrifice!’
Quite honestly when you read the above it is quite clear that Vicki has made the right decision to train full time so that she can realise her dream of bringing back Gold from Beijing.
SpineWorks are sponsoring Vicki this year so that she can just concentrate on what she does best!! We first came across Vicki when Deb Quaile was at the Athletics Track, at Surrey University with her boys and happened to see Vicki at a training session with Margot Wells. At that time the boys were complaining about having to get up early etc but soon stopped when they saw Vicki practicing coming out of the blocks using her ‘cheetah’ limb only to fall flat on her face. Not to be deterred she just picked herself up, dusted herself off and then to the sound of Margot’s screaming (who remembers footage of Margot screaming her husband Alan Wells to victory in the 100m at the Olympic Games of Moscow 1980) she shot out of the blocks again! What an inspiration!!
We recently held a fundraising event at the Farnham Maltings where local band Red Zone Alley played to a packed audience. We are pleased to say that we raised £1000 after expenses. Vicki has just purchased some sculling blades with the money and also invested in a Tom Tom so at last she can find her way to regattas, competitions etc without always taking the scenic route as Vicki would say.
March 10th, 2008
Donations & sponsorship
If you would like to make a donation to Vicki then it would be very much appreciated.
(Donations are made through PayPal - it's fast, free and secure!)
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