Away from his time as a competitive athlete, Justin has spent more than 30 years working in the disability sector, the last four and half years as a Senior Disability Advisor for Sport NZ.
Justin is the seventh in our series featuring HPSNZ and Sport NZ Paralympians and Olympians and shares his experiences from Sydney 2000 and his passion for supporting people with disabilities.
HPSNZ
Tell us about your Paralympic experiences.
Justin
My overriding memory is the crowd and support we received in Sydney. We played in front of packed stands and the level of Kiwi support made it seem like a home crowd. Because Sydney was so close it meant we had a lot of friends and family in the crowd which made it extra special.
I also remember the volunteers who were so great and thankful to be involved with the Paralympics.
In terms of the competition, we were highly ranked going into the Games having won silver at the 1998 World Champs in Canada. Expectations were high but we unfortunately lost to Australia by one point in the semi finals which meant we had to refocus and play Canada in the bronze medal match. Fortunately we thrashed them and the experience of standing on a Paralympic podium was amazing.
A key part of the experience was in the lead up. Our training ethos was amazing in the 18 months prior to the Games. We trained six days a week for two to four hours a day and I worked full time.
A team of 10 was selected for Sydney. I was classified as worth 3 points and we are only allowed 8 points between the four players on court. Each lineup that I was in had different strategies to make the most of the abilities we had on court.
HPSNZ
Of all the experiences, what was the most memorable one?
Justin
The experience at the Games Village was amazing. Being amongst so many disabled athletes and being part of a bigger New Zealand Paralympic Team was very special. To meet people from all around the world, from so many other sports was a really good feeling.
HPSNZ
What is different today from when you competed?
Justin
I’ll give you a good example of what happened then that would absolutely not happen today.
When the full NZ team assembled in Auckland before travelling to Sydney the Wheel Blacks did an ad for a computer company who were a sponsor. The ad was shot in a cold store, we had to wear tiny, thin t-shirts and water was thrown on us to create the effect of steam. Not a very pleasant nor healthy experience. Despite this, we all still signed the poster!
HPSNZ
What did your inclusion in the Wheel Blacks mean to you?
Justin
Being the only wheelchair rugby player with cerebral palsy was a remarkable experience. I remember walking into the classification room at the 1998 World Champs to be greeted by classifiers with a “no you don’t fit here, you are walking”. We were going to protest but the classifiers decided to run muscle tests on me which clearly showed limited functionality because of my cerebral palsy. It was a real learning experience for the classifiers and there are now so many more players with cerebral palsy playing at the highest level.
HPSNZ
How does your experience as a Paralympic athlete contribute and help you in your current role with Sport NZ?
Justin
Quite simply it is a huge help in my role with Sport NZ. I am able to draw on my experiences as a kid growing up and loving all sports. I was so fortunate that my parents encouraged me to give everything a go and they certainly didn’t wrap me in cotton wool.
Although I tried a lot of sports it wasn’t until I graduated from Lincoln University that I became involved in wheelchair rugby.
What I draw on for my role is the importance of staying active and being involved. This is key to the opportunities we are trying to support and provide so that disabled tamariki and rangatahi can be as involved as all the other tamariki and rangatahi kids.
HPSNZ
If you were to give a current Paralympic of Olympic athlete one piece of advice for their Paris 2024 campaign, what would it be?
Justin
If you do the hard work before you go it will give you the confidence to know what you are doing. When you are there don’t over think it too much and trust in your abilities.
