By Jim Morris

It may seem like a contradiction but what coach Darda Sales has most in common with some Para swimmers can sometimes present her biggest obstacle.

“I would say that sometimes it’s harder to get the attention of Para swimmers,” said Sales, a three-time Paralympian who has made the transition to coaching.

She competed at three Paralympic Games and four world championships, winning six medals, including two gold. An injury forced her to retire in 2010 and she now coaches with the London Aquatic Club where she coaches swimmers with and without an impairment.

“Initially I have more of a struggle with gaining the respect of some Para athletes who aren’t used to seeing individuals with impairments in positions of authority,” said Sales. “It can actually throw them off a bit. Once athletes get to know me and start to see what is possible, having similar life experiences can strengthen the bond.”

Sales, who grew up in Ontario, lost her right leg above the knee in a farm accident one month before her third birthday.

“I know this is going to sound really weird, but I was blessed to have it happen when I was young enough for the transition to be relatively smooth,” she said. “I don’t have memories have having two legs. This is just kind of who I am.”

Sales, who was inducted into the Ontario Aquatic Hall of Fame last year, never had coaching on her radar during her swimming career.

“I actually never saw myself as a coach,” she said. “There were no women with impairments coaching when I was an athlete, it just wasn’t a thing. I think that is something continues to this day.”

It was when Sales moved to Orillia, Ont., that a coach at a local club who knew about her Paralympic career asked her if she would be interested in coaching.

“I said, ‘I have no idea how to coach, I’ve never coached before’ ” said Sales.

She remembers the first time she walked on a pool deck to coach a group of nine- and 10-year-olds. For them, a coach missing a leg wasn’t an issue.

“Kids are amazing because either they didn’t notice, or they noticed, they asked a whole bunch of questions and they’re good to go,” she said. “The fact I was a Paralympian and had some hardware (medals), that helped in their trust level that I knew what I was talking about.”

The experience was a turning point for Sales.

“Coaching them was just so fun,” she said. “It was really the down part of my career. At that point I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue to swim.

“By coaching those kids, and just seeing how enthusiastic they were about just being in the water. That just reminded me of why we all begin to swim and swimming truly is about that fun and that joy.”

Sales believes her experience as both an athlete and a person living with an impairment makes it easier for her to relate to her swimmers.

“I think there’s a lot more similarities to our experiences than there are differences,” she said. “The day-to-day life things that sometimes those with impairments have to go through.”

Wayne Lomas, Swimming Canada’s associate director of high performance and Para swimming national coach, said having Para swimmers make the transition to coaching brings plenty of value to the program.

“There is always an advantage in having someone with lived experience developing the skills, knowledge and passion for the next generation,” he said. “Though this lived experience is not a necessity, it certainly goes a long way to helping swimmers gain trust that their coach understands a little of what they experience.

“Naturally having a successful history as athletes in our sport is beneficial, but that history is maximized when matched to someone with the requisite coaching skills and knowledge, which are the most important attributes.”

Sales said having coaches with impairments sends an important message.

“In general in society, we don’t tend to see individuals with impairments in leadership roles,” she said. “We need to be promoting it, we need to be making it known that it is an option.”

Sales hopes she is an example not only to other Para swimmers, but also women in sport.

“I would say I find more discrimination for being a coach with an impairment and other coaches not necessarily taking me seriously,” Sales said. “I can say it was because another woman saw potential in me that I am a coach today.”

Sales would like to see more women coaching in both the Olympic and Paralympic program.

“We need more female coaches in more roles of authority so that young women can see that could be a possibility for them,” she said.

Sometimes the best coaches were not always the best swimmers.

“Those athletes that had to strive to reach success become students of the sport,” said Sales. “The ones that look for those little things they need to do for that little bit of improvement, they tend become better coaches.

“To be a good coach you have to have an empathic heart. You need to care about other people and you need to be willing to listen. You also need to be able to recognize you don’t know everything.”