From Trike to Ice: One Wheelchair, One Rock, One Big Dream

Over a year ago, I went along to a come-and-try day for wheelchair curling. It was something I thought I’d try just once, simply because I’m always open to giving a new sport a go!

What I didn’t expect was to receive an email a year later, in June, asking if I’d like to attend a camp in Auckland just a few weeks later. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make it, but I was invited back onto the ice in Melbourne because they were trying to put together a mixed four-person team and needed at least one female.

I thought I might be the token female!

So, at the beginning of July, I headed to O’Brien Icehouse at Docklands to meet the national head coach, Perry, who just happened to be Canadian. I sat down with him, another curler, Mike, and two coaches for a few hours of learning about curling and its strategies.

To be honest, I was completely lost!

I’m someone who learns by doing, not by sitting and listening to someone explain something new for hours. Thankfully, we eventually made our way onto the ice to give it a go.

And, to be honest, I was pretty terrible!

I struggled to get the 20kg rock down the ice and across the 45-metre rink to the hog line, where it needed to cross to be in play. I think I managed to get just two rocks into play during the entire couple of hours we were on the ice.

Not exactly a stellar start!

But I persisted over the following couple of months, and at the end of September, I headed to a camp in Auckland. This time, we were curling on dedicated curling ice, which is very different from the skating ice we’d been using in Melbourne.

The camp was fantastic. Mike and I met our other two teammates, Mark B from Perth and Mark F from Queensland, and something started to click.

It was in Auckland that I finally found my rhythm between my wheelchair, stick, rock and ice. I began to understand the strategies, read the game better and deliver the rock where it needed to go.

Most importantly, I started to believe that I wasn’t just the token female on the team. I had something valuable to contribute.

And that’s when the real fun began!

Our next goal was to compete together as a team, which we did on Friday, 16 October, at Curling Victoria’s end-of-year Funspiel.

Although it was a fun event for the 11 other teams competing, it was a great opportunity for us to put our strategies into practice and see how we worked together under a little pressure.

And to our surprise, we finished equal third!

I had some great shots and definitely some not-so-great ones, but I’m finally getting my head around this game. There’s still plenty to learn, but that’s all part of the adventure.

From the bike to the ice — and beyond!

Next up is the World B Championships at Kisakallio Campus in Lohja, Finland, from 22–28 November 2026. This competition is a qualifying event for the 2027 World Championships, and our goal is to finish in the top three.

There are 13 countries competing, and we’re in Pool B alongside Italy, Poland, Switzerland, Chinese Taipei and the USA.

It will be tough, and we know we have plenty of work ahead of us. But who knows? Stranger things have happened!

AUS team at back: Rebecca (coach), Scott (coach); front row from left - Mark F, myself, Mike, Mark B

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I’d be representing Australia on the world stage in my third sport. And I certainly never thought it would be a winter sport!

Thirty-two years ago, when I left Canada, I swore I’d never do anything in the cold again. Yet here I am, heading towards a world championship campaign on the ice!

Life certainly has a sense of humour.

It’s never too late to discover what’s possible

This journey has reminded me of something I’ve always believed in, both in sport and in life: it’s never too late to try something new, step outside your comfort zone and discover what you’re capable of.

When I first rolled onto the ice, I was struggling to get a single rock into play. I could easily have decided that curling wasn’t for me. Instead, I kept turning up, kept learning and kept trying.

And that’s where my FORCE philosophy comes in.

It’s about being Fearless enough to give something a go, being Original and embracing what makes you different, building Resilience when things don’t go to plan, having the Courage to keep moving forward even when you’re not sure how things will turn out and Embracing the positives by focusing on the opportunities, lessons and possibilities that come your way.

I certainly haven’t mastered wheelchair curling, but I don’t need to have all the answers right now. I just need to keep learning, keep contributing and keep believing that improvement is possible.

Perhaps there’s something you’ve always wanted to try but haven’t quite had the courage to pursue. Maybe you’ve convinced yourself that you’re too old, too inexperienced or too far outside your comfort zone.

I wonder what might happen if you gave it a go?

You don’t have to be brilliant from day one. You don’t even have to know where the journey will take you. Sometimes, you just need to take that first step — or, in my case, that first roll onto the ice!

As for me, I’m thoroughly enjoying this unexpected new adventure. Who knows what will happen in Finland? Whatever the result, I’ve already discovered something new about myself.

And if there’s one thing I’ve learnt, it’s this: the next great adventure might be waiting for you in a place you never expected.

Sometimes, all it takes is one wheelchair, one rock and one big dream.