NICK KENNEDY
Meet Nick Kennedy, an above elbow amputee with ADHD and Autism who was introduced to a new sport 6 years ago and has loved seizing the opportunities it has provided. He has fundraised, appeared on TV, radio, podcasts and print media to try to publicise the sport that he loves to give more people the opportunity to get involved. He is a part of the Physical Disability Rugby League (PDRL) as a player and on the Player Advisory Board, an international rugby player, and the Castleford Tigers Team Captain.
Nick tries to live by two things:
1. “Nothing about us without us.”
2. “You can't be what you can't see.”
LEVELLING THE FIELD MEANS…
“Ensuring that people have opportunities to try new and varied activities and sports at all levels. This includes removing barriers like cost and availability of facilities/equipment, as well as publicising the opportunities that are out there so that people with disabilities can actually find them to start off with.”
GROWING PARA SPORT
“Normalising the conversation in general around disability so that it isn't treated as a dirty word. This, coupled with showcasing the quality of disabled athletes that are out there, will increase participation, interest and funding in any para sport.
For example, having the Rugby League Men's, Women's and Wheelchair World Cups in 2022 in the same place and at the same time giving them equal coverage hugely helped the growth of the Wheelchair game. We are hoping that PDRL will be given a similar platform in the 2026 World Cup in Australia.”
MISCONCEPTIONS IN PARA SPORT
“I often get asked how I pass the ball, catch it or tackle and people often assume it must be a non-contact sport. This is down to peoples preconceived notions of what an amputee (and person with a disability in general) is capable of.
I would love to play my part in educating people and making them think again about the assumptions they make about people with disabilities capabilities.
Also, not every disabled person needs to/wants to/should become a Paralympian/International Para athlete. Just like it would be insane to ask an able bodied participant at a community level club "when are you going to the Olympics" it shouldn't be ok to say "When are you going to the Paralymics" to any vaguely sporty looking person with a disability.
The immense value of disability only sports teams and spaces at every level, to allow participants to experience the camaraderie, etc. of being part of a team or club. (In my experience going to mixed clubs means there's some awkwardness from the able bodied participants).
NICK’S ADVICE
“Try a competitive disability sport as soon as you become disabled. I spent about 10 years thinking that my competitive sport days were behind me, and I was just taking part in community-level sports. Within 3 minutes of starting my first PDRL training session, I was completely in and have never looked back.”
LEAVING A LEGACY
“There have been a lot of ups and downs that build a quite good narrative but it boils down to:
There is always a way! If you can't see an example of someone like you doing something you want to do, figure out how to do it and then share that as far and wide as you can. I think this isn't just applicable in sport, but in everyday life - widen your horizons (possibly in directions you've never thought of before), don't let a disability shrink your world.”
