Why did I found SMILE?
Sport has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember. My first love was football, watching at first – I attended my first Newcastle United match at the age of 5 – then I started playing through the Junior Magpies and I loved it. I started attending an after-school sports club at my first school, Percy Hedley, at the age of 9. It was clear even at a young age that sport gave me an outlet for my desire to challenge myself and explore my abilities. I flourished in sporting environments.
I was always encouraged to try lots of different sports and I enjoyed every sport I had a go at, even if I wasn’t very good – as was the case with ice skating! Just being able to do sport helped to improve my physical and mental health, my coordination, strength, fitness, confidence, independence and many other aspects of life.
I wasn’t always the best or the most talented at every sport I tried, but I was willing to learn and adapt. I also understood from a young age that more important than winning or losing, was enjoyment – opening up to the various challenges that sport can pose.
Sport has blessed me with wonderful opportunities. I’ve been able to travel and see the world, experience amazing events and make incredible connections with other people. I’ve also managed to have lots of success along the way, but more important than medals and records is the personal journey sport has taken me on. It enabled me to break down barriers and overcome obstacles, sport helped me to accept myself and my vulnerabilities, turning weaknesses into strengths. Sport gave me an identity and a purpose in life, and it has the power to do that for everyone.
My belief in the benefits of sport led me to want to give something back and to use my success positively to help others enjoy the benefits of regular sport and exercise. I was particularly passionate about creating more opportunities for disabled people at the grassroots level, as opportunities for those with the most complex and severe impairments have never been abundant.
Thus the idea behind SMILE Through Sport was born – Stephen Miller Inspiring Learning and Enjoyment. The aim was to create an organisation that would help more disabled people get access to sport, while also delivering education programmes to train people to work within disability sport. SMILE was formed in November 2013.
Our focus has always been on participation and enjoyment. From very humble beginnings we have grown so much. We’ve helped people of all ages and abilities to experience the benefits and joy of taking part in sport. I’m immensely proud of what we have achieved so far – it shows how important sport is and the impact it can have on people’s lives.
None of what SMILE has achieved would be possible without our driven and inspirational Managing Director Rachel, as well as our staff members, coaches and our army of SMILE volunteers. Thank you to everyone involved for making SMILE the incredible organisation it has become and I look forward to helping even more people enjoy the benefits of sport in the future.
What Inspired You To Get Involved in Sport?
Like many people, my parents were a huge driving force in my love affair with sport. They took me to sports clubs, to sports events and competitions. As a family, with my brother Jonathan, we all shared a deep love of sport – both watching and playing. They were my first real inspiration and always encouraged me to try every kind of sport and have fun. They instilled in me a competitive spirit that stood me in good stead.
Through my parents support, I attended an after school sports club once a week. It was here that I met my first coach Norman Burns, who was himself a Paralympic athlete. He became a huge role model for me and shaped my attitude towards sport. I learned through Norman the importance of enjoying sport, having fun, as well as working hard. Norman was instrumental in helping me discover my unique way of throwing the club backwards, which became my signature technique and led to incredible success.
One moment in my childhood that really stands out and that had a profound effect on me was during the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. I was 12 years old at the time and it was the first time in my life that I was fully aware of the Olympics and watched a lot of it on TV. I remember watching the men’s 100m final when Britain’s Linford Christie won the Gold medal. I thought it was amazing and it got me dreaming of representing my country. Four years later I was on top of the podium in the Atlanta Paralympics.
There are lots of great sportsmen and women that have inspired me over the years, people I’ve watched on TV and in the flesh. I’ve had many incredible teammates who showed me the attitude and desire it takes to compete at the highest level. Like anything in life, to be your best and maximise your potential, you have to have sacrifice and commitment. Above all though, you must enjoy what you do and have fun along the way.
That is why enjoyment is fundamental to everything SMILE Through Sport does, it is the key value that runs through all our events, sessions and activities. My experiences in sport have taught me that there will always be ups and downs; good days and bad days; you can’t always win. However, enjoyment doesn’t simply come from winning, it stems from embracing challenges, learning and adapting. This is what inspires me to keep doing sport even after over 25 years of competing.