Athletes and coaches selected for Para Sport Collective
Created by Paralympics New Zealand and supported by ACC, the Para Sport Collective brings together groups of pre-high performance Para athletes and coaches from a variety of sports.
A total of 25 athletes and 12 coaches will be part of the second intake of the Para Sport Collective.
Supported by ACC, the collective is for athletes and coaches at the pre-high performance stage of the Para sport pathway.
The latest cohort will participate in three national in-person camps and bi-monthly virtual connections over the coming 12 months from June. The purpose is to learn from each other and high-performance sport experts.
Together, the participants represent New Zealand’s future talent across 11 of the 29 recognised Paralympic sports – from wheelchair basketball to Para snowboard.
The year’s activities will educate participants in topics such as performance life, nutrition, physiotherapy, media training, personal brand and sponsorship, strength and conditioning, anti-doping, classification and much more.
But participants will also gain a circle of support, as Para Sport Collective Manager Dale MacDonald explains.
“They will share learning opportunities and develop connections,” she says.
“They will become part of a community with such a strong sense of belonging. This experience will show them how to make the most of those connections, and about the ingredients involved in becoming successful high performance coaches and Para athletes.”
ACC helps transform lives through sport
ACC Chief Executive Megan Main is pleased to see the Para Sport Collective enter its second year.
“Sport has the power to transform the lives of disabled New Zealanders. Involvement in Para sport is so important to rehabilitation and wellbeing in general,” she says.
“At ACC, we want to generate opportunities for disabled New Zealanders – many of our clients included – to participate and compete in Para sport.
“We’re thrilled to be a part of the transformation that’s happening in the Para Sport Collective. I wish the second intake well.”
Taking part in a special experience
The participants are embarking on a powerful journey. The first intake of the Para Sport Collective quickly showed the impact of the collective.
Paralympics NZ aimed to provide support and build connections, confidence and knowledge for those Para athletes and coaches with high performance aspirations.
Athletics coach Steve O’Kane says it was a special experience.
“It’s been absolutely transformative,” he says.
“We’ve gained so much from coming together as a group, and both myself and the athlete that I coach are in a totally different space than we were when we started the Para Sport Collective.
“We have a clear pathway ahead in high performance Para sport and we know what we need to do to thrive in it. I congratulate all those selected for the next cohort – throw yourself into it, you will love every minute.”
Growing on the success of intake one, Paralympics NZ has created an opportunity for National Sports Organisation (NSO) staff to join the Para Sport Collective in an observer role.
This is in response to NSOs seeing value in the collective and Paralympics NZ wanting to support the development of Para sport knowledge across the sector.
Para Sport Collective second cohort
Selected athletes:
Northland: Eligh Fountain (shooting); Auckland: Bhakti Patel (table tennis), Finn Murphy (canoe), Kate Danaher (athletics), Kauri Murray (wheelchair basketball), Liam Hogan (table tennis), Nikia Fa’atau (wheelchair basketball), Oliver Emery (canoe); Bay of Plenty: Jodie Thorne (equestrian); Waikato: Thomas Szabo (cycling), Keenan Alexander (wheelchair rugby), Rylee Sayer (swimming), Nicola Essex-Wills (equestrian); Manawatu: Jonty Howland (swimming), Oliver Linton (badminton); Wellington: Joshua Tia (athletics); Canterbury: Charlotte Murphy (swimming), Ieuan Edwards (cycling), Mckenzie Drage (swimming), Zack Lappin (athletics), Ben Johnston (snowboard), Thomas Coysh (alpine ski racing); Otago: John Marrable (table tennis), Dylan Lloyd (wheelchair rugby), Liam Wilson (athletics)
Selected coaches:
Northland: Naina Suri (table tennis), Glenn McDonald (wheelchair basketball); Auckland: Jai Waite (wheelchair rugby), Philipp Oxenius (equestrian); Bay of Plenty: Henk Greupink (swimming), Tarryn Espitalier (badminton); Waikato: Jack Cooper (cycling), Graeme Laing (swimming), David Sheely (shooting); Wellington: Alan Taylor (athletics); Canterbury: Emma Smith (swimming); Otago: Samantha Corne (snow sports)
NSO observer participants:
Waikato: Samantha Jones (equestrian); Bay of Plenty: Shane Laugesen (table tennis)
More information
More information on the Para Sport Collective is available on the Paralympics New Zealand website.
