Character Inspiration: Professional Athlete
Photo credit: Sombilon Studios
Morgan’s life has been dedicated to competitive swimming and achieving a Bachelor of Child Studies, which she received in 2019. Morgan has been competitively swimming for 17 years, beginning her journey at the age of 11. She was born with cerebral palsy, the condition affecting the left side of her body. She competed as a Paralympian in the S8 category at three Paralympic Games: London 2012, Rio de Janeiro 2016, and Tokyo 2020. She announced her retirement from competitive swimming after Tokyo, but not before capping off her career with a Paralympic bronze medal in Tokyo in the 4X100 34-point freestyle relay. She is an ambassador of the Paralympics through media, formal functions with dignitaries, and presentations. She has had the opportunity to represent Canada all over the world stage, achieving Canadian records and other accomplishments, many of which she still holds to this day.
“Swimming has given me so much, more than I could ever give back. I have had the opportunity to travel and to create countless memories and lifelong friendships that are the result of my 17 years as a swimmer. Beyond that, I learned the importance of balance and that I am more than Morgan the swimmer. My motto is the only disability in life is a bad attitude.”
WBS: What got you interested in swimming? When did you start? Was it something you took seriously right away, or did it turn into your passion/main pursuit over time?
Morgan: My parents always had me trying things (they had a rule that I couldn’t say no without trying the sport first). I did dancing (and that ended when I was three and almost fell off the stage), skating, horseback riding, t-ball, soccer, and gymnastics. I joined a swimming rookie camp in place of my physiotherapy, which I hated and would do anything to get out of. My doctors told me swimming was doing for my leg what the physio was, so I could stop physiotherapy if I continued swimming. My first ever Para event was making it to Alberta Summer Games in Red Deer. I had to try out to make the team and I remember being proud of myself for achieving that goal. Trying everything helped me narrow down what I liked and did not like, which led to my 17-year career in swimming at the high-performance level. I dabbled in everything until I found swimming, which is how I knew swimming was the right fit for me, because everything else was not.
WBS: Other than the Paralympics—which we'll get to a bit later—what are you working towards as a swimmer? Are there certain races that are important?
Morgan: As a Paralympian, and even before that, I learned invaluable life skills and key values: a growth mindset and always accepting challenges and looking to improve; respect, both listening to people and making sure others are listening to me; determination, learned through the obstacles I have had to overcome; trust, because I had coaches who were looking out for me. My journey has been fun. I believe in the team as a family. I believe in diversity, and that safety of the athletes, or safe sport, is key.
I am all about trying to find ways to move the Paralympic movement needle forward—by increasing the representation and participation of athletes with disabilities in sport. The awareness piece is huge, and I get very passionate about things like attendance numbers increasing. Having big household names (like Lululemon and Petro-Canada) support us means so much to all of us. It means they see us; they see our contributions to the sporting world and the hard work we put towards our training. Whether it be financial support, a clothing kit, or showing up to events year after year, all of it is important and valued.
WBS: Can you walk us through a day in the life? What does training look like as a professional swimmer?
Morgan: An example of a Yearly Training Plan (YTP) for a high-performance Para-swimmer looks roughly like this:
Phases:
September–October: start up, set goals, ease into training
November–December: gradually increase training focus/Christmas break
January–March: post-Christmas warm weather training camp
April–June: heavy training focus & taper leading into competitions
July–August: competition period
Training Loads: any combination of gym and swim. For me personally, I got up to 12 training sessions a week at my busiest. I would normally get in the water at 6 a.m. about three times a week
Training Camps:
Location examples: Australia, Florida, Arizona
Duration: usually three weeks/one month at a time during the winter months
Side Note: I felt fortunate to attend these camps. There was a developmental path going from novice to elite. I learned a lot outside of the pool at these camps and competitions. The opportunity to come to camps was presented as something you earned and gave me a sense of pride to be invited to them.
Competitions:
Monthly Competitions: Anywhere from junior circuits to provincials. The goal here is to stay fit and in shape and get a chance to better your personal best times.
Trials: These usually happen around April, in order to qualify for the major summer meets.
Major Competitions: depending on the year: Pan Ams, Pan Pacs, Commonwealth Games, World Championships, Paralympic Games
Side Note: Classification: Swimming classification is on an individual basis. It is considered a requirement to be internationally classified in order to attend international meets. My classification was S8 across the board (S8SB8SM8). The classifications in swimming range from S1–10 (which are the physical limitations—example: missing limbs, short stature). S11–13 relates to visual impairments, and S14 would mean an intellectual impairment.
Testing:
There are different types of testing anticipated throughout the year:
Swimming testing (in water, step test)
On-land testing (dryland/strength/gym testing)
Body composition testing (DEXA, nutrition)
Classification (when required)
WBS: I'm assuming you have to adopt a specific lifestyle as a swimmer. What are some of the day-to-day habits and routines you had to implement (food, sleep, downtime, etc.)?
Morgan: I can use this space to discuss the decisions I made to maximize my overall wellness as a person and an athlete. In 2018, I took time off from my studies to focus on swimming. That meant get up, eat, commute, swim, commute, home, eat, bed, repeat. I didn’t have much going on outside of swimming, which was unhealthy for me, and I ended up getting isolated and burnt out. I learned a lot about myself that year, including that I need to keep myself busy with other things than just swimming and find myself outside of the pool. Having a routine and a schedule was paramount, but so was making sure I didn’t put all of my eggs in the swimming basket.
I had low iron and was tested all the time for bloodwork. I had to change my diet to a gluten-free diet one year (two weeks before Christmas). This gluten-free diet lasted about two years leading into Rio.
WBS: Is training something you are able to balance with school or work? Or is it sort of an all-in commitment?
Morgan: Juggling the obligations of student life amidst preparing to represent Canada on the biggest international stage was no small feat, but one I took on willingly and passionately. Chasing a dream this big required time management skills, devotion, and sacrifices, but it was something I did without question. To me, becoming a now three-time Paralympian was something worth pursuing. I remember always being worried about being too far behind in academics. My family would always tell me that school could wait because the time I had on the national team wouldn’t last forever, and I am so glad I listened to that.
Becoming a Paralympian meant going all in, making sacrifices, and understanding the scope of what that means. I’ve had to miss out on family trips and weddings. I have given up an internship because it interfered with my training and peak competitions. Swimming WAS my job because I didn’t have time to pursue a part-time job elsewhere. I took eight years to finish my bachelor’s degree instead of the standard four years. All the friends I made in university surpassed me as I was making it a priority to go to the gym, be at the pool, or attend massage appointments.
WBS: How often did you race? Did you travel a lot for different races?
Morgan: The goal we tried to maintain for racing was once a month, with different intentions for each swim meet depending on the time of year (making a team, achieving best times, staying in shape, tapering). I did travel frequently, living out of suitcases and learning new languages and cultures along the way. I always say traveling was one of my favourite parts about swimming, and traveling with my best friends was a DREAM. I consider myself fortunate to have been able to travel around the world as much as I have.
Fun Fact: I have been to all the continents! (With the exception of Antarctica—maybe one day I will still get there.)
Last comment I will add is as a Para swimmer, it was difficult to swim locally. What I mean by that is I had to travel to find meets to achieve my times at. I had to swim with younger and younger age groups who were reaching A times and B times together (A and B times did not apply to me), whereas the Para swimming community was quite small where I lived. It wasn't until I moved to Montreal where I found I could race consistently with other Para swimmers.
WBS: What is the swimming community like? Did you find it was easy to build good relationships with the people around you or was it tense/competitive?
Morgan: I made life-long friends from swimming; we spent a lot of time together because we were like-minded and going after the same goals, so we understood each other. When we were not training, we were eating meals together, doing schoolwork together, hanging out and living life together. We pushed each other to be better versions of ourselves every day and found meaningful connection through that.
Bronze Medal Story: We were all in shock. After the race, we all sat there staring at the official results on the screen, not wanting to move in case it changed or was false. So many emotions were flowing through that pool deck in that moment; we were frozen to the spot. It goes to show that anything can happen. Being able to call myself a Paralympic medalist didn’t happen at the snap of my fingers. It happened over the span of three quads, while practicing patience. Swimming is an individual sport, but I thrive off relay energy. You have your teammates and friends beside you, crying with you, laughing with you, counting on you, and you are counting on them. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to cap off my career, adding a bronze medal to my name, and doing it alongside three of my closest friends.
WBS: Did you have a team working with you? What were the different roles?
Morgan: As an athlete, you have everything available to you at your fingertips. Nutritionists, mental health professionals, IST (integrated support team) staff, doctors, team managers, and coaches, all working together to create an optimal atmosphere for your success. The goal is to create an individualized plan that works for YOU. My coaches gave me a voice, worked with me on my plan, and gave me a seat at the table while also expecting high levels of performance and working to adapt my program. They tried their best to learn about Para (because it is so different from able-bodied). They pushed me beyond what was comfortable because they knew me as a person first and had my best interests at heart. They explained the “why” which helped me understand what I was doing.
WBS: Let's talk Paralympics! What was it like being in not one, but THREE separate Paralympics? When you look back on it now, what stands out to you about the experience? Any key moments or memories?
Morgan: I think inclusivity is what the Paralympics is all about. We see athletes that otherwise wouldn’t have been given the chance, competing on the world stage. And people sitting down to watch an elite sporting event that they otherwise would have been unfamiliar with. If you haven’t seen a Paralympic Games yet, it is an amazing sporting event to watch, and I highly recommend it! Any advice I would give to my younger self is to most importantly have fun and love what you do, because if you are not enjoying your sport, or whatever it is you are busy doing, it is very hard to maintain it.
A Side Note Story for This Question: When my first swim coach told me I would go to the Paralympics one day, I told her she was crazy. Fun fact: That same swim coach also said that when I made it to the Paralympics, she would be in the stands to watch me. She was there in person in London to watch my prelims and final races, which was an incredibly humbling and cool experience!
London: I was the rookie. Didn’t put any pressure on myself. It was my favourite Paralympics of the three. Swimming for packed stands: 17,500 people watching and screaming!
Rio: Beautiful host country, amazing volunteers. Paralympics was well received by everyone. (Each year the awareness and interaction increase).
Tokyo: I loved it because I was the veteran, I knew it was going to be my last games, and I spent it with my best friends and treasured every moment. It went ahead during COVID, which I was grateful about. (The other option was to cancel the Games altogether, which we didn’t want.) The Japanese cuisine was by far the best! We ate gyoza dumplings for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (I haven’t been able to recreate them at home—I’ve tried) .
WBS: Overall, what do you feel swimming has taught you about life? (Deep question to end!)
Morgan: Swimming helped me develop a growth mindset as an athlete and taught me I could do things. Sport taught me invaluable life skills like time management, determination, and teamwork. Swimming has given me so much, more than I could ever give back. I have had the opportunity to travel and to create countless memories and lifelong friendships that are the result of my 17 years as a swimmer. Beyond that, I learned the importance of balance and that I am more than Morgan the swimmer. My motto is the only disability in life is a bad attitude.