Chasing a dream

By Rosalyn Macdonald

Imagine the sense of achievement you would feel after completing the hardest thing you've ever done in your life. Now imagine completing this in front of thousands of people and winning a gold medal for your efforts. Jayne Parsons, an inspiration to RNZFB members and world-class athletes alike, dreams of gold.

Photograph: Jayne and pilot Sonia Waddell with their silver medals won at the Paracycling World Champs in Canada last year.

Jayne is an award-winning cyclist, mother, wife and working woman. She's also totally blind.

She began cycling in 2005 after dusting off a green kitset tandem which was originally bought to take her daughter to school. Within a year, Jayne was training for championships on the world stage. "I just fell in love with cycling. It's amazing and it gives me such a big rush. I went out for the first time and felt the breeze on my face and decided to give it my best," Jayne says.

So she began chasing her dream: "I remember deciding to compete in cycling and going on the computer to see who had won medals. I thought to myself that in six months I wanted be on the podium with those women, and that's exactly what happened!"

But Jayne's road to success hasn't been an easy one. Eighteen years ago she was blinded as a result of an abusive relationship. She hit rock bottom. But with fierce determination and her will to survive for her young children, Jayne moved on and never gave up.

Now, Jayne runs a carpet cleaning business and newspaper delivery run with her second husband Brent, her biggest advocate. "Jayne gives her heart to everything she does. She's gone from strength to strength and I'm so proud of her," Brent says.

Pursuing her passion for cycling relentlessly, Jayne began training alongside her tandem partner in preparation for the 2008 Beijing Paralympics. But in 2007 she suffered another blow after crashing twice, seriously injuring her hip in the first accident and breaking her collar bone in the second. Incredibly, they went on to win bronze in Beijing; however a later scan revealed Jayne had shattered cartilage in her hip. She was told she might never cycle again.

But giving up isn't Jayne's style, so with the help of physiotherapy, swimming, Pilates and amazing willpower, she gradually regained her strength and fitness. This all paid off when she returned from Canada last year with a silver medal, won in partnership with her new pilot and former Olympic rower Sonia Waddell - just nine months on from undergoing hip surgery. And in March this year she became a world champion at the paracycling world track champs in Italy after securing gold and the rainbow jersey for the next 12 months for her unbeatable time in the women's 3km pursuit. But she's not stopping there.

Photograph: Jayne with husband Brent, Sandra Budd, Geraldine Glanville and the Chairman's Award.

Jayne is now training for the 2012 Paralympics with the dream of winning gold at this supreme event, which would make her the only blind tandem cyclist in the world to achieve this remarkable feat. "That to me would be the ultimate achievement. To complete the hardest thing you've done in your life and know you're the best - I'm going to give it my all to get there," Jayne says.

Brent has nothing but praise for his wife's achievements and he's keen for others to be inspired by Jayne's energy. "Breaking down barriers in sport is a big thing for Jayne. She's keen for others to dream big and then go out and try to achieve it," he says.

And the buzz is certainly spreading, with Jayne being honoured with a number of prestigious awards last year. At the Attitude Awards in December she received the Attitude Courage in Sport Award as an inspirational New Zealand sportsperson living with a disability. The RNZFB also acknowledged Jayne for her achievement and ability to take life with two hands with the 2010 Chairman's Award.

Jayne is humbled to be recognised. She's also keen to dispel the myth surrounding disability, saying: "I don't like the word 'disabled'. I consider myself able to do whatever I want. Blindness isn't a barrier for me, and it shouldn't be for others either".

"I'm chasing my dream - for me, pain only lasts a little while, but glory lasts forever," Jayne says.