Sarah carries torch

By Sarah Schwager
THE flame has kept on burning for Clyde’s Crystal Bruton who was chosen to carry the Paralympic torch in 2000.
Crystal was just 14 when she was selected as one of 20 people to carry the torch in Melbourne in the lead up to the Paralympic Games in Sydney.
Crystal, who has neuromuscular disease and uses a wheelchair, was selected from thousands of applicants to carry the torch at Flemington Road.
As well as the honour, Crystal flew to Sydney with her Year Nine Kooweerup Secondary College classmates to go to the Games on a school camp.
They went to the swimming, wheelchair rugby and athletics.
“A teacher at school filled out the nomination form,” Crystal said.
“I didn’t know she was doing it. I just got a letter saying I’d been chosen.
“It was a big surprise.”
Crystal, now 20, said despite not playing sport, the Paralympic athletes had inspired her in other ways.
Crystal is in her third year at Monash University in Caulfield studying a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Psychology and Criminology.
She hopes to go on to do her honours and Masters in psychology.
“It did inspire me,” Crystal said.
“I also do volunteer work at an aged care home talking to residents and keeping them entertained.”
Crystal said although she did not have to use her wheelchair all the time, she did use it around the university campus.
“I never used to use the chair but in Year Seven I broke my leg so I had to use it a lot more.”
Crystal’s Paralympics experience will be relived when she attends the Commonwealth Games in March. She said she had tickets for the men’s basketball and table tennis, including the wheelchair table tennis.