Paralympian Camille Bérubé finding innovative ways to wait out virus disruption
Para swimmer says isolation is a 'reality' all the time for the disabled
Isolated. Closed off from the world.
It's the new reality for millions of people worldwide in the face of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
But it's something Canadian Paralympic swimmer Camille Bérubé understands was the reality for many people even before this.
"As people with disabilities in general, isolation is something experienced on a daily basis. This is the reality all the time. It allows us to put things in perspective a little bit," Bérubé said from her parent's home in Gatineau, Que.
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Her sport has always been her sweet escape.
"Swimming is one of those sports where you don't need any adaptive devices. You don't need a wheelchair, orthotics, it's your body and the water," Bérubé said. "It becomes one and I felt a sense of freedom out there."
Bérubé, 24, is in the best shape of her life and was just a couple of weeks away from competing in the Canadian Paralympic swim trials, hoping to earn a spot on the team to compete in her third Paralympics.
Then she got the news the trials were postponed indefinitely.
"It's devastating," she said. "We've put a lot into this over the last number of months and years. We were in the final prep."
The Paralympics are scheduled, as of now, to start Aug. 25th. Bérubé is keeping everything in perspective during these unprecedented and unsettling times.
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"A lot of people are able to see this is not about sports anymore. It's about people being safe. Maybe as Paralympians we understand that even more," Bérubé said.
Bérubé has been in a wheelchair her entire life, born three weeks premature with cancer.
She went through two rounds of chemotherapy. Doctors then removed a small tumour from her spine.
"It's probably what caused the most damage because it was stuck in all the nerves," Bérubé said.
She was left with partial paralysis in both legs, with no sensation in her right leg.
"I use a wheelchair on a daily basis and when I'm at home I have orthotics and crutches," Bérubé said.
Now, more than ever, Bérubé is leaning on her creative ways of navigating the world to stay in shape and motivated during this uncertain time.
"We live in a world that's built for a certain type of body," she said. "I don't fit in that stereotype so it's always about being creative."
In some ways, Bérubé admits being under quarantine has meant not having to worry about accessibility issues.
"It kind of makes my life a little easier," she said. "I don't have to deal with condescending attitudes or intrusive questions. Or stairs."
But with pools closed across the country, there's no way to stay in swimming shape right now. Bérubé is coming up with her own ways of preparing should the trials and Paralympics still happen.
"As a Paralympian and wheelchair user I can't just go for a run. It's just my reality," Bérubé said.
On Monday afternoon, Bérubé along with her father, Gilles, and brother, William, pulled out a three-wheel handcycle and started to find ways of allowing Bérubé to use it for cardio training, in the basement.
It wasn't a perfect process in the beginning, however.
"I've tried a bunch of things to get friction on the front wheel. We tried with carpet and cloth. But then that got caught in the wheel and the chain. There's a safety hand-break on the bike and there's different levels to it so when I put it at the lower level it just rubs on the wheel a little bit," Bérubé said. "We'll see how long this lasts."
Bérubé is also using this time at home to focus on what she can control right now — good nutrition, as much cardio and weight training as possible and perhaps most importantly staying mentally healthy.
She's also working on mental imagery — as in visualizing her 100-metre backstroke competition.
"Swimming is such a unique sport," Bérubé said. "It's about the feeling of the water. You almost become one with the water. When you get back to the pool you feel awkward. It's just a feeling you can't get anywhere else."
Visualize swimming
That's why it's become even more important for Bérubé to get into an almost meditative state these days and visualize swimming laps.
"I visual the first 50 metres of my backstroke. I'll sit there and ground myself in the moment. I use peppermint essential oil," she said. "I'll close my eyes. I'm not watching myself swimming. I'm embodying the experience. I'm in the water. I'm trying to feel the water."
Bérubé said she takes a deep breath, closes her eyes, and hits her stopwatch. She whips her arms backward one after the other, backstroking frantically sitting on the edge of her bed.
She knows exactly how many strokes it takes from one end of the pool to the other and when she hits the imaginary wall on the other side, she stops her clock.
"Ideally I'd want to go out under 40 seconds. The first time I did it was 38.80. That would be a pretty solid first split," Bérubé said. "Some days I'm really fast. I'm breaking records."
Bérubé has been preparing to compete in four disciplines at the Paralympics — backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and the individual medley. She swims in the S7 category, based on her degree of impairment.
At last year's world para swimming championships in London, Bérubé reached three finals in four individual events.
She'd love nothing more than to get another chance to compete on the world's biggest athletic stage and gets emotional with all the uncertainty surrounding the event.
"It's hard. I'm not going to lie to you. For me it really comes in waves. Sometimes I'll be fine for a few hours and then I'll be in tears thinking about all this work I've put in might not mean anything," Bérubé said.
But in the same breath she realizes the severity of the situation and knows safety is more important.
"Paralympians are more vulnerable because of the nature of our impairments," she said. "We're talking about values of equity and the Olympic and Paralympic ideals. If we don't abide by those it loses all credibility."
Bérubé has stared down adversity and uncertainty her entire life.
This latest challenge is no different, fearless in the face of the unknown, prepared if she gets her chance.
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