Breaking Free My Life

Hello, I'm Ruben and I'm 12 years old.

I dream of being a world champion swimmer.

And Nicole wants to go out with her boyfriend James.

'This is our summer. Can we reach our goals?'

I'm the champion!

-Face our fears?

-Can you do any better?

And prove that we can do things on our own?

Oh, no way!

This is us breaking free!

Take your marks... Go!

Today, I'm training hard with my coach Gemma.

I want to be a member of Team GB!

Gemma needs me to swim two lengths in 50 seconds.

That's proper hard!

If I do that, I have a real chance of winning my race tomorrow.

If we're going to get those times down to be in the GB team,

we need to work a little bit harder.

Are we ready? Take your marks...

Go!

I have Down's syndrome. I compete against other people like me.

This is my room. Full of medals!

I go swimming in a gala, to get more trophies and medals.

My coach is called Gemma Whipley

and it's good to teach me lots of times so I can focus my mind.

He's definitely a potential Great Britain swimmer.

There's no swimmers swimming in his age bracket with Down's syndrome

so he's swimming against all the big swimmers

and he's still coming out with medals.

Having Down's syndrome means I have an extra chromosome.

It makes my face a bit different,

my hands a bit different

and my feet.

My body has to work harder to make muscles and burn fat.

51, that's one second off.

I did it in 51 seconds!

I still need a little bit faster for the actual race.

Shall we go and do one more? Come on then, let's go!

My friend Nicole is out shopping with her mum

and best friend Charlotte.

-You don't want to wear what your mum wears, do you?

-No!

They are looking for an outfit for Nicole's new drama class.

You've got to wait for me. Don't go too far away, OK?

Nicole's mum always worries when she's out.

But Nicole wants her mum to give her some space.

-Really? I don't think so, honey.

-Yes.

It's too big. The store's too big.

Mum...

'When we go out, I'm on guard all the time.

'You just want to protect your child as much as possible.'

-Oh, no way.

-Why, what's wrong with that?

'I think she just wants to turn into a mini-teen.'

Instead of having a mother hanging around her all the time.

Yeah, leave the shoes. We're ready.

Off we go!

Nicole's mum is letting her

join a week-long drama club all by herself.

-Starmakers.

-Starmakers, that's right.

How old are you, m'love?

-I'm 12.

-12, OK.

It's going to be a really good week.

Nicole is doing drama, dance and singing!

-Nicole!

-Lovely.

-ALL:

-Nicole!

-Splat!

-Splat!

-Splat!

At the end of the day

she will perform in front of the whole class.

Nicole is about to act in front of her new friends.

I'm not her dog!

She's pretending to be a strict dog owner.

Excuse me, Nicole, is this really your dog?

Yeah!

I'm not, I'm her sister!

Help me!

Nicole's got a part in the drama group's main performance

at the end of the week.

Thank you very much!

I'm excited to get to the races

but my competitors are much older than me.

And the person I have to impress today is Gordon.

I am really nervous before I swim

and today the whole Team GB squad are there.

I'm going to walk around with you

and we are going straight over to lane 1.

I'm ready for my first race. Here I go!

But things don't quite go as I want them to.

If you would like to clear the water, please, guys.

I came fourth. That's a disaster!

Out of six you came number four. It was very, very good!

Look at Gemma.

'I get frustrated when my body doesn't do what I want it to do.

'I've got to turn things around soon, or I'll never make the team.'

After drama school, Nicole takes some time out for boyfriend James.

-Hello, James.

-Hi, Nicole.

-Come in.

James is 12 and they have known each other since they were two.

And now they want to go out without Mum.

OK. Cool.

-Mum?

-Mm?

-I really, really want to have a date with my boyfriend.

-Just you and James, or with mummies, too?

-Just me and James.

Mummy's going to have to think about it, Nicole.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-OK.

That didn't go as well as Nicole hoped it would.

I'm getting over my setback earlier.

I am going to give the next race my all.

And this is my last chance to impress Gordon.

-Lane four, Ruben Rueter.

-This is a race I have to win.

Come on, Ruben!

Yes, I've done it!

First and fourth. And I'm pretty surprised myself.

So...so I went and got a personal best. I got a medal.

Well done.

I may have won, but is it enough to make the trial?

I go to see Gordon to get the news.

Right, Rubes. Looking at how well you've done today,

we can get you to train with the GB team.

-Is that something you want to do?

-Very! Very much!

'Yes, I've done it!'

So, how is Nicole getting on as the day of her show arrives?

It's square, like that crossbeam.

She has been practising her lines a lot.

Sit down, be quiet or I'll put you in the oven!

James can't wait to see his Nicole on stage.

Are you ready?

Oh, yeah! SHE GIGGLES

All right, guys? Ready for show time?

-CHEERING

-Have fun, guys. Whoo! Yeah!

APPLAUSE

Nicole is up next.

Will she remember her lines?

Music, and off you go.

Sit down, be quiet. Or I'll put you in the oven.

She has!

Nicole has achieved her dreams.

-Did you know that you made me cry?

-Yeah.

You did, did you see Mummy was crying?

I was, because I was so proud of you.

'She rocked it, and you think, she can do that

'so we need to allow her to be going on a date.'

How about it being a yes from Mummy,

because you just spent a week

being a really big, very grown-up young lady. Would that be good?

-Yes, Mum.

-What about you?

-Yes, why not?

-Yeah? Makes you happy?

-Yeah, happy.

Cool. Come on, big hug, then.

Now is my own big day. I'm in Glasgow.

-Ready?

-Ready. Go.

We've been training for two hours.

OK, Ollie, Andy, on the blocks.

It all comes down to this race.

Ready?

Go!

Good job. Jump out. We'll have to have a look at the times,

see what it says on the bit of paper and I'll let you know later.

I worked so hard.

If I swim fast enough,

I'll have made it into the Down's syndrome GB squad.

Hello, Rubes. I've spoken to the coaches,

we've looked at the times you swum in those races.

Now, how would you like to be part of the squad?

-Yes, please!

-Yeah?

-So, Ruben, Team GB.

-Yes!

'It's all been worth it. I'm going to be a champion!'

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!

Now Nicole gets to go out with James.

This is where you guys are going,

for your first date. I'm not scared.

At all. I'm not worried. Go and have fun.

What can I get for you?

The pasta, gluten-free. Lovely.

-Thank you!

-You're welcome. Buon appetito.

'This summer, she seems to have grown into this lovely,'

-confident young lady.

-There we go, guys, there's the bill for you.

-Thank you.

-You're welcome.

She seems to have just taken it in her stride and loved every minute.

It has been a brilliant summer.

I'm a champion.

And Nicole is out on the town.

And we can do things all on our own.

We are awesome!

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