This entry was posted on Monday, September 8th, 2014at 12:34 pm by zoe.leahy@activenation.org.uk

Wheelchair Basketball Star Andy Is Proud To Represent Team GB At The Invictus Games

Andy McErlean has always excelled at sport and exercise – even after he was injured in a car accident while serving in Germany with the Army. His spirit and ability have taken him all around the world competing against other injured servicemen and women. This week the Active Nation Supporter will be competing in the Invictus Games.

Andy has been a member of the Hampshire Harriers Wheelchair Basketball Club for many years – training and competing at Active Nation’s Chamberlayne Sports Centre in Southampton. His teammates are so proud and excited that he has been selected as part of the GB wheelchair basketball team to compete at the Invictus Games which launch tomorrow.

The Games will see more than 400 competitors, who embody the resilience of the human spirit, gather under one roof to challenge each other, and push their bodies to the limit, all in the name of the Invictus spirit. They will come from 14 nations and have all served or are still serving their country in the Armed Forces.

It’s this spirit that has driven Andy to compete and succeed in whatever sport he has taken up. Andy grew up Hampshire and represented the county in rugby, tennis and cricket.  He also played southern region rugby and when he was 15 he received the Victor Ludorum trophy for outstanding sporting performances.

After leaving college at 17, Andy joined the Army where he continued to excel. During basic training he received the Physical Fitness Award and was posted to Germany after training as a vehicle mechanic and attached to 3/2 Armed Engineers in Munsterlager

Andy said: “Unfortunately, one night after a rugby tournament we were driving back to camp and the vehicle I was in the back of was involved in a serious accident.

“After being cut out of the car I was flown by helicopter to St George’s Krankenhausen Hamburg where the Germans did a fantastic job stabilising my back and sorting out my fractured head. I still did not realise the seriousness of my injury, even though I had been given my last rites – I still believed that I would make a full recovery.”

When he left hospital Andy was keen to continue playing sport and went along to the local basketball club and also started to play tennis again.

Andy added: “I heard of the British Ex-Services Wheelchair Sports Association (BEWSA) in 1993, so I went along to a few training sessions and I participated in the Challenge 93 which included serviceman from countries all around the world.

“In the same year I won the national tennis novice title so I decided to focus on playing tennis. I proceeded to do tournaments all around the world including Australia and New Zealand. I have been lucky enough to have won numerous titles, but my highlights have to be winning the National Doubles title twice, the mixed doubles in New Zealand and representing Britain in the World Team Cup.  I was also at the holding camp for the Athens Paralympics.

“London 2012 was also a busy time, I was heavily involved with the build-up to the Paralympics – hitting regularly with Peter Norfolk, Lucy Shuker and other members of the team and GB coaches. I was also lucky enough to work at the Paralympics for the duration of the games hitting with the players before the matches.”

In 2000 Andy’s good friend and part-time doubles partner – who was also a long time member of BEWSA – persuaded him to re-join and pursue both interests.

Andy added: “With BEWSA I have been to numerous states in America and won medals while competing in a range of sports at the PVA Games (Paralysed Veterans of America Games). These have included table tennis, swimming, basketball and 9 ball pool to name a few.  In 2001 BEWSA created the first disabled diving club culminating in many dive expeditions to places such as Cyprus and the Red Sea.”

If all of that wasn’t enough Andy has also gone back to college, worked with Age Concern and had a go at abseiling, skiing sailing, water skiing, road race competitions – many of which have been with newly injured servicemen and women courtesy of The Not Forgotten Association.

Talking about the Hampshire Harriers, Andy added: “It is a friendly and welcoming club and the coaches have worked hard to try to turn me into a basketball player!

“I was very proud when I was selected to represent the GB basketball team at the Invictus Games in London.  The family, including my wife, have always supported me and are over the moon and are looking forward to attending the Games on the 13^th September when the basketball competition starts.”

For more information about the Invictus Games, including tickets, visit: www.invictusgames.org