Article for The Bark magazine
Fall 2021
HEAD IN THE GAME
From sitting atop the podium at multiple Paralympic Games to fearlessly skiing down double black diamond runs, Donovan Tildsley lives life well outside of his comfort zone – and on his own terms.
This past summer many of us watched the greatest athletes in sport showcase their immense talents at the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. Although the event was delayed by a year, the international community came together amidst a global pandemic, demonstrating that hope, hard work, and perseverance pays off. Member and Paralympic medalist swimmer Donovan Tildesley knows this all too well. “I wasn’t out there to gain awards. It just sort of happened as a result of the hours, days, and years swimming back and forth from one side of the pool to the other”, he humbly says as he reminisces on an illustrious career that garnered two silver and three bronze Paralympic medals.
Tildesley was born completely blind with Leber's congenital Amaurosis, a rare degeneration of the retina causing vision impairment. However, this circumstance did not dissuade his parents, Deborah and the late Dr. Hugh Tildesley, from teaching Donovan how to swim at six months old. Swimming became an integral fixture in his life and began the path to a considerable number of world championships.
“Basically, the reason we joined the Club was because my dad came home from work one day and found out that my Mom had waited four hours in line at the community centre to register me for a program,” Donovan mentions. “[My father] contacted The Arbutus Club and luckily had the means to join.”
Becoming a member in 1990, Donovan has been a regular in the pool, training for competitions and being part of The Arbutus Club Swim Team. “I have been getting into lane 2 early in the morning for 22 years this September”, Tildesley reflects.
“One of my fondest memories of The Arbutus Club team was at my second or third meet as a nine-year-old.” A storyteller by nature, Donovan tells the tale of how his tapper – the individual who runs from one side of the pool to the other to tap Donovan to warn him of the pool’s edge – forgot to alert Donovan and placed him on a collision course with the pool wall. “I’m muscling down the pool and all of a sudden, bang, my head comes in contact with hard concrete.” He continues, “I get up, spluttering and crying. ‘Donovan, you won!’ exclaims my friend Gail.
I had won the race, and Gail, in all her excitement had completely forgotten her sole responsibility – tapping me at the finish! I literally had my head in the game for that one”, laughs a punny, Tildesley.
Donovan’s path to the Paralympics was due to continual one-on-one coaching that took place largely in the Club’s pool. He worked tirelessly with coaches to improve his aquatic skills with a goal to compete.
“My dad came forward in the summer of 1999 and said ‘I realize it’s your goal to get to the Paralympics and I’m willing to work with you to get there. I’ll train with you every morning before school. I think we've got a shot at it”, recalls Donovan. “…And we made it!”
An incredible sense of pride and affection for his father is naturally evident. He adds, “It wasn’t just my dad either. It wasn’t just me. It was the support of the entire family. Even friends.”
All of the hours in the pool became worth it in 2008 when Donovan received the honour of a lifetime. He was sitting in the pep rally for the opening of the Beijing Paralympic Games and it was announced that Tildesley would be leading the Canadian athletes into the stadium as the nation’s official flag bearer.
The moment was monumental and Donovan, true to his personality, wanted to make a statement. “Instead of holding my dad’s elbow, I wanted to walk in as a blind person, with my cane”, he says. “That honour will stay with me forever.”
Although his career had been hitting stride after stride, Donovan made the difficult decision to hang up his goggles and announced his retirement from competitive swimming in April 2014. “When I retired from competition it wasn’t because I was burned out by the sport”, he assures us. “It was more the simple logic of the world getting faster and me not getting any younger.” Donovan wished for more balance and to nourish experiences outside of sport. “I never want to tell people to not work hard or not achieve, but there’s something to be said about finding balance in life”, he says with confidence. It appears Tildesley only looks forward, with new ambitions on his horizon.
These days you’ll find him conquering another mountain…literally. During the winter months, Donovan can be found on the slopes of Whistler-Blackcomb. Although he’s not skiing competitively, Tildesley is no stranger to tackling dizzying, double black diamonds.
“Whistler is my happy place and skiing is my therapy”, he confesses.
Donovan’s love for the hill flourished when his father, Hugh, taught him how to ski as a child. With a headset and mic, his dad would ski behind him, guiding Donovan down the mountain. Years later Donovan tackled the Saudan Couloir, one of the steepest runs at Whistler Blackcomb with a brand new guide – on a pair of rented skis no less. “Trying to conquer a challenging mountain, there’s no feeling like it”, he says with excitement. It’s a metaphor we can all remember when navigating unfamiliar territory.
When he’s not on the ski hill or in The Arbutus Club pool, Tildesley charms clients as a Broker at Buntain Insurance, dabbles in radio broadcasting, and works the crowd as an inspirational speaker. Recently, Donovan announced his plans to return to the water, except this time to get a scuba diving certification.