That initial involvement grew into a role as Assistant Coach with Boccia NZ. What does that role involve, and what have you enjoyed most about stepping into that position?
My role has quite a wide scope! Last year, I worked with the BC1/2 team preparing for the World Boccia Challenger in Canberra. Being so green, I used weekly training as an opportunity to ask heaps of questions, experiment and study the athletes. I owe much of my learning to the head coach, Trevor, the athletes and their support people. The most valuable part was actually getting to play the game. It gave me a unique point of view, which really helped with coaching.
Coaching at the World Challenger was full on, but it was the best learning experience I could have had. Think about the typical jobs of a coach - I do all of that stuff, but my role doesn’t stop there. Behind the scenes there are lots of meetings, logistics and planning, late nights and early mornings, and sometimes assisting with athlete care.
The thing I have enjoyed most about stepping into the assistant coach role is the challenges each day presents. Cerebral Palsy is so complex! No two individuals with CP are the same. Lots of out-of-the-box thinking, patience, research and experimenting is required to figure out the best way forward for each athlete.
What has working in this space taught you about inclusion and accessibility in sport?
There truly are no boundaries to sport at any level - including at the highest. Boccia is the only sport that some people have the ability to play. These athletes are a raw display of resilience, integrity and perseverance. They have every reason to not play sport because they’re in a wheelchair with a complex impairment. Instead of seeing that as a barrier, they use it as their reason to play. To me, that speaks volumes and I think we can all take a leaf from their book.
The boccia community is full of support people, volunteers and coaches who actively work to provide as many opportunities to their athletes as possible. I’d liken it to the small sport communities at home which I talked about at the beginning. Quite full circle, really!
If you had to describe your UC experience in one sentence, what would it be?
Eye opening, challenging, and changing!
Finally, what's on the cards for you in 2026?
2026 is looking pretty epic. I am continuing as part of the coaching team. This year, I’ll be coaching at two international events! One in Pilsen, Czech Republic and the other in São Paulo, Brazil. I’m really excited to rip into training and see how our athletes develop over the year. There’s also cool things brewing in the research space looking at throwing biomechanics. Big things are coming and I’m fizzing!
