Marty Mayberry

Marty Mayberry

Personal information
Nationality	Australia
Born	(1986-02-09) 9 February 1986 (age 38) Byron Bay, New South Wales
Died	Dec 2024
Sport
Country	Australia
Sport	Para-alpine skiing
Event(s)	Downhill Super-G Giant Slalom Slalom Super Combined
Achievements and titles
Paralympic finals	2006 Winter Paralympics 2010 Winter Paralympics
Medal record Paralympic Games 2010 Vancouver Downhill standing

Marty Mayberry (born 9 February 1986 - December 2024)was a double leg amputee LW3 classified Paralympic alpine skier from Australia. Mayberry lost both legs after contracting meningococcal disease when he was sixteen years old. This experiences led him to study medicine, and he attended Griffith University and the University of Sydney where Mayberry pursued health science courses. Beyond the classroom, he has written a paper on meningococcal disease, worked part-time on research about the disease, and talked about his experiences at a conference.

Having started out as an able-bodied skier, Mayberry took up the disability sport. He made his national team debut in 2005, and went on to represent Australia at the 2006 Winter Paralympics the following year, when he did not medal. With the aid of a prosthesis, adjustments were made to his skiing legs, and he competed in several skiing competitions during 2007, 2008 and 2009. He was selected for the Australian 2010 Winter Paralympics team at a ceremony in Canberra in November 2009. Between then and the start of the Games, he participated in a few more competitions, including one where he picked up a gold medal, and participated in a national team training camp. He was selected as Australia's flag bearer for the opening ceremony. In competition, he earned a silver medal in the men's downhill standing event, finished 24th in the Super-G, was disqualified from the slalom, and failed to finish in the giant slalom. Following the games, he retired from skiing.

Personal

Mayberry was born on 9 February 1986,^[1] and grew up in Byron Bay, New South Wales,^[2][3] where he attended Byron Bay High School.^[4] By 2009, he resided in Queensland,^[5] and was living in Yeerongpilly, Queensland by 2010.^[6] In June 2010, he married a woman he met at a music festival.^[4]

Following a high school ski trip when he was in year 11,^[4] Mayberry contracted meningococcal disease at the age of 16, and this resulted in double below the knee amputations.^[2][7] He was in a coma for two weeks as a result of the disease,^[7] and, when he woke up at Byron Bay Hospital, learned his legs had been amputated.^[4] One of the things that motivated him to keep going during rehabilitation was the opportunity for sports.^[8]

Mayberry studied health sciences at Griffith University,^[9][10] and medicine at the University of Sydney.^[10] He went into medicine partly because of his illness during high school.^[4][11][12] He relocated to Sydney with his fiancé to do so not long before the start of the 2009—2010 ski season.^[9] In August 2010, he was the opening speaker at the Amanda Young Foundation Meningococcal Conference,^[13] and in 2010 and 2011, worked part-time at the Kids Research Institute at the Children's Hospital at Westmead, where he was in contact with "Robert Booy in his research on the psycho-social impact of meningococcal B on families."^[14] He wrote up his experiences in dealing with meningococcal infection in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health.^[15]

He lives by Gandhi's quote "Be the change you want to see in the world".^[1]

Skiing

Mayberry is an LW3 classified skier^[16] who competes in standing events using a pair of artificial legs.^[11] Prior to contracting meningococcal, he was involved with skiing.^[17] He was back to competing at it on the disability side by 2004.^[18] When fully kitted out, he looks like an able-bodied skier,^[19] and is capable of skiing faster than 110 kilometres per hour (68 mph).^[11] He received support for his skiing from the Australian Institute of Sport, New South Wales Institute of Sport and the Australian Government Sports Training Grants program.^[20]

Mayberry has won medals at IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup events and the Paralympic Games.^[21][22][23] He made his Australian national team debut in 2005 at the European Cup Finals,^[23][24] and went on to represent Australia the following year at the 2006 Torino Games where he failed to medal in the four men's standing events he competed in.^[23] He finished 33rd in the downhill, 21st in the Giant Slalom, 19th in the Slalom and did not finish in the Super G.^[7][23] Mayberry attributed his poor performance at the 2006 Games to his prosthetic legs, which "just didn't feel right during the speed events in Italy."^[7] Following those Games, he worked with prosthetist Peter Farrand to develop new legs that would address the problems in Italy.^[7] Continuing to ski following the 2006 Games, he earned a gold medal at a World Cup event in 2007 in Slalom,^[17][24] and earned a bronze medal in slalom event at a 2008 World Cup competition.^[24]

During Australia's 2009—2010 summer, Mayberry was based in Europe and North America for training.^[19] At the 2009 World Championships, he had a pair of sixth places finished in the Super G and downhill events.^[18] That year, at a Spanish hosted IPC World Cup, he crashed in the giant slalom event and did not score a time.^[5] He was officially named to the Australian 2010 Winter Paralympics team in November 2009.^[25] A ceremony was held in Canberra with Australian Paralympic Committee president Greg Hartung and Minister for Sport Kate Ellis making the announcement.^[26] Mayberry was selected to the largest Winter Paralympics team that Australia had ever sent to the Games.^[19]

In 2010, he was the only elite skier with his type of disability in his classification.^[19] At the second to last World Cup event before the 2010 Games, on a course in Vancouver, Canada, he won a silver medal in the downhill with a time of 1:16.02.^[12][27] In Aspen, Colorado, at the last World Cup event before the 2010 Games, he won a gold medal in the downhill event.^[7][8][27] Prior to the start of the Games, he participated in a national team training camp in Vail, Colorado before the Aspen hosted World Cup.^[19] He and the rest of Australia's para-alpine team arrived in the Paralympic village on 9 March 2010.^[28]

As a 24-year-old,^[11] Mayberry competed in five events in the 2010 Paralympic games: downhill, super G, super combined, giant slalom, and slalom.^[29] His parents were in Vancouver to watch him compete.^[18] Mayberry won a silver medal^[1] in the men's standing downhill event where he tied with another skier,^[23][30] and had a combined time of 1:22.78^[7] He finished 24th in the Super-G,^[23] was disqualified from the slalom event after missing a gate,^[23][31] and did not finish in the Giant Slalom.^[23] Following the Games, he returned with the team to Sydney, where he attended a press conference at Sydney International Airport.^[32] He won an Australian Institute of Sport Sport Achievement Award in 2010.^[22] By September 2010, he had retired from elite skiing,^[33][34] one of several 2010 Winter Paralympic skiers to retire following the games. Others who retired at the same time he did included Shannon Dallas and Bart Bunting.^[33]

References

1. "Athlete Profile – Marty Mayberry". Australian Paralympic Committee Website. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
2. Lewis, Daniel (12 February 2012). "Skill and high-tech prosthetics help double amputee fly at 130 km/h". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
3. Torino 2006 Winter Paralympic Games Media Guide (PDF). Sydney: Australian Paralympic Committee. 2006. p. 18.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
4. "Victims Stories – Marty". Troypocockfoundation.org.au. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
5. "Dallas impresses in season opener | APC Corporate". Paralympic.org.au. 13 January 2009. Archived from the original on 23 August 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
6. "Department of Health & Ageing – 2010 Vancouver Winter Paralympic Team Unveiled". Health.gov.au. 21 March 2010. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
7. McDonald, Margie (20 March 2012). "Twist of fake legs brings silver". The Australian. Australia. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
8. "Exclusive Interview With Marty Mayberry, Gold Medal Winner at the 2010 Aspen World Cup". RehaDesign Wheelchair Accessories.
9. "Features". Mountainwatch.com. 15 December 2009. Retrieved 30 October 2012.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
10. "Meet Australia's Paralympic Skiers". Mountain Watch Website. Retrieved 2 May 2012.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
11. Lulham, Amanda (20 March 2010). "Marty's high-speed race to first medal". Hobart Mercury. Australia. p. 114. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
12. Amanda, By (4 March 2010). "Australian Marty Mayberry claims gold in downhill event at World Cup in Aspen". The Daily Telegraph. Australia. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
13. "Meningococcal Conference 2010" (PDF). Amanda Young Foundation. September 2010. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
14. "Staff profile" (PDF). Annual Report 2010–2011. Australia: Kids Research Institute, the Children's Hospital at Westmead: 35. 2011.
15. Mayberry, Marty (17 October 2011). "A teenager with meningococcal infection". Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. 47 (10). Royal Australasian College of Physicians: 680–1. doi:10.1111/j.1440-1754.2011.02380.x. PMID 21999443. S2CID 32101778.
16. "Meningococcal Australia". Meningococcal Australia. Archived from the original on 22 March 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
17. "Athlete Profile – Marty Mayberry". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 11 March 2010. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
18. "Marty, ski wizard for Oz". The Byron Shire Echo. Byron Bay, New South Wales. 2 March 2008. p. 1.
19. Daniel Lewis (12 February 2010). "Winter Paralympics | Marty Mayberry". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, Australia. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
20. Ellis, Kate (11 March 2010). "Winter Paralympians to inspire a nation" (PDF). Australia. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
21. Media Guide – Vancouver 2010 (PDF). Sydney: Australian Paralympic Committee. 2010. p. 52.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
22. "Past Winners : Australian Institute of Sport : Australian Sports Commission". Ausport.gov.au. 9 December 2009. Archived from the original on 4 June 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
23. "Athlete Search Results". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
24. "Marty Mayberry | Vancouver 2010". Australian Paralympic Committee. 2010. Archived from the original on 15 August 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
25. "Paralympic Team for Vancouver sprinkled with exaperience". The Australian. Australia. 2009. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
26. Browning, Jennifer (25 November 2009). "Winter Paralympics team biggest yet". Australia: ABC Grandstand Sport. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
27. "Mayberry nabs gold ahead of Vancouver". Australia: Nine MSN. 2009. Archived from the original on 30 December 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
28. McDonald, Margie (8 March 2010). "Australian assault on Paralympics takes shape in Vancouver". The Australian. Australia. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
29. "Features". Mountainwatch.com. 3 February 2010. Archived from the original on 1 October 2010. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
30. "Disabled Wintersport Australia 2010 Annual Report" (PDF). Australia: Disabled Wintersport Australia. 2010. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
31. "Creekside Chat – 2010 Vancouver Paralympic Games". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
32. "AAP Newswire Multimedia – News, Sport, Entertainment and Stock Photography, Video and Flash". Multimedia.aapnewswire.com.au. 24 March 2010. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
33. "New look team take to slopes | APC Corporate". Paralympic.org.au. 9 December 2010. Archived from the original on 15 May 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
34. "Coaching Coup Brings Sochi Success Closer | IPC". Paralympic.org. 26 October 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2012.