Latest news with #sportsrecovery
Times
03-07-2025
- Health
- Times
Rory Lamont: A shaman cured my depression when I lost rugby career
The first time the tenth-generation Bwiti shaman gave him iboga, Rory Lamont was disappointed. Around him, after taking the root bark with psychedelic effects, his companions were chatting to their ancestors and having 'magical experiences'. The former Scotland rugby player did not even, he recalled, have a 'conversation with my dead grandfather'. However, afterwards, at a retreat in the Costa Rican rainforest, he found that his depression had gone. The illness had followed him since the enforced end of his rugby career — a career marred by injury, skull fractures and multiple concussions. 'The suicidal ideation, the repetitive thinking, the ruminating, the constantly being stuck in the past …it just lifted,' he said. It was why, this week, Lamont was speaking not to Bwiti shamans but to academics at an event at Manchester University investigating whether psychedelics could play a role in helping sportspeople recover from trauma.
BBC News
17-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
National wheelchair rugby tournament takes place in Plymouth
A wheelchair rugby coach from Plymouth has credited the sport with rebuilding his life following a serious car crash. Adam Simmons, coach and chairman of the Plymouth-based West Country Hawks, broke his neck after falling asleep at the wheel in 2003. "It was late at night, I think I fell asleep at the wheel, and woke up two weeks later in Derriford and broke my neck," he said. But four years later he discovered his new hobby, which he said gave him confidence, as well as a new career. Mr Simmons added: "My life has gone in a completely different avenue to where it was, I worked for the local supermarket at the time."Afterwards, I went to Plymouth University, did a law degree, I taught law for a few years and now I work for Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby's National governing body as their competitions manager so it's been an interesting ride."The wheelchair rugby coach now has a national tournament to prepare for with his team, which will be held at the Plymouth Life Centre on Saturday and Sunday. The Hawks will compete in league two of the competition. 'Going to be great' Mr Simmons said: "It's very rare that we have a national wheelchair rugby tournament down in Plymouth."It's the biggest tournament that we run for our calendar, 20 teams across the two days with lots of players, lot's of people coming down, it's going to be great." The Allied Mobility Wheelchair Rugby 5s or WR5s, is open to anyone with a permanent physical disability or impairment that prevents them from playing running get under way at 09:00 BST and run until 16:00 with free entrance to all spectators.
