Did the Rugby World Cup have you hooked this autumn? Well, did you know there’s an underwater version of the game? Jo Wood, diagnosed with MS in 2013, plays for the Great Britain team and competed at the Underwater Rugby World Championships earlier this year. “I came back with a new resilience and realisation that I have MS, but MS doesn’t have to have me,” Jo tells us.
My MS diagnosis
I was diagnosed with optic neuritis in 2012 which affected my left eye. I was sent for scans and a lumbar puncture and received my MS diagnosis in November 2013. It was a difficult time as I was in the middle of my PhD and I’d been off work quite a lot with (what I had thought was) post-infection fatigue. After my diagnosis I was offered Rebif or Avonex, and went for injection training with my MS nurse, but from diagnosis to receiving medication I had a further two relapses and my nurse and neurologist recommended Tysabri. My relapses were pretty debilitating at the time as I was experiencing Lhermitte's syndrome and was struggling to even make it the 200m down the road to the shops; this was particularly hard since I’d been really into climbing, hiking and swimming to this point.
After about eight months on Tysabri I saw my cognitive function drastically improve, my ability to walk came back, I even managed to go hiking in Iceland (with my soon to be husband), and completed my PhD in 2017. I then got a job at King’s College London as a Teaching Fellow in Physical Geography. It was through this opportunity, and a chance conversation with a colleague, that I discovered underwater rugby.
Diving in at the deep end
Underwater rugby is a contact sport that takes place in a 4m diving pit; we wear mask, snorkel and fins to play. There are six players on a team. The object of the game is to score goals in a basket at the bottom of the pool. It’s considered to be an ‘apnoea’ sport - so hold your breath! Underwater rugby helps me to keep fit and I find that swimming stresses my body less than when I go running.
Dealing with MS day-to-day can be difficult, and I have ‘duvet days’ where I really don’t feel like I can face the day. Having the support and encouragement from my team to make it to practice, and the sheer enjoyment I get from that first dive into the pool, really helps me overcome those challenges.
I play in defence, so I’m usually found sitting on the bottom of the pool on my back, defending the goal. It’s so much fun playing in a team that you forget about things hurting. I come out of the pool covered in bruises - presumably from hitting into the basket and from being tackled by other players – but I never notice getting any of them!
Team GB
I’ve been playing for about 18 months (off and on) and this year I got the opportunity to play for Great Britain at the Underwater Rugby World Championships in Graz, Austria. It is the first time that Team GB has ever been represented in this international sport and I was so excited when I was told that I’d been picked for the women’s team.
The games were really tough as we were playing against experienced teams, some of whom had been playing for +20 years! We scored goals, defended penalties, and learned so much while we were there. I came away with a new resilience and realisation that I have MS, but MS doesn’t have to have me.
Mind and body
Mentally, I feel that when I am playing underwater rugby, I am just one of the team; I have amazing team mates who are supportive, strong women and who have also overcome their own battles.
Underwater rugby is really new to the UK. There are currently only two teams, in London and Cheltenham. I would encourage anyone to come to a taster session because it’s just so much fun and it’s inclusive to all abilities.
