Thirroul's James Powell is heading to South Korea for the second year in a row for the Asia Wheelchair Curling Championship in Seoul.
Originally from Helensburgh, James moved to Queensland in 2014 for his nursing job. However, an infection related to his diabetes led to the loss of his right leg, requiring a wheelchair. After his discharge, he returned to Thirroul with his dad (Jim Powell, president of the Helensburgh & District Historical Society) and was determined not to let his wheelchair define him.
"When I had the surgery on my knee, I still knew I wanted to do sport," James said.
Despite options for common wheelchair sports, such as basketball and rugby, James chose the less conventional route of wheelchair curling. Other than his experience playing lawn bowls, a similar sport, he said it was his first time ever picking up a slider.
“I was watching the able body curling and I said 'Oh, I'll give it a go' because it was a sport I was interested in,” James said.
In May 2023, James travelled to Queensland to try the sport, as there are still no leagues in NSW. After an impressive performance, he was invited to join his current team for his first Asia Wheelchair Curling Championship.
Last year James arrived at midnight in Seoul, where he met with teammates from Western Australia and NSW.
By 9am, they had begun their first two-hour training session with their new coach. In comparison, established teams from countries like China, Korea, and Japan had extensive preparation, with the Thai team arriving at least two weeks early. Despite this, James's team delivered an impressive performance, finishing fourth after a narrow loss to Japan in the bronze medal match.
While states like Queensland, Western Australia, and Victoria have multiple-team leagues, NSW lacks such opportunities, leaving James with limited preparation options.
“I didn't do any training at all,” James said. “Nothing but lawn bowls.”
James is eager to return to Korea for this year's Asia Championship, hoping his team can achieve a podium finish while enjoying the friendly atmosphere with others who share his passion for the sport.
“It’s really nice to go over there; a lot of people truly love the sport,” James said.
“All the competitors are friendly. For instance, when I got a flat tyre on my wheelchair, the Thai team came over and helped me with a patch.
“We all get along pretty well."
James is aiming to compete in the 2030 or 2034 Paralympics, however, he must first secure formal classification, which he hopes will attract much-needed funding.
"We have to raise the funds ourselves … I did get [our local federal representative, Cunningham MP] Alison Byrnes to donate to help me out,” James said.
"Once we get classified and have a couple more regular teams, play in a lot more tournaments, hopefully we will get some more funding."
