Up until a year ago, sports fan Beau Thomson was among the 40% of people with a disability, that struggle to be involved in physical activity. Now the 10-year-old, who lives with cerebral palsy, is on the pathway to green and gold.
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00:00 When 10-year-old Beau Thompson is playing wheelchair rugby, his eyes light up.
00:07 Go, go!
00:08 Oh, nice shot!
00:10 I literally set up, so that set up was so good by me.
00:14 Fun and very adrenaline. Gives me a lot of adrenaline.
00:19 But wheelchair rugby is new for Beau. It's been hard to find sports to play after a tough start to life.
00:25 He's suffered from gastroschisis, which is a condition where his intestines are able to form on the outside of his body.
00:31 After major surgery at birth, he acquired a brain injury and was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 20 months old.
00:38 We always looked at it as glass half full. We don't think there's anything that he can't achieve in his life and he's proved us right to date.
00:46 Beau's parents, Nick and Rose, wanted the same opportunities for Beau that are open to other kids his age.
00:52 I was watching my sister play gymnastics, Tyler, just sitting there and I didn't have anything to do.
01:02 I saw people smashing into each other and I'm like, that's for me.
01:10 The sound alone when they're in the chairs smashing and bashing is quite a lot.
01:14 And then when you hear the term murder ball, you're like, okay, that's a lot.
01:19 A family donated him Zoe's chair, a special chair for the sport and in his favourite colours, yellow and black.
01:26 I go for the tiger, so perfect match.
01:30 He's now part of a world leading junior program facilitated by not for profit, Victorian Disability Sport and Recreation, which runs the sport in Victoria.
01:40 We really want to challenge that status quo, get them involved and get them physically active.
01:49 They train once a week. The next big competition will be in the middle of next year.
01:53 His coach, Andrew Harrison, is a former Aussie stealer.
01:57 The kids just, they just want to play. They just want to be involved in a team. And that's what we're able to give them.
02:03 Under this program, some of these kids have already been earmarked for the national team in years to come.
02:10 It's an elite pathway of sorts that's never been available to kids their age before.
02:15 And to be involved in that, like, you know, the world's first junior wheelchair rugby program, like, I reckon that's pretty cool.
02:21 Giving them a chance to see green and gold in their future.
02:25 Me with a stealer jersey on, wheelchair rugby chair and smashing into people. It's a go and try.
02:35 Mike Larrigan, ABC News Melbourne.
02:38 (upbeat music)
02:40 [BLANK_AUDIO]