Golden girl glides to success
She is hoping to be selected to go to Rio for the 2016 Paralympics
Beth Nothling is Ladysmith’s own paralympic swimmer who is currently pursuing her international swimming career.
Beth has cerebral palsy, which has affected her muscle movements. She was born three months premature and contracted bacterial meningitis, which caused the disability. The doctors told her family that she would never be able to walk or talk, and would have to be institutionalised. However, Beth’s efforts to overcome her condition have been nothing short of astounding and the proof lies in her swimming success story!
Beth has been swimming since she was a baby. Swimming was first a routine exercise for her to keep her muscles supple. Her occupational therapist lived in Pietermaritzburg and so she was only able to see her once every two weeks. Beth loved the water and the water really helped to get her muscles moving. In 2003, she decided to take her swimming more seriously and went to Estcourt to get classified.
“When I looked at the other people there, I realised I was actually fine. Seeing what some other people have to live with on a daily basis really got me motivated to do well in my swimming,” says Beth. She started breaking records in 2006 in Bloemfontein and her junior records still stand. She continues to break records, with her latest best being in August last year when she broke an All-African record for 50m backstroke.
She went to Beijing for the Paralympics in 2008, where she made the finals in the 50m backstroke for the first time in her international career. She came seventh in the world and broke a South African record. “Travelling is very exciting and I always look forward to it. Despite all the hard work, it’s still enjoyable. However, you don’t get to see much of the country. You see the pool and the hotel, and that’s about it! I was fortunate to have my parents with me when I went to Beijing and we were able to do some sightseeing there.”
Beth is currently studying Sports Management at the Exercise Teaching Academy in Durban. She is going into her second year of studying and is hoping to secure a bursary from Sport & Recreation which will enable her to study further at the Exercise Teaching Academy. She is also hoping to do a ‘Learn to Swim’ course so she can help others, able-bodied and disabled, to swim.
While she is studying, she trains at least an hour every day. This includes swimming and doing gym work. She is hoping to be selected to go to Rio for the 2016 Paralympics.
In the little bit of spare time she has, Beth enjoys baking, reading and spending time with her family. “If I don’t swim, I get depressed. It makes me happy and always puts a smile on my face.”
Beth says she wouldn’t be where she is today if it wasn’t for all the support from her family and coaches, especially Ivan and Denise Ball, and would like to thank them and her respective schools, LHS and Egerton, for all they have done for her and their continuous support. Special thanks to her current coach Graeme Hill and all the people in Ladysmith who have followed her success. This golden girl proves to all of us that you can achieve anything you set your mind (and heart) to.
