Profiles of Para Kickboxing Athletes
Brad's Story
In the video above we introduce you to New Zealand Para Kickboxer & Muaythai Fighter Brad Morgan. Here Brad is working with his coach on the pads. There are many things we must not take for granted. This video holds the essence of what Para Sport is. The development of a person not just physically but in the mental form and the importance of the athlete and coach relationship.
Brad is a 20-year-old (2024) left leg amputee from New Zealand. His journey in martial arts began at the age of just nine years old, stepping into the world of Muay Thai. From the very first class, he fell in love with the sport. The discipline, the techniques, and the sense of community kept him coming back. He also achieved a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and became a NZ national champion.
Brad's words: "Training has not only shaped my physical abilities but has also empowered me mentally. I’ve faced many challenges along the way, but each one has only strengthened my resolve. My journey has become about more than just fighting; it’s about inspiring others who may feel limited by their circumstances. I want to show them that they can achieve whatever they put their minds to, regardless of the obstacles in their way.
Through my story, I hope to motivate others with disabilities to pursue their dreams and break down barriers. With determination, hard work, and a positive mindset, anything is possible. I believe that every challenge can be turned into an opportunity for growth."
Para Kickboxers
Para Kickboxing is a sport that requires strength, agility, and determination. In this lesson, we will explore the profiles of Para Kickboxing athletes who have excelled in the sport. These athletes serve as inspirations and role models for others in the Para Kickboxing community.
Each Para Kickboxing athlete has a unique story and journey that has led them to where they are today. From overcoming physical challenges to mastering new techniques, these athletes demonstrate resilience and passion in their pursuit of excellence. By studying their profiles, we can gain insight into the characteristics that make a successful Para Kickboxing athlete.
As we delve into the profiles of these Para Kickboxing athletes, we will uncover the training regimens, competition experiences, and personal achievements that have shaped their careers. By understanding the backgrounds and accomplishments of these athletes, we can learn valuable lessons about dedication, perseverance, and teamwork in the world of Para Kickboxing.
Key Lesson Concepts:
- Para Kickboxing athletes require strength, agility, and determination.
- Each athlete has a unique story and journey to success.
- Studying athlete profiles can provide insight into characteristics of successful Para Kickboxing athletes.
- Athlete profiles highlight training regimens, competition experiences, and personal achievements.
- Athlete profiles offer valuable lessons on dedication, perseverance, and teamwork.
Let us introduce you to Para Kickboxer Glenn Dickson:
Glenn has an extraordinary story of survival and circumstances that life presents us. Glenn Dickson was just 25 when he lost his leg, having been attacked by a shark while on a fishing trip with friends near the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. He came within 60 seconds of bleeding to death, but with a will to survive, to spend time with his wife and kids and see his third child born, he came back from the brink.
As Glenn was lifted from the rescue helicopter to Cairns base hospital, he yelled “I will survive”. Arriving at the hospital, he told his fiancé and future wife, “I love you” and gave her one last kiss, before undertaking emergency surgery, which resulted in his upper right femur limb being amputated.
Glenn Dickson is a husband, father, Muaythai Kickboxer & coach and a boilermaker by trade. In February 2017 life presented him a challenge like no other. Fortunately for Glenn, his quick-thinking friends saved his life, dragging him from the water, applying a tourniquet, contacting emergency services and getting him to shore.
Australian Queensland Ambulance Service senior operations supervisor Neil Noble told media, “Had that bleeding not been controlled with direct pressure and a tourniquet applied, and blood being given to him by the helicopter rescue crew, I’d give him another 60 seconds and it’s quite possible this gentleman would’ve died from his injuries.”
After multiple surgeries Glenn entered into a long battle of recovery and rehabilitation. Through sheer determination, he overcame the major hurdles his life had thrown at him, learning to walk again with incredible optimism and positivity.
Since his recovery, Glenn and his wife operate a family business and he lives his dream daily in the tropics of Far North Australia as a coach and gym trainer. Glenn gives us all in Para combat sports unique insight and advice as he works in our industry as an amputee. Having the direct experience of an athlete & coach in one human being with a prosthetic limb makes him an invaluable asset to Para Kickboxing as we grow.
Glenn Dickson has the Para Kickboxing Classification of P3: Limb deficiency or amputations short. Glenn will work with the International Para Kickboxing Movement assisting both athletes in correct classification and coaches training plans & rosters especially for Para Kickboxers who participate with prosthetic limbs.
Next Para Kickboxer profile is of Rory Bavelock.
Rory Bavelock is a happy healthy young man of 22 (2024) with Autism & an intellectual disability.
At times his disability is not obvious to the passerby but most of the time he presents actions and behaviors such as stimming & hooting that are not normal in most human beings. He is a sensory seeker. When engaged in conversation he will swiftly make his learning disability obvious to most people young & old. Rory is about an 8–10-year-old intellectual level.
When he was still in junior high school (early secondary college) in Australia he would join his younger (2 years younger) brother, who has no impairments at after school care that was in an elementary school (primary school). Dad would drop him at after school care and head to his evening Kickboxing coaching work. Rory is about an 8–10-year-old intellect yet was approximately 6 foot tall & 12 years old then. He was welcomed by the after-school carers with open arms and was comfortable to be with his brother in a group setting for about 2 hours until his mother would pick them both up after normal business working hours.
UNTIL……..one day the principal of the elementary school entered the after school care rooms ( an outsourced 3rd party professional Australia wide contractor) and observed Rory with “her” students on “her” school grounds. Within 1 minute the principal blurted out, “WHAT IS HE DOING HERE?”. She then informed the care workers that he had to go.
Rory’s Mum learned this on arrival to pick up.
We learned within a week this elementary school principal was known as “the onion”. She had a large round physical appearance and had the reputation of making “her” students cry. Hence: The Onion.
The solution was for his father to bring Rory to the sports facility with him while he did his pm coaching shift. Not as simple as it sounds but they persevered as families do. His father would always rather him to be in a place where he is included, safe & welcome.
Understand that Rory Bavelock is the son of Ed Bavelock: The Director of USA Para Kickboxing. Rory and his life journey is the foundational inspiration for USA Para Kickboxing.
Rory Bavelock has the Para Kickboxing Classification of DI1: Intellectual Disability IQ 50-55. Rory has trained along with his dad and his team of coaches since he was around 10 years old. Ed Bavelock allows his experience of 22 years on the job with Rory be his guide to leaning disabilities and sport coaching. The International Para Kickboxing Movement takes the approach of engagement and embracing athletes with impairments not just tolerance and acceptance.
What USA Para Kickboxing asks of you as an athlete, student, coach, teacher, or fellow human being is not to only accept those in your community with an imperfection, but to engage and embrace them. Rory has taught his father Ed more about life & learning than his dad has ever taught him. All our lives are filled with moments and opportunities to learn and grow. Engage with people with disabilities. Do not just tolerate their imposition on your day & time. Take the time to learn from them.
“WHAT IS HE DOING HERE?” Training in Para Kickboxing.