Horseytalk.net Special Interview
Vault a Coach !
Meet Lizzie Bennett
RDA High Performance Coach of the Year
Lizzie Bennett leads by example, which is one of the many reasons that she has been awarded the RDA High Performance Coach of the Year award for 2019.
The RDA National Coaching Awards are designed to recognise the significant impact that coaches make to RDA Groups and their participants through their dedication as volunteers.
Lizzie’s involvement with RDA began when she joined Cambridgeshire College RDA as a participant. At the age of 22, Lizzie was diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, which is a genetic condition that affects your collagen and is in about 98% of the body’s cells. Although she was only officially diagnosed with the condition in her early twenties, she had suffered with symptoms all her life.
Holder of 12 national para-vaulting championship titles, Lizzie turned her sights on coaching and qualified as a vaulting and riding RDA coach and is now the vaulting coach for Cambridgeshire College RDA.
The judges were impressed by Lizzie’s commitment to the cause, single-handedly reviving vaulting at the group, travelling across the country to gain experience and even buying a vaulting barrel to share with the group.
She spends weeks choreographing routines, making videos to help vaulters learn their moves and planning costumes, as well as raising funds to secure the future of the group.
Perhaps most important is the impact that Lizzie’s contribution has made to the lives of some of her participants, including one who no longer requires painkillers for her bad back, and another who came second at the RDA National Championships, despite her doctor laughing at the thought of her taking up vaulting.
With inclusivity being at the heart of everything RDA does, friendship and camaraderie are central to the success of Lizzie’s vaulting team.
Said Lizzie: “I am so grateful to the RDA for all the opportunities it has given to me. I started as a participant five years ago, was volunteering within a year and moved to coaching over the last two years.”
“There is something special about coaching, especially coaching vaulters, because we really have to work as a team and so we are especially close. RDA vaulting has been genuinely life-changing for several of us and although there does need to be someone like me as a coach making it happen ‘on the ground’, we wouldn’t be able to do this without the support of RDA higher up!”
Lizzie was presented with her award by Russell Mackechnie-Guire from Centaur Biomechanics at the annual RDA Coaching Conference.
2019 has been an incredible year for Lizzie as she also features in the RDA 50 Faces campaign to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the charity. The campaign tells the stories of some of the amazing people who make RDA the extraordinary organisation it is today.
You can read Lizzie’s story, and meet the other 49 Faces of RDA at www.rda.org.uk
50 Faces has been supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
About Riding for the Disabled Association
Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) is dedicated to improving the lives of people with disabilities through horse riding, carriage driving and hippotherapy. Through a network of around 500 volunteer groups throughout the UK, RDA provides opportunities for therapy, achievement and enjoyment, improving health, wellbeing and self-confidence, and benefiting mobility and co-ordination.
- RDA brings together 500 volunteer groups throughout the UK
- More than 25,000 adults and children enjoy the benefits of riding or carriage driving
- Each year more than 19,000 dedicated volunteers give a total of more than 3.5 million hours of their time
RDA is reliant on voluntary help, donations and legacies to deliver its services. Please donate now at www.rda.org.uk
RDA is a charity registered in England and Wales (No: 244108) and Scotland (No: SC039473).