Lee and Lora: Living the Paralympic dream

Around the world, thousands of athletes are gearing up for this year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games. Among them are two young British hopefuls, Lee Greatbatch and Lora Turnham. While they won’t know whether they have been selected to represent their country for several more weeks, both are training hard. Helping them achieve their dreams are two very special fourlegged friends – their guide dogs Darby and Libby.

Lee’s story

Lee plays blind football, and with over 50 caps representing his country internationally, including the Blind Football World Cup, European Championships and the Beijing Paralympic Games, he is a seasoned professional. Blind football is played with a team of four blind players and a sighted goalkeeper. The ball contains ball bearings and a sighted ‘guide keeper’ calls to the players so that they know the rough direction of the goal. “Most of the game is played inside your head,” Lee explains. “Before the match you walk around the pitch to get the dimensions and you keep in your mind the diamond-shape formation of the team.

Communication is very important – we call to each other when we have the ball or are going to tackle – and you need good spatial awareness too.” As well as fitness training, Lee is currently doing football training two or three times a week, and plays for West Bromwich in the Blind Football League. “My guide dog Darby plays a really important part in my training. With him I can travel by bus rather than having to pay for taxis,” Lee says. “But I don’t take him to the matches as he’s still young and I have this fear he’ll steal everyone’s football boots from the changing rooms!”

Lee describes waiting to hear whether he has been selected for the Paralympics as “a bit like waiting for exam results” but adds: “It’s a tough call but I think I’m more excited about the birth of our first baby in April!”

Lora’s story

Lora comes from an illustrious family of guide dog owners – her mother and two brothers have the same eye condition, and all have guide dogs. Lora has had her guide dog, Libby, since she was 17, and finds her a great support, not just in terms of helping her travel to her six-times-a-week training sessions, but also emotionally. “She’s very calming when you’re nervous so it helps having her around. I don’t take her when I’m competing abroad but I really miss her, and I don’t have the same freedom.” Their relationship is such a special one that they were shortlisted for this year’s Kennel Club ‘Friend for Life’ competition.

Lora is relatively new to the sport of para-cycling, where she rides tandem with a sighted pilot in both road racing and track events. “I was tired of athletics, which I’d done at school, and discovered para-cycling through a friend. I had a ride on a bike and it felt very natural – and within three months I was at the Para-cycling World Championships in Italy, where we won a bronze in the road race!”

The pilot plays an essential role, as Lora explains: “The pilot trains as hard as we do and I have to rely on her to do all the steering. I have to relax and respond to the movements of the bike, and if she digs in, I know I have to pedal faster too.”

Since then Lora has competed all over the world and is now racing with new pilot, Fiona Duncan. Both have put their careers on hold (Fiona is taking a sabbatical from being a policewoman), while aiming for Paralympic glory. They have had mixed results recently but are still hopeful of being selected. “I love racing,” says Lora, “but I enjoy winning more!”

Lee, Lora and Eukanuba

Procter & Gamble are sponsoring the Olympics and their premium pet food brand Eukanuba has made Lee and Lora the face of its advertising campaign throughout 2012. Sales and Marketing Director Annaliese Reekie says: “We are thrilled Eukanuba can support Lee and Lora in their Paralympic Games endeavours through their guide dogs. Eukanuba has a long-term relationship with Guide Dogs and the London 2012 Paralympic Games signals a great opportunity for us to communicate this important relationship.”