A MEMBER of a Stanmore basketball team is heading to Beijing next week to take part in the Paralympics.

For the last few months, A-Levels have not been the only challenge facing 18-year-old Helen Freeman, of Watford, who will be competing for a gold medal after months of training at the Aspire Centre, in Wood Lane.

Helen has Myalgic Encephalopathy, or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, a condition which causes extreme tiredness.

She will leave for Hong Kong next week, where the holding camp is based, and begins the week-long competition on September 7.

Helen, who will compete in the women’s British wheelchair basketball team, as part of a squad of 12, said: “I am a bit nervous but very excited.

“I have been playing basketball for six years, and love the sport.

“It is fast, exciting and although it is not actually a contact sport, I do enjoy the contact that you get and love playing as part of a team.”

It has been a busy time for Helen, who has just finished at Rickmansworth School, where she obtained grades AAB at A-Level and is due to read biochemistry at Reading University when she returns from Beijing.

She explained that she first became involved in the sport when she got fitted for a chair and the person who helped was a coach for a local team who invited her along to a practice session.

Helen said: “I had never played before, but I tried it and really enjoyed it.

“It was good fun and I have met some great people over the past six years.

“At Beijing, we are aiming to get in the top six, but will see what happens. It is daunting but it really has not hit me yet and I do not think it will until I get there.”

The teams were selected in May to go through to the Paralympics and have been training six days a week ever since.

Helen, who has a 15-year-old brother and a 21-year-old sister, said: “My parents are very proud, as are my brother and sister. We are a really sporty family.

“My friends are so excited, I think they are more excited than me, they cannot believe it.

“It is my first time going to Asia, and I cannot wait to see it.

“I would say to anyone who is disabled and wants to get involved in sport, to give it a go.

“You never know how far you will go and there are lots of clubs, but it is still important to concentrate on school, stay focused and always be committed.”