Kendal Paralympics 'games-maker' tells her story (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Kendal Paralympics 'games-maker' tells her story

2:36pm Wednesday 12th September 2012 in News

A KEEN Kendal basketball player has said that giving up her time to work at the Para-lympic Games had been an ‘inspirational’ journey.

Aimee Garner, 20, has just returned from London after spending two weeks as ‘a games maker’, where she looked after basketball teams competing in the Paralympics.

Whether an athlete needed an energy drink, a towel, or anything else during a training session, friendly game or official match, former Kirkbie Kendal school pupil Aimee was on hand to help.

The former England develop-ment squad basketball player, who has experience of refereeing games, also helped with the scoring during the major tournaments.

“The first day of the com-petition was fantastic. The atmosphere was amazing but because I had been working with the athletes they knew my name and were calling me for things and talking to me and it was just amazing,” said Aimee.

Out of the 96 players she looked after during her two weeks, she notes Columbia’s Rodney Haw-kins as the athlete who made the biggest impression on her during the games. “He used to be a professional basketball player before he had a car crash and it is so impressive how he has transferred his skills to playing in a wheelchair and has continued his passion.

“It was really nice to get to know the athletes and I was really lucky to get to meet them every day.” Aimee decided to volunteer for the Paralympics after seeing how much her mum Christine Garner enjoyed working with the St John Ambulance as a volunteer at the Commonwelath Games in Manchester 2002.

She has a collection of pin badges to remind her of her work at the games.