Jon Thurston, a 37-year-old Dunsford native, who now curls out of Peterborough, Ont., is headed to Beijing in March for the Paralympics. He has been officially named to the Canadian curling team.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “It is a real honour to represent Canada. It has been a great journey so far.”
That curling journey started about a decade ago. Thurston found the sport after a construction accident left him paralyzed in 2008.
“I had never curled before in my life,” he said. “I said I would give it a season and see if I liked it.”
He said he enjoyed being on the team. He also started to see that the dream of making Team Canada was attainable “as long as you put the work in.”
“I couldn’t imagine myself not curling now.”
He has now achieved that dream. Thurston recently returned from The 2021 World Wheelchair Curling Championship in Beijing, where Canada placed fifth. He said he is excited to return next year and bring home a medal for Canada.
“It wasn’t quite the finish we were hoping for,” he said.
“But we were right there with all of the teams so I am looking forward to getting back, putting the work in and bringing home some hardware.”
Thurston said putting in that work has played a large role in his social and mental recovery after his injury. It’s also provided him with a goal to strive for, he said, adding that there’s also “just the fun.”
“It is one of the amazing parasports that it is very inclusive. I can play with the able bodies so it’s one of the great sports you can just pick up in your community. And then having the competitive side to it — it has been great.”
He added it is also a great way to pass the time in Canada in the winter.
“It is a challenging sport that demands a lot of focus,” he said. “It’s like chess on ice and I like just the strategy of the game.”
Thurston will be putting that strategy to the test in March 2022, when he and the rest of Team Canada head to Beijing.
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