Lia has lived with cerebral palsy since she was just a year old, which hasn’t stopped her for a moment. From climbing Mount Kosciuszko to walking into her end of school formal (after over 500 hours of training), Lia knows better than most that – as she puts it – “Nothing is impossible. You just need to find people that make it possible.”
“It just takes us a lot more planning, more dedication, more time to get there. But there's no reason why we can't do it. We just need those people around us to help us achieve our goals, and there is absolutely no reason why we can't get there.” Lia Sintras
Lia lives and breathes sport; she’s a huge rugby league fan and supports the Sydney City Roosters, loves cricket, and is a keen tennis player. Lia trains regularly with her Exercise Physiologist, Lauren Marcos. Lia’s dream is to work in the sports industry one day, and she’s building her skills and career in events, admin, and as a disability advocate.
Lia climbed to the top of Mount Kosciuszko in 2019 alongside her family and supporters, including her Exercise Physiologist at the time, Lauren Dadd.
Reflecting on her experience training Lia for Kosci 2019, Lauren recognises Lia’s determination and how passionate she is about sport:
“Lia quickly becomes focused on a goal and is determined to achieve it, fixing her attention to the task. I worked with Lia and her family, and together we agreed the Krazy Kosci Klimb was achievable for her. Once Lia agreed that she wanted to climb Mount Kosciusko we began regular training, that was designed specifically to her needs. That meant focusing on hill walking within a walking frame, that she used while out on the mountain.
We started training by walking between the parallel bars, and when she became confident we progressed to treadmill walking, gradually increasing the gradient to match what she would be walking while on the climb itself.
It was also important to set realistic goals for Lia to ensure this was achievable and realistic. Due to her cerebral palsy Lia’s muscle fatigue quickly and we needed to closely monitor symptoms of progressive overload through training and ensure appropriate recovery period following each session. Breaking down the challenge into smaller chunks was important for Lia’s disability."
Lia’s training tips for Kosci participants are to try to build as much strength and endurance as possible. Use whatever piece of equipment is best and most comfortable for you. And try to walk/push longer distances depending on what you want to achieve during the climb
Her goal for the event was to walk the final 100m across the summit of the mountain in her walking frame, which she did with so much determination and grace!
Climbing Kosci was the most amazing experience for Lia. She loves to challenge herself and be pushed out of her comfort zone.
When she reached the finish line at the peak of the mountain, it was so overwhelming with everyone cheering and celebrating what they’d just accomplished together. She was elated because she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to complete it. The training was hard, and all the preparation -trying to work out what parts of the climb she wanted to walk and if it was safe terrain in her walker - and the climb itself was difficult. It was such a great feeling to know that all of her hard work she put into the gym had paid off.
“Achieving that huge goal has not slowed Lia down at all. Our training sessions [since Kosci] had me out on the tennis court with her and in the hydrotherapy pool learning to swim!” Lauren Dadd
And in a gym session recently with Exercise Physiologist Lauren Marcos, after returning to the gym after recovering from COVID, Lia said:
“I don’t see it [training] as pain, I see it as progress. Consistency is the best driver of success.”
