From Western Sydney to Paris, our Paralympian Jasmine is chasing dreams
Western Sydney University student Jasmine Haydon (left) and her Boccia teammate Jamieson Leeson (right) are representing Australia at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games. Photo credit: Paralympics Australia.
Western Sydney University student Jasmine Haydon is representing Australia in the sport of Boccia at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games set to commence this week.
For as long as she can remember, the 23-year-old Bachelor of Occupational Therapy student says that all she has wanted to do is help people like her sister and brother, having long dreamed of one day working at the children's hospital in Occupational Therapy (OT) rehab.
“OT’s have had a significant impact on my life with having two severely disabled siblings, I watched first-hand what positive things Occupational Therapy can do for a person and their families,” said Jasmine.
“I left high school at the end of Year 11 and completed a Certificate III Traineeship in Childcare, where I found a love for assisting children with disabilities as I became an inclusion support worker. Then I began a Certificate IV in Allied Health Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy and fell in love with being an OT assistant.”
Jasmine in passionate about supporting children with disabilities in gaining independence and helping them to achieve their milestones, so choosing to study Occupational Therapy was an obvious choice, having enjoyed her time working as an OT assistant.
After enrolling in the course at Western Sydney University, Jasmine received the GO Foundation Aboriginal Allied Health Scholarship, helping her to achieve her dream.
Juggling her studies and participating in Western’s Elite Athlete program, Jasmine is currently studying part time due to her sporting commitments and training schedule for the upcoming Paris Paralympic Games.
“I was officially selected for the Australian Paralympic Boccia team on 13 June; we were selected because as a team we are ranked number one in the world in pairs. The Paralympics Australia committee came to training in Sydney Olympic Park and announced our acceptance in the team.”
Jasmine Haydon (left) and teammate Jamieson Leeson (right) recently competed at the 2024 World Boccia Cup in New Taipei City.
Reflecting on her journey from discovering the sport of Boccia, to becoming a Paralympian Boccia Ramp Operator, Jasmine says it was her mum who initially showed her what was possible.
“My Boccia partner Jamieson Leeson used to have her mum Amanda as Ramp Operator for her, but Amanda decided to retire. So, Amanda put an ad up on Facebook searching for someone to replace her as Ramp Operator for Jamieson.
“My mum saw the post and tagged me in it saying, ‘It's a shame there's not enough hours in the day’.”
Jasmine wasn’t going to let that stop her, meeting with Jamieson and her mum then led to her quitting her job the next day to commit to the sport.
As a Boccia Ramp Operator, Jasmine says her role is to empower her Paralympian teammate.
“Boccia is a target ball sport similar to bocce, there is a white ball called the jack, which is rolled down the ramp first, then the players have to throw or roll their balls to get as many balls as possible of their colour closest to the jack, with each ball that is closer than your opponent’s equalling one point.”
“Jamieson’s job is to tell me what to do. For example, move the ramp left or right, and I am not allowed to speak, or turn around to look at the balls or the court, and I'm not allowed to make any movements without her telling me. I must keep every piece of equipment in the box which is one metre wide.”
The 2024 Paris Paralympic Games commences this Wednesday, 28 August in France, with Jasmine and Jamieson competing in their first Boccia heat on Thursday, 29 August local Paris time.
ENDS
28 August 2024
Photo credit: Paralympics Australia; Jasmine Haydon via Instagram
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