Introduction

Hi there!

I am Molly Griffith and I am 21. I am a ski racer for Great Britain. I love to horse ride. I love any kind of sport. I love the gym. I love music. I love animals. I have cerebral palsy and autism.

I have discovered over the last few years how important exercise is for my own mental and physical well being. I have always been a keen skier, something I learnt from my family. When I was 15 I started training with British Parasnowsport. In the context of a development team I learnt about the importance of determination, self discipline, teamwork, punctuality. There were many things to learn about alongside these such as fitness, nutrition and sleep and how they contributed to being a well performing athlete. A lot of my training now is in the gym working on getting fitter and stronger. Ski race training itself happened abroad or in the indoor centres in the UK which are currently not possible with Covid.

My late teens were very challenging, I hated school and struggled with mental illness. The fitness and skiing were crucial in keeping me going. I could lose myself amongst the beautiful mountains or in the gym with blaring music. Skiing and fitness gave me my purpose, when so much of life didn’t make sense.

Where does my disability fit into all of this?

I would never have had the opportunity to race for my country if it wasn’t for my disability. Up until the age of fifteen I was extremely self conscious of my appearance being different to others. The people I met on the circuit were hugely motivational. Particularly my fellow skiers who had such wide range of disabilities and all had a story of their own to tell. The normality of disability and having people’s prosthetic legs, wheelchairs and rigs all around was refreshing and comforting. We were the majority.

It is my hope for the future to support disabled young people through exercise. I am currently doing a course in personal training at college.

In my blogs I will tell stories of my journey and try to encourage you through information about exercise. Feel free to contact me through the blogs contact page.