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Paralympian calls for a theology of sport


Stefanie Reid image - ICN

Stefanie Reid image - ICN

Stefanie Reid, who won the silver medal for Great Britain in the long-jump at the Paralympics in 2012, says she wants “practical guidelines” on how to be a Christian athlete.

“I know God has called me to be a professional athlete,” she told The Spirit in Sport, a one-day conference organised by the Kairos Forum. “I can only be a professional athlete if I keep on winning,” she added, “But I have yet to find anything in the scripture to support our glorification of winning.”

In a presentation titled ‘What does Winning Look Like in the Kingdom of God?’, Reid asked: “How should my faith affect my approach to training, my relationship with my coach, my response to injury? God’s love is supposed to transform us but I don’t know what that looks like in elite sport.”

She confessed: “It is a daily struggle to re-connect my life to God’s will for my life rather than my will to win.”

However, she lauded the Vatican for taking the lead in sporting theology: “It is fantastic what the Catholic Church is doing, and it is committed to putting [a theology of sport] in place” said Ms Reid, who has attended a conference on sport put on by the Pontifical Council for Culture.

“At the conference I heard a talk about why God approves of sport,” she said : “I’m a long jumper, I often spend five hours a day practising. I had asked myself would God want me to use my time as a missionary? The talk said that sport is a worthwhile investment of time,” added Ms Reid, who said her own journey in professional sport began after a horrific boating accident re-ignited her faith.

At the age of 15, she had been talent-spotted by the national junior rugby coach for Canada, where she was living. However, her lower back and legs were lacerated by a boat-propeller during an accident: “I was terrified of dying,” she said. “I knew I wasn’t going to heaven. I had grown up in a Christian school. I knew the Scriptures but I did not love the Lord. I prayed in desperation for a second chance to do life better. The Lord heard my prayer and saved me.”

Waking up from surgery thankful to be alive, she discovered her foot had been amputated, and questioned whether she would ever play sport again: “Why would God give me a passion for sport only to take away my foot?” I asked. I was so angry with God yet I could feel his peace and his presence filling my hospital room,”she said.

Then, with a new dream to become a surgeon, she began studies at med school, but felt drawn to athletics and began to compete to the point where she had to make a choice to pursue either medicine or sport. Sport won: “Twelve years ago, lying in my hospital bed, short of one foot, being a professional runner was the last thing I expected of my life. But we serve a mighty God!” said Ms Reid, who hit a low point while preparing for the 2012 Paralympics.

“I had split with my coach, my husband (the paralympic wheelchair racer Brent Lakatos) was training 4,000 miles away in Dallas, Texas, and then God answered a prayer I had been praying for two years, and I found a Christian mentor.”

“He knew that while I was confident letting God into other parts of my life I struggled to let God into the Olympics,” she said. “I didn’t think God would allow me too much joy, that he might want to test me by seeing if I would praise him when I had lost”.

Re-reading the Bible with her mentor, Reid realised that “this image of God was so insecure and not really on Bible principles. I based it on the experience of the Israelites in exile … but when they were faithful and obedient to God they lived in peace.”

“Winning doesn’t earn me more value in God’s kingdom” says Reid, who is convinced that a theology of sport that shows practical results could also benefit the non-Christian athlete. “No one questions the impact of the mind on performance. Lots of athletes quit through depression,” said Reid. “You cannot perform if you are conflicted.”

She was a keynote speaker at the Spirit in Sport conference put on by the Kairos Forum, which aims to highlight the spiritual and religious needs of people with disabilities. The forum is based within the department of Divinity, History and Philosophy at The University of Aberdeen. It is also a member of csan.org.uk.

formation see: www.csan.org.uk/ptmember/the-kairos-forum/

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