Hi my name is Jake Ryan, I am 22 years old and I live on Taranaki. I have Cerebral Palsy and a rare metabolic condition called GA Type 1. I have attended 7 Halberg Games, the last 4 not only as an athlete but also as a member of the Halberg Youth Council.
I remember feeling overwhelmed and tired at my first Halberg Games, I wasn’t aware of all the different sports I could participate in as a disabled athlete and of course I wanted to try everything. It was also my first time being part of such a big event and representing my province. Participating opened up a whole new world for me. I was no longer a spectator, I was now an athlete and people were there to watch me. The Games made me realise that no matter what your disability, there is sport out there for you, it is just a matter of finding it. It wasn’t until I attended the Games that I discovered CrossFit. CrossFit has not only challenged me physically but mentally as well. It has pushed me out of comfort zones and I have achieved things I never thought possible. Last weekend I competed in my first CrossFit competition, it was the first time they had a class for adaptive athletes.
The opportunities by participating in the Games are endless. I am now involved in several sports on a weekly basis. I have made a lot of new friends not only within Taranaki but out of New Zealand. It gave me the confidence to become a member of the Halberg Youth Council and to speak up on others behalf. Whilst on the Youth Council I was involved in their mentoring program with the next generation coming through. I am now a member of the Central Football Youth Council where I hope to be part of creating a pathway for people with disabilities in football.
The biggest lesson I took away from the Games was that you are not alone, there are a lot of people like me who just want to be involved in sport. Sport looks different for everyone and the most important thing is to find the one that is right for you. A stand out moment for me was doing the Halberg Mile. I did it with my good friend Guy (he was batman and I was superman). It was his very last Games, the end of an era of us competing there together.
Over time with the Halberg Games they have evolved to now having a North Island and South Island Games due to the demand of people wanting to attend. I have seen the sports offer more than double, opening my eyes to how much is truly out there that I can participate in. The advice I would give to young athletes attending their first Games is to try absolutely everything as you don’t know what sport you might enjoy. For those who have been more than once still try everything that is on offer as it is never too late to discover that special sport for you.
My goals for the future is to continue to advocate for change to make it easier at a regional level to be able to access exercise programmes and sporting opportunities for people with disabilities. On a personal level I want to continue to compete in CrossFit competition making it the norm to have an adapted athlete section just like there is a masters section.
