| Captain of the team |
 The Deaflympics have been on the calendar since 1924, the year Eric Liddell won his medal. There is also a Deaflymplic Winter Games in Taiwan this month (5-15 September) over 3000 deaf athletes and officials from 75 nations will be involved. Unlike other games for athletes with disabilities – such as the Paralympics and the Special Olympics, which are all directed by non-disabled officials, the Deaflympics are run by deaf people for deaf athletes.
Esther Maycock is captain of the GB deaf football team. In 2005 in Melbourne Britain took the bronze medal. They beat Norway 3-1, Australia 5-0 and Denmark 1-0 and drew 3-3 with Russia, before losing 0-3 to the eventual gold-medals USA. Esther played in all the games and scored with a header against Australia. That took GB into the semi-finals. The semi-final was against Russia who twice went ahead but GB equalized twice. Then extra time and still 2-2. Russia won 5-4 in a penalty shoot-out. So near and yet so far from the final. GB beat Denmark 2-1 to win the bronze. Esther said of the Melbourne experience: “The highlight of Melbourne was the Deaflympics – from the opening ceremony right through to the last day of the competition when we beat Denmark to win a bronze medal. All the way through it was fantastic, meeting lots of different people and also talking about Jesus to players in my team. In 2002 I had major knee surgery and didn’t think I would be able to play football again. God fulfilled my dream to play for GB – it was a wonderful experience playing for my country, as well as doing my best for God. After the Deaflympics, we visited, Ramsey Street where Neighbours is filmed. It was very strange walking down the street, after having watched Neighbours for most of my life.” Esther grew up in a hearing Christian family and knew about Jesus through her parents and going to church, but she didn’t really feel God’s love and didn’t know how to communicate with God. “It all changed when I was thirteen years old and went on a Christian Youth Holiday with lots of hearing young people in Barnstaple. I went with my hearing friend, who had known me from when I was a little girl, and who took notes for me. Even so I was very upset and lonely because I found it hard to make friends and I felt that nobody cared about me. In the middle of the week, I went to a meeting and learnt about Jesus and how He died for my sins and how much He loves me. So I went for prayer with some of the leaders and this was when I first met God and knew His love. I had a vision of a man like Jesus saying; ‘I’ll be always with you wherever you go and I always love you.’ Then he put his arms around me and hugged me and I felt a great love and warmth in my heart from him. “Jesus made a big difference to me and gave me his strength, love and faith. During the rest of the holiday I made new friends and I was so happy that I had met Jesus and decided to become a Christian. “Before I went on the holiday, I found talking with hearing people very hard and frustrating, but becoming a Christian has completely changed my life and I feel so much happier. When I have difficult times in the hearing world I try my best to manage with God’s help. I’m really glad that I know God and his love because without him I would be miserable and lonely”. Esther has no bitterness about being deaf. She is determined rather to make the best of life. She also wonders if she had been a hearing person, whether she would have had the opportunity to play football for her country in three continents – so far. By Stuart Weir |
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