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living a life

A gymnastic gold rush

Greg Silvester’s gymnastic talents were spotted in a play group,
and he went on to became an Olympian and a Special
Olympics Great Britain director. He talks to Seán Kelly

ust after Greg Silvester was born, his parents. He also continued with his
parents Jackie and Peter had a visit coaching sessions in Wolverhampton.
Jfrom some friends. They looked at Things were getting serious.
the new baby in the hospital incubator
and declared that he wriggled so much Going for gold
he was sure to grow up to be a gymnast. Four years later came one of the high spots
Jackie and Peter already knew that this of his life. At the 1995 Special Olympics
was an unlikely outcome for a baby with World Summer Games in Connecticut in
Down syndrome. But, as Silvester now the US, he won an amazing four gold A haul of medals; below: early successes
says, with remarkable understatement: “I medals, plus two silvers and a bronze.
was lucky. I did become a gymnast.” He “I was on the rostrum with the medals. Despite his successes, Silvester has
has won gold medals at the Special I felt really proud and I had a big smile on occasionally met prejudice. “I have to be
Olympics and become a coach, among my face,” he recalls. honest. I have Down syndrome.
other achievements. He also became All Round World Sometimes people look at me thinking:
Jackie tells Community Living she used Gymnastics Champion. “Gymnastics was ‘What’s wrong with him? Why does he look
to run a Mencap play scheme with a man my main sport, but I have been in other different?’ But I am no different to anybody
called Alastair West. One day, he asked sports besides that like athletics, else. Even though I might look different, all
her: “Would your son like to do swimming and table tennis,” Silvester says. my feelings are exactly the same.
gymnastics?” to which she replied: Following this, he moved on to become “Sometimes other people can judge
“I don’t know – ask him.” a coach with British Gymnastics; he and his people with any sort of learning disability.
Silvester said yes, thinking it would mother provided the training together. For I have been picked on and called different
just be a bit of fun, but it did not take the last 23 years, he has been a qualified names under the sun. Which isn’t very
long for it to become clear that he had mainstream gymnastics coach. nice, you know.”
genuine ability, and West became his first Currently, he is coaching eight people, He describes a distressing incident on a
coach. one of them a 6-year-old boy with Down sports leadership course. “It was some lad
In 1989, Silvester took part in his first syndrome. Of two of his young athletes, being a bit cheeky and a bit cocky and he
Special Olympics Summer Games, where he says: “They work extremely hard – said ‘Oh look, here comes spakka’, which
he won a bronze medal in gymnastics. they went to Athens in 2011. They came really hurt me. It really upset me inside.”
Then, in 1991, he took part in an back with some medals so we were really Silvester thinks one of the teachers
international gymnastics and swimming proud of them.” spoke to the young man afterwards
competition in his home town of But it’s not all about medals. Silvester because the next day, having seen video
Wolverhampton, where he was spotted mentions a young man he worked with of Silvester competing, he apologised. “He
by a British Gymnastics coach. The coach who just could not do a forward roll. “And said to me: ‘Sorry, I didn’t realise you
arranged for Silvester to have extra then he actually mastered it and did it by were famous.’”
coaching sessions twice a week in himself. He had a big smile on his face. He Silvester also experienced some
Wrenbury in Cheshire, nearly an hour’s said ‘Oh I couldn’t believe it’ and he got a unpleasant reactions while on tour with a
drive away, where he was taken by his big round of applause.” display roadshow. One time, as he came
out, he heard open laughter from some
young men at the front. As he went into a
series of press-ups, the laughter was
swiftly silenced. He then went on to
demonstrate “one-arm press-ups” and
“clap press-ups”. Afterwards, the men
came up to him and shook his hand to
show their respect.

Not what I expected
Jackie’s reaction on being told she had given
birth to a baby with Down syndrome is one
that many people will recognise: “I said
what have I done to make him like that?”
She says her husband was devastated. The
reality was completely unexpected.

16 Vol 33 No 1 | Autumn 2019 Community Living www.cl-initiatives.co.uk