North York gymnast paralyzed in training mishap

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A regulatory body needs to be established for amateur sports, said the mother of injured North York gymnast Taylor Lindsay-Noel.

The 14-year-old broke her neck and is paralyzed from the waist down following a training accident on the uneven bars at Sport Seneca July 15.

After an eight-hour surgery at The Hospital for Sick Children, the Northview Heights Secondary School student is undergoing rehabilitation therapy at Bloorview Kids Rehab.

"I'd like to see amateur sport become more regulated," Rowena Lindsay said. "(Gymnastic) gyms should be mandated to have foam pits. There also needs to be a tracking system in place to record the number of these types of accidents."

Taylor, a gymnast for 10 years who trained with Olympian Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs at the Don Mills Road and Finch Avenue facility, was attempting a new dismount for the second time when disaster struck, Lindsay said, adding she was advised by lawyers not to disclose the nature of the dismount.

Despite the devastating news Taylor will likely be bound to a wheelchair for the rest of her life, Lindsay said her daughter, who was an Ontario national champion, remains optimistic about her future.

"She is very positive, extremely upbeat," she said. "It's quite surprising given the circumstances. But in faith we go forward."

Lindsay doesn't know how long her only child will need rehabilitation therapy as she's still undergoing an assessment, but further surgery is currently not in the works.

"It's up to rehab and prayers," she said.

All Taylor's coaches and some former teammates, including Hopfner-Hibbs, have visited the injured gymnast, who would have started Grade 10 in Northview's gifted athletes program Sept. 2, her mom said, adding Gymnastics Ontario and Gymnastics Canada remained silent regarding the accident until media got hold of the story.

"When something like this happens, you hope the bodies would be proactive to deal with a tragedy like this," Lindsay said.

Gymnastics Canada posted a statement on its website indicating the organization, along with Gymnastics Ontario, will launch a fundraiser in support of Taylor, with information to come on both sites.

"We wish Taylor and her family our best wishes at this difficult time," Jean-Paul Caron, president and CEO of Gymnastics Canada, said in the statement. "The Canadian gymnastics community, including her coaches and fellow gymnasts at Sport Seneca, is confident Taylor will show the same spirit and determination to meet the challenges ahead that she did as a gymnast."

Friends and family have also showed an outpouring of support, with many in the midst of organizing fundraisers for Taylor.

Family friend Laci Robertson is hosting a car wash fundraiser Sept. 7 in Newmarket in the Milestones parking lot, 18162 Yonge St., south of Green Lane, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

"There has been an outpouring of love," said Lindsay, who has taken time off her job in human resources for the City to care for her daughter. "It's just amazing to see how many lives have been touched by this."

A fund for Taylor's medical expenses has been established at CIBC, transit number 07312, account number 7759185.