A West Lothian woman and member of the armed forces has spoken of how competing at the Paralympics as a sit skier restored her confidence after experiencing a below the knee amputation.
Shona Brownlee, from Livingston, was injured during the final exercise of her RAF basic training. At first the ankle injury seemed as though it was not of major concern but after it failed to heal she developed complications which led to the below-knee amputation.
Devastated by the incident she feared that her career in the armed forces was over before it had the chance to get off the ground. She says that the life-changing injury was followed by being informed about the things she would no longer be able to do.
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But determined to find the positives, Shona explored the sport of sitskiing as part of a military programme. From there she went from strength to strength and eventually secured her place as a Paralympian competing at the Beijing games in 2022.
“I was injured in 2012 during the final exercise of my RAF basic training. What initially appeared to be a straightforward ankle injury failed to heal and developed complications, leading to a below-knee amputation”, she said.
“It was definitely a life-changing injury and things were pretty tough at the start as the focus constantly seemed to be on the negative. I was faced with the prospect of losing my career when it had barely begun and I was constantly being told all the things I couldn't do.
“Learning to sitski opened up a whole new world, helping me to regain some confidence and shifting the focus to the positives and the things I could do. It showed me that 'disability' didn't necessarily mean 'inability' and that I was still able to achieve things despite my injury", she added.
The Paralympian explained: “I could still take part in the same activities as anybody else - even though, in a sitski, I was skiing in a slightly different way to what's considered the norm, I was still out on the same mountains, skiing the same slopes as everybody else.
"I was first given the opportunity to learn sitskiing as part of the Battle Back programme, an MOD and Help for Heroes funded initiative to provide sporting and adventurous training opportunities to wounded, injured and sick Service personnel.
“I'd never skied prior to injury and as sitskiing requires specialist adaptive equipment, I fully expected that initial 10-day trip to be both the beginning and end of my skiing career. I was fortunate to then be invited to join the Armed Forces Para-Snowsport Team (AFPST) who were able to lend me the equipment and provide the coaching I needed to progress.
“It was with AFPST that I got my first experiences of racing at military ski championships and I then progressed to international competition.
"As I began to train more seriously, it was a bit of a juggling act balancing training schedules and my full-time job, especially as the majority of our training naturally took place abroad in the mountains.
“I was fortunate to be offered a place on the RAF Elite Athlete Scheme in the summer of 2021 which enabled me to focus on training full-time as I aimed for Paralympic selection. At the same time, I was also selected for the GB Para-Alpine World Class Programme and competed in my first World Cup races in December of that year, winning two bronze medals.
“This qualified me to race at the Para-Alpine Skiing World Championships in Norway in January 2022 where I won silver and bronze medals before I was then selected for the Beijing Paralympics.”
Shona had to work hard in order to be selected for Team GB in Beijing. She competed in a number of international races to gain points that would allow her to qualify for a nation spot. Once she had met the criteria, ParalympicsGB and GB Snowsport then selected their team from the eligible athletes.
On how she got on in Beijing, she continued: “I had three top 10 finishes, and came sixth in Super G and ninth in both Giant Slalom and Slalom. I enjoyed the experience but it was also quite daunting taking part for the first time in such a high-profile event, not really knowing what to expect.
“I hope I can learn from the experience I had in Beijing and develop over the next few years and hopefully qualify to compete again at the next Paralympics in Milan-Cortina 2026.”
Shona, who is a musician for the Royal Air Force as well as a highly successful snow sports athlete, offered advice for anyone wishing to follow in her footsteps. But she had made clear that taking part at any level of sport is something that is so rewarding and encourages anyone with an interest in snowsports to get involved.
She said: “I would tell anyone just to give it a go. I don't have a sporting background and didn't consider myself remotely athletic until I took up skiing.
“So to go from complete novice to the Paralympics in a few years was something I could never have dreamed of! But ultimately, it doesn't matter what level you aspire to - the benefits of taking part in sport to both physical and mental health are well documented so it doesn't matter whether someone is aiming to be a Paralympian, or just have a bit of fun, it's the participation that is the most important thing.
“I'd always encourage anybody to seize opportunities and try something new, even if it means pushing out of your comfort zone - which I definitely was, and still am at times! Because you never know where it might lead and you just might surprise yourself.”
Snowsports Scotland are looking for any Scot living with a physical or visual impairment to give snowsports a try in the hope of unearthing the next Paralympian superstar. They will be hosting taster sessions at St Augustine/Forrester’s High School later this month on March 24.
Snowsport Scotland’s Para Snowboard pathway coach Alastair Nasmyth has also said that he wants to make ski, snowboard and nordic skiing more accessible at a grassroots level. He said: “Scotland punches above its weight with a rich history of successful Paralympians.
“However, we’ve done this without a proper pathway system in place, until now. There is now a tremendous amount of support available for Para Snowsports to ensure there is a smooth transition from trying one of our sports for the first time to competing at the highest level.
"These sports often aren’t on people’s radar, but we want that to change. Everyone who took part in our taster day in the past really enjoyed it, and we look forward to introducing more people to our sports later this month.
“With more people involved at a grassroots level, we can ensure there is real momentum towards elite sport.”
To find out more about access to Para Snowsports in Scotland, visit Snowsport Scotland’s website here.
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