Sports personality- Di Trengrave

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 9, Issue 404, 17 September 1991, Page 11

Sports personality- Di Trengrave

BY

JO

HOWIE

Dianne "Di" Trengrove is a familiar sight to most Waiouru residents jogging through the streets and off into the distance for miles into the training area. What makes he unusual as a sports person is that she was once told she would probably never walk properly again.As a teenager Di lived for her sport. She spent every spare moment training and competing for netball, basketball, cricket running, and basically any sport she had time to play. She was the top athlete at school and won most of the sports prizes. She represented Northland for running and netball and also played for the North Shore Premier representative netball team for two years at 18. Her achievements were outstanding and her future was promising. Her life changed one day in July 1982 when she was critically injured in a motor vehicle accident. She was unconscious for one month and suffered a major brain hemorrhage, commonly known as a stroke. She also had several broken bones and a badly lacerated leg. Di spent that whole year in hospital. Because of the damage to the left side of her. brain, she lost all sense

of balance, co-ordina-tion, fine motor skills and control over her mouth and tongue to speak and eat properly. It took a year of intense therapy to progress from a wheelchair to a walking frame. Di had to learn to write with her left hand, and speak coherently. She walked every day for an hour or more, then two years later while in Athens she visited the Olympic track. She had a burning desire to run a circuit, but was unsuccessful. She had another attempt the day she was due to leave, and completed the circuit. This was a major accomplishment mentally and from this day on Di ran every day, and has since completed three marathons. She ran her first marathon in 1985 in five hours. She ran her last marathon in 1988 in 3 hours 40 minutes. "It's not as good as I was capable of before the accident, but I'M happy with that," she said. Di spends 45-60 mins running every day and runs 10 miles on Sunday. Every moming at 6 am Di has a strenuous work out in the weight room , or swim lengths. She is dedicated to exercising twice a day. "It's essential I exercise. Stroke victims

have poor circulation so I have to continue my routine of regular exercise to prevent any complications, especially living in such a cold climate." Di is the coach for the Waiouru netball team and her next aim is to play netball. "I would love to be able to catch

a ball and to be a valuable team member." Another goal is to ride a bike. "Triathlons appeal to me. In the mean time I'll keep running". The support she has had from Sean, her husband, and her own determination and persistence has been the answer to her success.