March 6, 2024
Mastering one sport is difficult in itself, but it gets even harder when it comes to two or more.
Many wheelchair curlers have a past of playing other sports before finding their calling in seating. For example, Paralympic and World Wheelchair Curling Championship medalist Ronnie Persson won his five medals for Sweden in alpine skiing at the 1998 Nagano Winter Paralympic Games and his 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Paralympic Games.
Norway’s Geir Arne Skogstad is not only a two-time world champion in wheelchair curling, but also a world champion in para ice hockey, winning a silver medal at the Salt Lake City Paralympic Games.
Italian Angela Menardi was a cross-country skier at the 1992 Albertville Paralympic Games, and Latvia’s Ieva Mele qualified for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games in archery. Scotland’s Joe Butterfield is a well-respected club thrower in track and field, winning Paralympic gold at Rio 2016 before switching to curling last year and winning bronze on his world championship debut.
All of these athletes are examples of transitioning to a new sport, but only a select few are able to maintain a high level of performance at the same time.
Peter Zatko has been a main player of the Slovak national team for many years and has also competed in soccer, ice hockey, tennis and, most importantly, golf.
In an interview with thakurti teaHe expressed his enthusiasm for the summer. He is a member of the Slovak Golf Association for the Disabled and competed in the tournament for the first time in 2021.
“As much as possible, they also help us at the Slovak Golf Association to develop and bring this beautiful sport to the forefront,” Zatko said.
“I think para golf will become a Paralympic sport in the near future.
“Both sports [curling and golf] Temporary temperament, determination, physical and mental preparation are needed so that even if you do not succeed in throwing stones or hitting balls, you can return to the competition. ”
Like Zatko, John Thurston, a Paralympic bronze medalist in wheelchair curling and two-time world silver medalist, is also a sports addict who works out a lot when he’s not on the ice. I train in boxing and jiu-jitsu for fitness and enjoy mountain biking for the thrill and scenery. I will be competing in adaptive water skiing at the summer competition.
From sliding on ice to sliding on water
He has already represented Canada in two world championships in slalom and trick skiing, but his interest in the sport began when a physiotherapist from his hometown organized a trial day in Peterborough. It’s a body. The freedom was unlike anything he had ever felt before.
“I was able to feel the skis, get on the water, get up to speed and enjoy a little adrenaline,” Thurston said.
“I tried it that summer and didn’t get any results. Then, when I finished curling the next season, I got an email from the team.” [adaptive water skiing] The head coach of the national team was talking about holding a development camp in Florida, so if anyone would like to pass on his contact information, I reached out to him.
“The next day I got tickets to fly to Florida the following week. It was a great way to get involved in the sport.”
This was a revelation for Thurston, who had struggled with choosing equipment at camp, one of the major barriers to participating in disability sports. Soon, he was fine-tuning his newfound skills.
“We were skiing there for a week, and it took us four days of water to learn how to stand up on our own, but once we learned that, we now go home and ski on our own. “It was really helpful because I could do it with my friends,” he added.
“I’ve worked really hard over the past few years and drank a lot of water to improve my skiing, so I found it fun to just set goals and try to achieve them.
“I feel like I don’t have a lot of time to sit in a chair, but on the water I have to put my skis on and start turns and keep up with the boat.” But other than that, there’s a lot of freedom on the water. . ”
So far, Thurston has had an excellent run, winning his first title in Canada followed by a world silver medal.
Despite the unpredictable nature of water skiing, it serves as injury prevention for him. In addition to the front muscles used in curling, his skis also require back strength, which greatly improves his conditioning. Best of all, the balance of his activities throughout the year helps him socially.
“It’s great to be able to play sports in the summer and winter,” he said.
“I’ve met a lot of great people through both sports and it’s given me goals to strive for.
“I love being active, so it probably helps me mentally and physically.
“It’s important to follow your passion. If you can do that every day, that’s a good day.”
Whether on land, water or ice, Thurston is an example of how sports have helped him grow as an athlete and a person.
Written by feature writer Michael Huston
SD Biosensor on TikTok In collaboration with the World Curling Federation during the World Wheelchair Curling Championship 2024, XSearch the hashtag on , Instagram, Facebook, and Weibo #WWhCC and #wheelchair curling