Personal information | |||||||||||||||
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Born | Redcliffe, Queensland, Australia | 8 May 1962||||||||||||||
Sport | |||||||||||||||
Country | Australia | ||||||||||||||
Sport | Paralympic swimming | ||||||||||||||
Disability class | S6 | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Alastair Smales was born on 8 May 1962, in Australia. He lost the use of his legs in 1992 becoming a paraplegic after a four-wheel drive he was fixing slipped off a jack and fell on him. Due to this injury, Smales is now classified a S6 wheelchair grade in swimming competitions.
Smales has represented Australia in three consecutive Paralympics in swimming, held a world record at the IPC Swimming World Championships Mar de Plata in 2002 and ranked 1 in his classification. Smales swimming career started in 1996 and ended in 2004 due to his age and inability to keep up with the other swimmers. He was a member of the Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association and trained at the Redcliffe Leagues Lawnton Club.
After retiring from swimming, Smales pursued a career in air traffic control.
Alastair Smales was born in Australia on 8 May 1962. [1] He currently lives in Redcliffe, Queensland with his wife Wanda, and works as an air traffic controller. They have two children.
Smales started his swimming career when he was at the age of 42, which is more than twice the average age of the rest of the Australian swimming team. Since competing at the Atlanta and Sydney Paralympics Smales has ranked number one in the world and has also held a 50m butterfly world record. Despite Smales’ age he was able to make an impact on Paralympic swimming and hopefully influencing other aspiring athletes. [2]
Smales ended up retiring from swimming after eight years due to his inability to handle travelling overseas. He would spend months in hospital after travelling overseas and decided for his health it would be best to retire. Also, due to his age Smales wouldn't have been able to keep up for much longer compared to the younger athletes he was competing with, "It gets harder and harder as you get older," (Age No Barrier in Pool Quest, 2004).
Smales was a role model to the rest of the swimming team and helped the younger swimmers deal with the excitement and stress of their first games. They would all continue and have longer careers than him due to their age and extra stamina due to it. Smales achieved so much in his short career and even with his age was able to rank so high in the world.
Alastair Smales’ injury resulted in him being paraplegic which is when either both legs or hips and organs are paralysed. It is the “impairment or loss of motor and/or sensory function in the thoracic lumbar or sacral segments of the spinal cord, secondary to damage of neural elements within the spinal canal” (Nas, 2015). [3] This is a possible result of damage to the spinal cord when the four-wheel drive fell onto Smales’. Spinal cord damage is the most common cause of paraplegia and has no cure, but the individual may recover partial muscle control. [4]
This is when paraplegia does not fully effect both legs, where it may be only one legs that's fully paralysed and the other has limited or normal function. This may develop though rehabilitation therapy for paraplegia where they develop into a case of partial paraplegia through extensive work. “Or, a degenerative condition that causes a case of incomplete paraplegia to come a complete paraplegia as symptoms progress” (SpinalCord.com, 2020).
This is when the individual has no feeling or function in their legs. Resulting in the inability to use both legs and sometimes may experience other issues like loss of bladder/bowel control.
These symptoms are common with spinal cord injuries in the thoracic and lumbar regions of the spine, which is the same as Smales’ injury.
Majority of paraplegics start off with perfectly healthy legs. It is the brain or spinal cord that will lead to paraplegia because it sends signals down into the body, relaying signals from the body to the brain. Therefore, when the brain or spinal cord loses its ability to work properly these signals weaken and become non-existent. The leading cause of spinal cord injuries is car and motorcycle accidents which are 38.3% of all paraplegic cases which links closely to Smales’ case.
Even with this disability Smales decided to pursue a career in swimming. Smales swims in the s6 (wheelchair) grade in competition. This grade includes “swimmers with short stature or amputation of both arms, or moderate co-ordination problems on one side of their body” (“World Para Swimming Classification & Categories - SB9, SM8,” 2020). [6]
Smales’ started his swimming career in 1996 and ended it in 2004. During these years he competed disability swimming became more mainstream which resulted in more opportunities for disabled people to participate in competitive swimming in Australia. This is because over time society developed a policy to change the Australian society to be more accepting and inclusive. [7]
Paralympic swimming races are organised according to a functional classification system. A class system is used to help determine paralympic swimmer's categorisation based on their scores on muscle testing, range of motion tests, co-ordination and/or level of amputation. [8] This ensures that all swimmers are equal when racing and that winning is determined by sporting factors such as “skill, fitness, power, endurance, tactical ability and mental focus” (World Para Swimming Classification & Categories - SB9, SM8, 2020). [9] Minimising the impact an athlete's impairment has on their performance so their sporting excellence is what determines the athlete's or team's victory. [10]
Smales’ has no training program listed anywhere, but each training program must take into account each swimmers different health conditions. Each swimmer's training load is there to ensure athletes develop short- and long-term adaptive responses which lead to performance improvement. [11]
According to the International Paralympic Committee these are the games/championships that Alastair Smales swam during his Paralympic swimming career. [12]
The Atlanta Paralympics was held in Georgia, United States from 16 to 25 August. The host USA won the most medals with 46 gold medals and Australia came second with a total of 42 gold medals. The Atlanta games showcased 19 different sporting events, one of them being paralympic swimming.
Smales’ first games was the Atlanta 1996 Paralympic games.
Name | Swimming Stroke | Place | Time |
---|---|---|---|
Alastair Smales | 50m Butterfly | 12th - Heat | 0:45:74 |
Duane Kale | 50m Butterfly | 1st - Final Round | 0:34:37 |
The Sydney Paralympics was held in Australia from 18 to 29 October. This Paralympics game was held in an era when the Paralympics movement was growing and more visible so it was more mainstreamed and popular. There was 3,879 Paralympians from 123 different countries. The Sydney games showcased 18 different sporting events, one less than the previous Paralympic games. “Australia dominated the Sydney Paralympics, winning most golds (63) and overall medals (149)” (Phillips & Naar, 2020). The Sydney Paralympic Organising Committee (SPOC) decided to use the same venues as the Olympic Games which led to a more seamless Paralympic event that had the same quality of presentation as the Olympics. The organisers also introduced a $15 day pass to attract big crowds to the Paralympic events which resulted in 1.16 million spectators. To increase awareness and support for the games SPOC also implemented a Paralympic national education program and delivered it to schools around Australia. “This increased awareness about the Paralympics in schools resulted in 340, 000 school kids from every state and territory” (Phillips & Naar, 2020). [13]
His second games was the Sydney 2000 Paralympic games in Australia. This year Smales’ swam in three different races.
Name | Swimming Stroke | Place | Time |
---|---|---|---|
Alastair Smales | 50m Butterfly | 2nd - Heat | 0:35:14 |
Alastair Smales | 50m Butterfly | 5th - Final Round | 0:35:03 |
Daniel Vidal | 50m Butterfly | 1st - Final Round | 0:34:01 |
Alastair Smales | 50m Freestyle | 6th - Heat | 0:45:74 |
Jianhua Yin | 50m Freestyle | 1st - Final Round | 0:31:31 |
Alastair Smales | 100m Freestyle | 7th - Heat | 1:27:85 |
Jianhua Yin | 100m Freestyle | 1st - Final Round | 1:08:10 |
The IPC Swimming Championships was held from 3 to 12 December. This championship is believed to have marginalised the disabled by not abiding by the classification systems developed by the International Organisations of Sport for the Disabled. [14] The IPCs though were the first international partner of the local Paralympic Games in 1992. Resulting in IPC becoming a strong influence on the organisation of the Paralympic Games. “Before the establishment of the IPC, sport for the disabled was organised internationally by a number of sporting federations” (Howe & Jones, 2006). The IPC has an integrated functional swimming classification which has 10 classes instead of 31 which reduces the cancellation of events and number of races swimmers in several classes take part in.
His first championships was the IPC Swimming World Championships Mar de Plata 2002 in Argentina. He swam in a total of three races.
Name | Swimming Stroke | Place |
---|---|---|
Alastair Smales | 200m Individual Medley | 10th - Heat |
Alastair Smales | 50m Butterfly | 12th - Heat |
Alastair Smales | 50m Butterfly | 12th - Heat |
Alastair Smales | 100m Freestyle | 12th - Heat |
The Athens Paralympics was held in Greece from 17 to 28 September. The total of 19 sporting events made up the Athens Games. [15] “China dominated the medal tally and gold medal standings. Great Britain finished with the second highest amount of gold medal and Australia had the second highest medal tally overall (“Athens 2004,” 2020). More than 140 countries were represented at the games which was the largest representation in the history of the event. [16]
Smales’ third and final games were the Athens 2004 Paralympic games in Greece. He swam in a total of three races throughout the games.
Name | Swimming Stroke | Place | Time |
---|---|---|---|
Alastair Smales | 50m Butterfly | 1st - Heat | 0:34:49 |
Alastair Smales | 50m Butterfly | 5th - Final Round | 0:34:34 |
Peng Li | 50m Butterfly | 1st - Final Round | 0:32:82 |
Alastair Smales | 100m Freestyle | 7th - Heat | 1:24:23 |
Jianhua Yin | 100m Freestyle | 1st - Final Round | 1:07:60 |
Alastair Smales | 50m Freestyle | 8th - Heat | 1:24:23 |
Jianhua Yin | 50m Freestyle | 1st - Final Round | 0:30:80 |
After Alastair Smales’ retired from swimming he went and pursued a career in air traffic control. He is now an air traffic controller, which is a person who “coordinates the movement of an aircraft to maintain safe distances between them” (Air Traffic Controllers : Occupational Outlook Handbook: : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2021). [17] Smales’ would’ve had to either complete a diploma of Aviation with Air services in Australia or alternatively complete training with the Royal Australian Air Force, which will require you to have completed year 12 or enrolment as an existing officer. (Air Traffic Controller, 2019) [18]
This diploma enables individuals to get roles in flight crew or emergency commercial pilot duties. Their duties include “technical and non-technical aviation skills and knowledge to a wide range of air transport operations, including passenger, charter and cargo operations” (“Diploma of Aviation (Commercial Pilot Licence - Aeroplane),” 2022). [19] [20] This qualification fulfils some of the requirements necessary for a certification as a commercial pilot by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.
The Australian Air Force is mainly for individuals who are preparing to become recruits to enlist for military service. The training involves the “transformation of civilians into aviators who have basic military knowledge to become members of the Air Force team” (Australian Air Force, 2017). This recruitment training runs over a period of 10.6 weeks. The training is about delivering members to the Air Force who have perfected basic military skills and knowledge. Air Traffic controllers in Australia who work through the company airservices work in one of the two major centres in Melbourne or Brisbane. “There are two terminal control units or 28 control towers at international and regional airports across Australia” (“Air Traffic Control Careers,” 2022). The medium wage for an air traffic controller is $130 420 in May 2020. [21]
Cheating at the Paralympic Games has caused scandals that have significantly changed the way in which the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) manages the events.
Sir George Montario Bedbrook, OBE was an Australian medical doctor and surgeon, who was the driving force in creating the Australian Paralympic movement and the Commonwealth Paraplegic Games, and helped to found the FESPIC Games.
S8, SB7, SM8 are disability swimming classifications used for categorizing swimmers based on their level of disability. This class includes a number of different disabilities including people with amputations and cerebral palsy. The classification is governed by the International Paralympic Committee, and competes at the Paralympic Games.
S10, SB9, SM10 are disability swimming classifications used for categorizing swimmers based on their level of disability. Swimmers in this class tend to have minimal weakness affecting their legs, missing feet, a missing leg below the knee or problems with their hips. This class includes a number of different disabilities including people with amputations and cerebral palsy. The classification is governed by the International Paralympic Committee, and competes at the Paralympic Games.
S8, SB8, SM8 are disability swimming classifications used for categorizing swimmers based on their level of disability. Swimmers in this class generally have severe weakness in one leg. This class includes a number of different disabilities including people with amputations and cerebral palsy. The classification is governed by the International Paralympic Committee, and competes at the Paralympic Games.
S7, SB6, SM7 are disability swimming classifications used for categorizing swimmers based on their level of disability. Swimmers in this class have use of their arms and trunk. They have limited leg function or are missing a leg or parts of both legs. This class includes a number of different disabilities including people with amputations and cerebral palsy. The classification is governed by the International Paralympic Committee, and competes at the Paralympic Games.
S6, SB5, SM6 are disability swimming classifications used for categorising swimmers based on their level of disability. This class includes people with a number of different types of disability including short stature, major limb impairment or loss in two limbs. This includes people with cerebral palsy, people with dwarfism and amputees. The class competes at the Paralympic Games.
S5, SB4, SM5 are disability swimming classifications used for categorizing swimmers based on their level of disability. The class includes people with a moderate level of disability, and includes people with full use of their arms and hands, but limited to no use of their trunk and legs. It also includes people with coordination problems. A variety of disabilities are represented by this class including people with cerebral palsy. The class competes at the Paralympic Games.
S4, SB3, SM4 are disability swimming classifications used for categorising swimmers based on their level of disability. Swimmers in this class have coordination problems affecting all four of their limbs, or have movement in their arms but no trunk or leg function. They also generally have weakness in their hands and arms. A variety of disabilities are represented by this class including people with quadriplegia from spinal cord injury or similar. Events this class can participate in include 50m and 100m Freestyle, 200m Freestyle, 50m Backstroke, 50m Butterfly, 50m Breaststroke, and 150m Individual Medley events. The class competes at the Paralympic Games.
S3, SB2, SM3 are disability swimming classifications used for categorising swimmers based on their level of disability. People in this class have decent arm and hand function, but no use of their trunk and legs. They have severe disabilities in all their limbs. Swimmers in this class have a variety of different disabilities including quadriplegia from spinal cord injury, severe cerebral palsy and multiple amputations.
Kevin Francis Betts, OAM was a sports administrator known for his work in the Paralympic movement in Australia and his founding work related to wheelchair sports in New South Wales.
Para-swimming classification is a function-based classification system designed to allow for fair competition in disability swimming. The classes are prefixed with "S" for freestyle, butterfly and backstroke events, "SB" for breaststroke and "SM" for individual medley events. Swimmers with physical disabilities are divided into ten classes based on their degree of functional disability: S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, S8, S9 and S10. The lower number indicates a greater degree of impairment. Those with visual impairments are placed in three additional classes: S11, S12 and S13. One more class, S14, is reserved for swimmers with intellectual impairment. A final class, S15, is for athletes with hearing loss.
F1, also T1 and SP1, is a wheelchair sport classification that corresponds to the neurological level C6. Historically, it was known as 1A Complete. People in this class have no sitting balance, and are tetraplegics. They may be able to perform limited actions with one hand. They lack sitting balance, and have limited head control and respiratory endurance. The process for classification into this class has a medical and functional classification process. This process is often sport specific.
F2, also T2 and SP2, is a wheelchair sport classification that corresponds to the neurological level C7. Historically, it was known as 1B Complete, 1A Incomplete. People in this class are often tetraplegics. Their impairment effects the use of their hands and lower arm, and they can use a wheelchair using their own power.
F3, also T3 and SP3, is a wheelchair sport classification that corresponds to the neurological level C8. Historically, it was known as 1C Complete, and 1B Incomplete. F3 sportspeople have functional issues related to the muscles in their throwing arm, though they have enough control over their fingers to grip a throwing implement normally. They have no functional trunk control.
F4, also T4 and SP4, is a wheelchair sport classification that corresponds to the neurological level T1- T7. Historically, it was known as 1C Incomplete, 2 Complete, or Upper 3 Complete. People in this class have normal upper limb function, and functional issues with muscles below the nipple line.
F5, also SP5, is a wheelchair sport classification that corresponds to the neurological level T8 - L1. Historically, it was known as Lower 3, or Upper 4. People in this class have some trunk function and good sitting balance. They have problems with hip function, that reduces their ability to rotate their spines.
F6, also SP6, is a wheelchair sport classification that corresponds to the neurological level L2 - L5. Historically, this class has been known as Lower 4, Upper 5. People in this class have good sitting balance, and good forward and backward movement of their trunk. They have some use of their thighs and can press their knees together.
F7, also SP7, is a wheelchair sport classification that corresponds to the neurological level S1- S2. Historically, it has been referred to as Lower 5. It is characterized by people having their lower limb muscles strength and function impacted. People in the SP7 class generally have good sitting balance and some trunk movement backwards and forwards. One side may be stronger than the other.
Wheelchair sport classification is a system designed to allow fair competition between people of different disabilities, and minimize the impact of a person's specific disability on the outcome of a competition. Wheelchair sports is associated with spinal cord injuries, and includes a number of different types of disabilities including paraplegia, quadriplegia, muscular dystrophy, post-polio syndrome and spina bifida. The disability must meet minimal body function impairment requirements. Wheelchair sport and sport for people with spinal cord injuries is often based on the location of lesions on the spinal cord and their association with physical disability and functionality.