NOTHING VENTURED NOTHING GAINED

Scott McNeice joined the Army in 2003 and served in the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps. He completed tours of Iraq and Afghanistan, but a worsening knee injury eventually led to an above-knee amputation in 2017. Not one to sit still, Scott competed at the Invictus Games just a year later and discovered snowsports after that. Now, he’s hoping to qualify to compete for Team GB in snowboarding at the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games. 

Tell us how you got into the military… 

I grew up in Chesterfield, and at a young age decided I wanted to join the Army – I think I was about six! I worked in care homes and hospitals for people struggling with mental illness for a while before I joined up at the age of 18. I liked the idea of being a medic – it seemed the best of both worlds. After training, I went straight into working at an MoD hospital, and within a few months I was on operations in Iraq. It was everything I had expected – a complete whirlwind! I remember really wanting to go but also thinking: ‘What have I let myself in for?’ There was always a lot going on as a medic, and I also did some top cover. I had my 21st birthday out there with a different kind of fireworks – incoming mortars! 

What led to you having an amputation? 

I initially injured my knee in Afghanistan in 2011. Later, I was working at Headley Court, training with a Bergen to get ready to go back out on operations. One day, I came out of the gates of Headley on a run and turned a corner, but my foot stayed where it was – I had torn my meniscus. I was only able to stay in the Army by the skin of my teeth, but I kept having knee trouble. 2014 was bad, I injured it twice. Then, in 2016, I was sent to an armoured medical regiment and put on a hellish PT session, and I destroyed my knee again. 

And it just kept getting worse? 

Yes. There was no meniscus layer inside the medial aspect of my knee. The joint was rubbing bone on bone. I had to use crutches and was in a lot of pain. I was given a High Tibial Osteotomy operation during which your tibia is broken and a metal wedge inserted to change the angle of your knee and reduce some pressure. Unfortunately, just 24 hours after that, I developed acute Compartment Syndrome. My nerve endings, blood vessels and muscles were crushed. It was so painful. 

And so that eventually pushed you towards amputation? 

It did. In 2017 alone I had 12 or 13 operations. The metal wedge got infected, and at one point you could actually see the metalwork in my leg! It was taken out and I underwent radical surgery, but that was excruciating. I developed Complex Regional Pain Syndrome – your nerves don’t reconnect properly and I was passing out when my dressings were being changed! I threatened to take the leg off myself with a circular saw, and by that November there was a consensus that it had to come off. 

Did your work at Headley Court help you prepare mentally for the amputation?

I suppose it did in some ways. I knew the process and understood about amputation. I just wanted to be rid of the pain. I knew that prosthetics and wheelchairs were coming, but I was also very aware that I would be able to move forward with my life afterwards. I knew the protocol so was probably more prepared than most. 

Tell us how sport came to play a big part in your recovery…  

A week before my amputation in 2017, the Invictus Games took place in Canada. I was watching the athletes, knowing that my leg soon wasn’t going to be there. I remember thinking to myself: ‘This is the goal.’ The next Games would take place in Sydney in 2018. I had that in my head. My leg came off and there was an Invictus intro day a week later. It gave me a focus straight away. The team at Headley didn’t want me to do it – they said it was too soon – but I needed a focus. 

And you made the team…  

I ended up competing in six sports in Sydney. It was still early days for me, so I mainly competed in wheelchair-based sports. I only get a microprocessor knee a few weeks before I flew out. Sydney was great, but after a big event like that a lot of people have a downer. That happened to me; I was left wondering what I was going to do next, but then snowsports came along. The Armed Forces Para Snowsport Team had an open day, and they took me under their wing. 

Were you a skier or snowboarder before your amputation?  

I’d never been on snow before – or even on a skateboard or roller skates! I turned up at Snozone Yorkshire and met a couple of instructors. I asked them what the hardest thing would be for me to learn. They told me sit ski would be the easiest and snowboarding the toughest. At the time, I was of the mindset that I wanted to prove everyone wrong, so I went for the snowboard. I’d only been walking for a couple of weeks so had little control, and my prosthetic wasn’t right for it. I ended up with horrendous bruising, but despite all that I got the adrenaline rush I’d been craving. I was desperate to try it again.

But you improved quickly…

It started to take off for me in 2019. I got an International Paralympic Committee (IPC) classification in slalom snowboarding. I still wasn’t great but was thrown straight onto a World Cup course. I wondered what on earth I was doing, but I got down it. After that, I went to train in Colorado, where Team GB had a look at me and thought I was progressing well.

And you have recently been awarded a Blesma Venture Fund grant to support you on your Paralympic pathway… 

That has helped massively. This is my first season with the Great Britain development squad, and I’ve been travelling a lot to and from training camps. Each trip can cost around £1,000, and without any financial support it would be really tricky to afford. Knowing that some of the costs have been covered by the Association makes it much more manageable. My sole aim now is to qualify for the 2026 Winter Paralympics. 

What do you need to do to get there?

I’ve done the Europa Cup for banked slalom and SBX [snowboard cross]. I need to get enough points to get into the World Cup. If I can do that, I’ll be eligible for the Paralympics. That’s the aim. As of this season, I’m exactly where I need to be. I’ve improved massively. Now, it’s just a case of putting in the hard work. 

What would it mean to get to the Paralympics?  

So much. I’d be putting on a uniform again, representing my country. It’s not about medals right now. At the moment, with the development squad, I feel like I’ve been given the kit, but I’ve not got the right to wear it yet. If I make the Paralympic team, and that kit is on the washing line for the first time, I’ll have made it. I’m in a good place. I have a purpose, I know what I need to do to get to where I want to go. It will be hard work, but it is achievable. You don’t get anything out if you don’t put the hard work in! 

Scott is photographed at Snozone Yorkshire. For more visit www.snozoneuk.com/yorkshire