‘I was hooked straight away’

Ciara Staunton is a member of the Irish wheelchair rugby team that plays a Test match against Italy in Rome this morning

Q: Can we ask how you ended up in a wheelchair?

A: Don’t worry, I’m always asked that question. Eight years ago a tree fell on my car on a stormy night. It left me paralysed from the neck down. C7 Quadriplegia is the official term for my condition. I was just gone 21.

Q: What was your life like in the weeks and months that follow?

A: It is like your life has been turned upside down. You are told you can’t do this, you can’t do that. Don’t do this, don’t do that. You basically have to relearn everything. It is overwhelming.

Q: Hardest thing to adjust to?

A: I spent seven months in hospital. But the hardest thing was coming home. Every day in hospital is structured but, back at home, everyone else is going about their daily lives and you are there with a lot of time on your hands.

And there is so much to think about. I had just qualified as a gym instructor before my accident. Fast forward a few months and I was in a wheelchair trying to work out how I was going to function and spend the rest of my life.

Q: The mental side of things seemed tougher than the physical?

A: Very much so. In hospital you had all your treatments, rehabs, along with all the staff. But, at home, everyone else was going about their daily lives. Not alone are you dealing with your own situation but you are also so aware of how it is all impacting on the people around you. For example I didn’t have a car at the time so I was completely dependent on others if I wanted to go somewhere. That was hard.

Q: So how did wheelchair rugby enter the picture?

A: The (wheelchair rugby) lads came to the hospital to give a demonstration. Coming from a life of exercise and sport, I was hooked straight away. I simply knew it was for me. I tried it out in the hospital. As soon as I came home I was getting my mother to drive me to training sessions every Wednesday. I loved it.

Q: In a way it sounds almost like a therapy group?

A: Definitely. Everyone had their own stories to tell (about ending up in a wheelchair). They had answers to any question you could have. They always provided the best advice possible — it was better than anything the doctors and experts could tell you. If you were having a bad day, it was forgotten once you came through the doors. Nobody was going to feel sorry for you because you were in a wheelchair. You were amongst equals and then you were not treated any differently. All your focus was about getting on with training. The negative stuff was left at the door.

Q: Is wheelchair rugby a male dominated sport

A: It is, but due to various classifications, men and women play all the way up to international level.

Q: You mentioned there about enjoying the fact you were not treated any differently in training. What do you mean?

A: Things have changed for the better over the last couple of years. Some of the older lads tell some horror stories about how they would have been treated in the past. But my experience has been positive for the most part.

I think London 2012 Paralympics and the Channel 4 Superhuman Ad campaign changed attitudes towards those with disabilities. People are a lot more accepting and are not afraid of disability. But you still have the odd few annoyances — sometimes in a restaurant the waiter or waitress would ignore me and talk to the person with me, presuming I must have an intellectual difficult or something like that because I am in a wheelchair.

But you just brush that aside. It is happening less and less. For the most part people are very understanding. Sometimes if I’m getting into the car and my chair rolls away, people will come over and ask if I need help.

Q: But is there a thin line between what is helpful and pitiful

A: I don’t take it that way. But I’d rather someone ask me if I wanted help rather than just presume it? You sometimes get that from the older generations. They are the ‘Ah Bless you’ brigade who are almost congratulating you for getting out of the house. But its becoming rarer and rarer.

Q: How intense is training?

A: Ireland training sessions? We would train for two hours a session while we could have weekend sessions which run for five or six hours. There are very few breaks. You do warm ups, stretches, sprints, turns, skill work and then the practical stuff. We train as we play in terms of intensity, pace and aggression. Outside of that individuals have their own training programmes, weights work, swimming, etc, etc

Q: I’m told on the court you make Conor McGregor look like a puppy?

A: Who told you that? I’m extremely competitive! I am not treated any differently by the lads. And that is how I want it. They hit me as hard as they would another fella. And I don’t hold back either.

Fighting spirit and toughness is part of the game and I raise my game to be on par with the boys.

Q: Can you give us a bluffer’s guide to the wheelchair rugby?

A: “There are lots of differences to traditional rugby. It is a four aside game played on basketball courts. The aim is to get to get the ball across the end line. But you only have 40 seconds from when you secure possession to do so or else you lose possession. It is very fast. And very aggressive. You don’t have to have the ball to be hit. It is full contact with chairs and is not unusual for players to fall out of their chairs in these collisions. You just climb back in and play on. There are four eight minute quarters and each team has four time outs. But there can be numerous other stoppages — when the balls go out, punctures to wheelchairs — are just two examples. It means some games whizz by and be played in 40 minutes or you could have a match that goes on for an hour or more.

Q: Who is paying for the trip this weekend?

A: Like many other sports team we get very little funding. We get some grants for equipment but is a very costly sport. You need specialised chairs for playing the game and they can cost anywhere from between €5,000 and €7,000. This match in Rome is one of our cheaper excursions. Some competitions could be held over a week so when you factor in flights, accommodation, tournament entry you could be looking at a bill of close on €30,000. The majority of the big events in Europe are in places like Germany, Switzerland and the Czech Republic so that means a lot of money. We do a lot of fundraising activities, bag packing, whatever it takes to get the monies to top up the funds we have. I must say that the likes of Connacht and Munster Rugby have been great to us in terms of social media, plugging any events or fundraisers we might be having.

Q: How big is the sport in Ireland?

A: We have four teams in the county at present -two in Leinster, one in Munster and one in Ulster. The plan is to try and tap into Connacht. But that will come with time.

Q: What is it like to represent your country?

A: I am very proud. This will be my fourth international cap. And hopefully there will be a lot more to come.