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THE NEWS Far left: Boccia has seen Troy Robertson compete overseas. Centre: Cerebral Palsy Society Member Troy, and his ramp operator, Manaia Sanerivi. Above: Troy has always been sports-mad. When a mate from school invited Troy to the Waikato Boccia Club in 2016, a door of opportunities opened up that he could never have imagined. For sport loving Troy, 24, this was the introduction to a sport that he could play and compete in. One year later he was competing in the Boccia New Zealand National Championships in Wellington. Troy grew up in Kaitaia, Northland and always liked sport – rugby and basketball were his favourites. He loved the Golden State Warriors and Steph Curry, but playing rugby and basketball was never going to be an option for him, so finding boccia was amazing. “I immediately liked the Boccia perfect for sport- loving Troy BOCCIA NEW ZEALAND competitive aspect, as I never thought I’d be able to do a sport,” Troy says. As is the case for all Para sport, boccia athletes are classified based on their physical impairment. Due to the severe nature of his Cerebral Palsy, Troy is classified BC3 (Boccia Class 3) which means he competes using a ramp to propel the ball onto court and is supported on-court by his ramp operator, Manaia Sanerivi. In 2018, Troy and Manaia ventured to Australia to play in the Australian Boccia Nationals. Troy got to play against one of the best BC3s in the word, Daniel Michel. “I had a close game against him, and I thought I could do this for New Zealand,” Troy says. Later that year he did just that when he was selected to represent New Zealand at the 2018 Chinese Taipei Boccia Regional Open. Troy’s teammate, Greig Jackson, won New Zealand’s first ever individual medal at a World Boccia event in finishing 3rd. Five years later, Troy went one better in winning a silver medal at the 2023 Santiago World Boccia Challenger. “It’s my best moment in the sport so far,” says Troy. “It was all on me, and I like that part of boccia. If I do well it’s because of me, if I don’t do well, it’s also because of me.” In six short years boccia has taken Troy around the country and overseas to Australia, Taipei, South Korea and Chile. In December he is off to Hong Kong to continue chasing his Paralympic dream, trying to earn a ‘wild card’ spot at the 2024 games in Paris. “It will be tough, but I have some confidence from my result in Santiago in June. “There are many challenges – finding time to train around work is one, but I love the sport and the opportunities it gives me.” Troy’s message, “find your local boccia club and give it a go, you never know where it may take you”. To support Troy on his journey go to www.tinyurl.com/yvyuhf7j To find a boccia club near you go to www.boccia.org.nz 6 | THE REVIEW SEP–DEC 2023