Para athlete Siobhan Terry (L) and Jack Cooper, Paralympics New Zealand, Para Cycling Development coach (R) pose during the official 'Para Sport Collective launch at AUT Millennium Institute. Photo: Phil Walter/Getty Images
Being a para-athlete or coach can be a lonely existence when athlete numbers are low in any individual para sport and para athletes have a wide range of impairments.
Paralympics New Zealand with the support of ACC wants to increase the opportunities to build connections, confidence and knowledge with the introduction of the Para Sport Collective.
The three-year initiative targets pre-high performance para-athletes and coaches across a variety of para sports with the aim to develop a like-minded community.
Rotorua's Siobhan Terry is a good example of who the Para Sport Collective could help.
Terry was born with a clubfoot, a disability that the multitalented athlete didn't let limit her dreams.
The 22-year-old began competitive para-cycling five months ago and will make her international debut at the Oceania Cycling Championships this week.
But for the the intervention of a high school teacher, who encouraged her to run a para cross country race, she might not be where she is now.
"I didn't know anything about the para sports growing up I didn't know what the Paralympics were. I very much grew up as 'able body' and I could medal against everyone else but as I got older you start to see those differences more and you start to see you get a bit slower but [the cross country run] was proof there is actually hope for me in this space and it is more of a reality now this dream that I've had."
Terry's track cycling coach Jack Cooper recognises the need to help bridge the gap in the para-athlete pathway for those who haven't cracked the Paralympian level yet.
"When you're in the higher ecelons and the high performance there is loads of support there but underneath it sometimes there is not the support so it's really impoortant that we lay the foundations for future athletes."
Terry is also an accomplished swimmer with the Te Arawa Swimming Club and counts herself lucky she has the support of both a swimming coach and a cycling coach as she figures out her sporting future.
"In the past there has been a lot of this sport versus that sport but when you ultimately look at it you're all working together, you're all doing the same thing so why not share some ideas and get the best outcome for the athlete and the most enjoyment and the best bubble around them to support them."
Paralympics New Zealand chief executive Fiona Allen agrees collaboration is the way forward to support para athletes and coaches who have the ambition and desire to perform at a high level, but are not quite at a level where they receive high performance support.
"It's around sharing knowledge, sharing expertise, sharing experiences so that collectively people can feel supported and can learn something new from someone else that may already be doing that across in a different sporting code that can then bring into their code and make them a better athlete and likewise a better coach and a better informed coach."
The Para Sport Collective will include two intakes of up to 30 Para athletes and 20 coaches, each with three national in-person camps and regular virtual connection opportunities.
National Sport Organisations will nominate the para athletes and coaches with the first intake starting in May.
ACC chief executive Megan Main says they are excited about the proactive approach of the Para Sport Collective.
"We see first-hand the difference that sport can make to people after a life-changing accident. We want to generate opportunities for disabled New Zealanders - many of our clients included - to participate and compete in para sport and we value the partnership with Paralympics New Zealand to achieve this."
