I Interview Paralympian Aaron Phipps Ahead of this Important competition
Following a series of impressive performances, Great Britain’s wheelchair rugby squad are emerging as real contenders to bring home the Paralympic gold medal from Tokyo. Most recently, GB won the Four Nations Tournament in Lakeshore Alabama in May. This not only resulted in GB’s promotion from fifth to fourth in the IWRF (International Wheelchair Rugby Federation) world rankings but, also represented their impressive development as a team. GB remained composed and focused against the USA, Australia and Japan, teams who they had previously lost to only by the narrowest of margins in the last seconds of the game in early 2019.
GB’s next test will be in August at the 2019 IWRF European Championships in Vejle, Denmark. Great Britain enter this competition as the reigning European Champions and the favourites, following their recent victories over the USA and Australia, the top two teams in the world according to the IWRF. Yet with the gold and silver medal winners gaining automatic qualification for the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, this championship will be a fiercely contested tournament.
In the lead up to this important competition, I ask a few questions to my Solent Sharks teammate Aaron Phipps, one of the players selected for Great Britain’s squad at the European championships.
How are you feeling about the forthcoming competition?
“Really good. It’s quite tough because the European championships is the qualifier for Tokyo 2020. So obviously every team will bring out their ‘big guns’, because everyone wants to get to the Paralympics.
Everyone is very pleased with the current GB team. We are in a really good position as we’ve just won the Four Nations Tournament in Alabama. I think we are going into the Euros with confidence but we can’t be complacent. It is a big competition; everyone is going to come out firing. At the same time, the level we are training at as a squad makes me really excited for our chances in this competition, which is quite a nice feeling. I am not feeling too nervous. I am up for it and ready.
We are really settled as a team. We all train together and have been working on lots of stuff to make us even stronger as a unit. Everybody is really humble which creates a nice environment to train in.”
Which team do you think will prove to be the toughest competition?
“Either France or Denmark. I think France are in a really good position, we have had some really good games with them in the past. They have a really strong coach so I am interested to see what tactics they use. Denmark have a couple of really good high-pointers so they are going to be tough competition as well.”
What does a typical week of training look like?
“It really varies from week to week. I am quite often away with the GB team at Camps where we all come together and train as a squad. These camps are brutal. We have so many top players that every game you play in is just so tough, which is really good training. When I am away from these camps, I also do my independent training with Southampton Solent University. I have got an off day today, which is pretty unusual, but I am doing a lot of strength and conditioning work. I do lots of work in the gym and use a treadmill that I can get a wheelchair on. At the moment, building up to the Euros, I am in the middle of a very heavy training load. Sometimes I train up to ten times a week.”
Do you follow a particular diet when training to compete?
“I have to eat a very strict athlete’s diet. I am always counting my macros to make sure that I am on target, eating the right amount of protein and carbohydrates. I am in quite a fortunate position as I burn quite a few calories so in terms of eating, I just have to eat quite a lot, which I know sounds pretty amazing, but you just get fed up of eating. I am constantly having to drip feed food into my body. I always try to prepare snacks to take out with me.”
How do you mentally prepare for an international competition?
“That’s a big question. I have got a sports psychologist who does a lot of work with me. I have to work on ‘not caring’, which makes me play better. I know this seems unusual but I am a bit of a worrier, so I try not to care. When I don’t care, I don’t worry as much and if I don’t worry as much, I play better.”
What is your favourite thing about wheelchair rugby?
“The sheer brutality of it! It is so exciting and such an amazing sport. I just love the contact. There is nothing else like the physicality you get in the big international competitions. The hits are so big. It is just exciting when out of the corner of your eye, you see someone flying towards you and you think argh… this is not going to end well. It’s brilliant.”
My thanks and best wishes to my friend Aaron, I wish him and the rest of the GB squad great success in the forthcoming championships.
Imy Steele 