Julia ‘The Bogchick’ Galvin was told she may never walk again. A few years later, she became a World Champion.

Julia Galvin was hospitalised as a result of health problems, one of which was adult-onset scoliosis. Julia was watching television whilst in hospital and came across the niche and wonderful world of ‘bog snorkelling’. Julia was immediately intrigued, and after reading about it in the Guinness Book of World Records and leaving the hospital, she was even more fascinated. “I thought, my goodness, isn’t that unusual? I never heard of it, but now twice in one week.”

Julia described the Welsh sport as swimming two lengths of 60 yards in a bog as fast as possible using an unconventional swimming stroke. A bog is a waterlogged wetland containing portions of partly decomposed plant material known as ‘peat’. 

Julia told herself during her time in the hospital, “If I ever walk again, I’m going to do that (bog-snorkelling) because I had a couple of split discs, and I had sciatica down both my legs, and I couldn’t walk.”

This demonstrates Julia’s determination to not only walk again but also to compete in new walks of life. This also showcases Julia’s interest in weird and niche sports because, as a result of her interest in bog snorkelling, she has also competed in other sports, such as wife carrying and the bog snorkelling mountain bike world championships.

The Bog Snorkelling Mountain Biking is where Julia won her world championship. However, she also has a career-high finish as a runner-up in the bog snorkelling world championships. She has defied the odds multiple times for a woman who was told she may never walk again.

When asked about her interest in the less mainstream sports in which she competes, Julia said, “I found a little niche in novelty sports, and that suits me just fine. I often think that I have a very competitive streak, but I was given the wrong body.”

Julia spoke about how “I look more unusual” compared to the other athletes in bog snorkelling. Julia believes this makes her stand out and that “journalists like to take pictures of a big woman in a wet suit.” This showcases that Julia doesn’t worry about the stereotypical appearance of an athlete. 

Julia described the media’s attention to her appearance when she said, “I know they think it is a funny thing to do, but I use that vehicle for my message that there are things that we can do no matter who we are.” This demonstrates Julia’s mental strength; she doesn’t concern herself with other people’s opinions or doubts, she doesn’t worry about what the stereotypical appearance looks like, and she knows what she can do. She isn’t afraid to upset the norms. 

Julia’s mentality is demonstrated when she says, “That’s what everybody else is doing, so I like to do things that other people aren’t doing, and so far, I’ve been successful in it.” This showcases who Julia is as a person; she doesn’t follow the herd, and she goes against the grain.