Georgia Mecchia, of Hamilton, says a highlight of the Outward Bound course was making new friends.
Georgia Mecchia, of Hamilton, says a highlight of the Outward Bound course was making new friends.
Hamilton wheelchair rugby player Georgia Mecchia, 20, is living with central sensitisation and usually walks with a crutch, but that didn’t stop her from climbing through Kahikatea trees.
Mecchia recently participated in an Outward Bound course alongside seven other para athletes from throughout the country, thanks to a unique programme developed in co-operation with Paralympics New Zealand and NZ Wheelchair Rugby.
Central sensitisation is a condition in which the central nervous system undergoes changes that make it more sensitive to pain and other stimuli.
The course in which Mecchia took part included adventure activities like sailing a cutter, scaling high ropes, traversing rock walls, and bush expeditions.
“Before I got sick, I was into lots of sports and outdoor stuff, so Outward Bound was right up my alley,” she said.
“I loved climbing through the trees on the high ropes, getting up at sunrise for physical training, and spending 24 hours in the bush solo.
“It was an amazing opportunity to re-evaluate and reset for the year ahead, although the mental challenge of doing that reflection was a hard and emotional process.”
She said her highlights of the experience were making new friends and connecting with people she would have otherwise never met.
One of those people was fellow participant and competitive wheelchair rugby player Sam Fitness, 27, of Pāpāmoa.
Being among a canopy of Kahikatea trees was a special experience for him because he last climbed a tree a decade ago and ended up plunging several metres to the ground with life-changing consequences.
Now a C5 quadriplegic, he never imagined he would find himself back among the treetops.
The group of eight para athletes and their guides who participated in the Outward Bound Activate course.
“The irony wasn’t lost on me; it was like I’d come full circle,” he said.
“Going into it, I was nervous about how little or how much I could do. I was the highest level of injury they’d ever had on the programme, and I knew there would be people with extremely different disabilities — and abilities — to me in a physical sense.”
Taking stock of his experiences, Fitness said he was “so glad” to have given it a go.
“I would have previously thought, ‘I can’t do that’, but I learned that in the right environment and with a good support network, much more is possible than you typically think.”
In total, the programme was attended by eight para athletes competing in sporting codes that included wheelchair basketball, para athletics and para swimming.
Outward Bound is running outdoor education courses in the Marlborough Sounds that are meant to challenge participants to test their boundaries and build confidence.
Three support workers were on hand to help participants navigate the course.
Vinnie Duncan, of Duncan Charitable Trust, a supporter of Outward Bound, said allowing para athletes to experience the courses was a way of giving back.
“This community ... strive so hard, every day, to do what they do.
“Para athletes have faced, overcome, and problem-solved multiple challenges already to arrive at the place they have in their chosen sports.
“Having the opportunity to participate in an [Outward Bound] course continues to allow the broadening of horizons, in truly living the mantras of ‘There is more in you’ and ‘I’m possible’.”
