Young is aiming to fulfil his Paralympic dream

AS a goalkeeper with Shamwickshire Rovers in the 1990s, Russell Young was used to throwing himself around.

Stretching, blocking and reacting quickly were part of his repertoire on a Saturday afternoon.

But Young never realised he would one day use those skills as a potential Great Britain athlete.

Sitting volleyball is his new passion and the Barnstaple man has ambitions of international honours.

After losing all the toes on his left foot and suffering a broken pelvis in an accident at work in 1997, he was unable to play football again.

Thirteen years on and Young, 40, is waiting anxiously to see if he will be selected for the sitting volleyball World Cup in Egypt in March.

He said: "Never in a million years did I think I would be in the Great Britain Development Squad for sitting volleyball. When I had the letter there were a few tears to honest."

With 81 pins in his pelvis and three in his back, Young thought his sporting days were over until he watched the Beijing Paralympics in 2008.

"I saw Ellie Simmonds the swimmer and thought 'I'm going to give this a go'," he said. "I went to a Paralympic trial day at Brunel University in London. There were guys there from the Marines who had been injured in Afghanistan and their fitness was unbelievable.

"To be honest, I was pants! Then a guy said to me 'why don't you try sitting volleyball?'

"I said 'what's that?' So we did a few drills and he said 'you have got some potential there'."

Young found out more by looking at footage on YouTube. "I was amazed because the game is so quick," he said.

It is suitable for athletes with various classifications of disability.

"I know this sounds crazy but because I've only got toes missing I'm not as quick as the double amputees," he said. "And I'm not exactly a small bloke!"

Known to his team-mates as Sumo, Young still holds fond memories of his footballing days.

"The team spirit was fantastic," he said. "It was like a family. We would play football together, fight together — sometimes among ourselves — and go out on the beer together."

Young has found that same crazy-gang spirit at the GB training base.

"There are a lot of amputees there and they nick each others legs and hide them," he laughed. "There are no prima donnas. We're just people who get together and love the sport."

Whether or not Young is selected for Egypt, he is determined to make the GB team in the next two years.

Other opportunities include July's World Championships in Oklahoma and, of course, the London Paralympics in 2012.

Training five times a week, including cycling and weight sessions at the North Devon Leisure Centre, he works tirelessly on fitness, core strength and flexibility. Monthly meetings in Kettering are where the team hone technical and tactical skills.

Coach Ian Legrand leads the squad, while new women's coach John Bestebroer, who guided Holland's women to bronze in Beijing, has been a source of advice. "His mentality towards people is never tell them no — you always take the positives out of everything," said Young who has been inspired by Chris Moon.

Despite losing two limbs in a landmine explosion, Moon has completed many of the world's toughest ultra-distance races.

"Nothing gets in his way," said Young. "He's an inspiration and I'd love to meet the guy and thank him for keeping me going."

Tomorrow Young heads to Kettering again for a trip which costs about £130 in petrol and accommodation. "It's going to be very expensive but if you want to play for your country you have to make some sacrifices," he said.

Currently out of work, Young would be grateful for any sponsorship. Rugby star Phil Vickery's Raging Bull company have provided training clothes.

He would also like to establish a sitting volleyball team in Devon.

To find out more, e-mail him at setnolimits@live.co.uk.

For more on the sport visit the Volleyball England website.