No barriers, no boundaries ft. Australian Para lawn bowler James Reynolds

Acknowledgement of Country: As we share a yarn today, we honour the stories that have been told on this land for thousands of years and acknowledge the Ngunnawal people as the traditional custodians of the land we're recording on and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging.

James Reynolds: My mate's footy coach, was also our school teacher, pushed me towards lawn bowls because he could see it was a sport that had no barriers or boundaries to being on an equal playing field. A culture that's resonating in our sport is that there isn't any sort of segregation, in any respect; you're team. So that's pretty cool as well. I want it but I'm also respecting that you can't always win either. So, if I lose, if we don't get what we want, but we play really well and our best, then that's okay. So, that's what success is for me now. But it still hasn't changed; I want the ultimate.

Tim Gavel: It might change tomorrow. (laughter)

James Reynolds: (laughter)

Tim Gavel: Welcome back to On Side and our Commonwealth Games series, From Clean to Gold: Glasgow 2026. I'm Tim Gavel. Today we're joined by a remarkable athlete whose journey through Para lawn bowls has spanned decades, from early success as a teenager to representing Australia on the world stage and now continuing to push the sport forward. James Reynolds is not only a Commonwealth Games athlete, but someone who's helped redefine the perceptions of what's possible in bowls on and off the green. In this episode, we'll talk about his love for the sport, the role of integrity in competition, and why the integration of para and able-bodied athletes at the Commonwealth Games is so powerful. James, welcome to the podcast.

James Reynolds: Thanks Tim. Thanks for having me.

Tim Gavel: James, tell us about your journey. Where did it all start for you?

James Reynolds: It started many years ago, back in the early 90s, actually. I was 11 years old and I'm from the far south coast, Pambula, and I was finally allowed to play sports after many years of having operations or what have you and not allowed to participate. So, I took on as many sports as possible, and bowls was absolutely not one of those sports! But my mate's footy coach was also our school teacher, pushed me towards lawn bowls because he could see it was a sport that had no barriers or boundaries to being on an equal playing field, whereas all the other sports were, you were at a disadvantage, if you tried to compete against able-bodied people.

Tim Gavel: Because you were born with a spinal injury.

James Reynolds: Yeah, scoliosis. Severe scoliosis was the main disability. So yeah, I mean, I've played many sports, some alright, but not to be as on parity with people without disability. So, that's what bowls has given me. So yeah, started when I was 11 and yeah and by the age of 15, I was the top junior in New South Wales, won the state championships there, and that gave me the, I guess, the belief that I could take my juniors, in the sport, to the top level. I haven't represented Australia in mainstream, I've certainly represented my state at open level for many years, and obviously, moving forward, 2002 was when my first journey in Para bowls actually began, which was the Commonwealth Games and World Championships that year. 

Tim Gavel: Just to going back a little bit too, it sounds like you had a remarkable support network growing up. What a great community it was to encourage you to take part in sport, whereas, you know, many other places, bigger places, probably would have said, oh well do your best.

James Reynolds: Potentially, yeah. I think any person who's achieved in life will have many different touch points where they, people were giving them opportunities, with support and help and you've taken those opportunities. And I, if we start out with my parents, from birth, I guess they were trying to ascertain a lot of questions around why things happened the way they had from birth. And I guess the advice they were given, which sort of resonates with how they parented me, which was, if you would like a child with disability treat them as such, or if you want someone that isn't, then treat them as such. And I guess that's sort of how I was brought up, given many opportunities to be anything that was, in a safe way of course, but opportunities that everybody and anyone else in life has those opportunities to at least try. So, I guess that was a big a selling point. And then, yeah, look, the community was great. I still, whilst living in Canberra, I still call the far South Coast home, for obvious reasons. And it really was that community of people that accepted and gave me opportunities that I probably wouldn't have, as you say. School, like I was the first person with disability that went to the local primary school, for example, all those sorts of things. So, yeah.

Tim Gavel: In the end though, it's up to you, isn't it?

James Reynolds: Is up to you as an individual, but it's still getting those opportunities as well, yeah.

Tim Gavel: You're heading to your third Commonwealth Games, what makes representing Australia at the Commonwealth Games so special for you?

James Reynolds: Well, there are many reasons. I guess, as you say, it's my third Games and they're 24 years apart from first to third, and 12 years in-between. So, I guess, if I was asked that question three times over those three periods, I'd have a different answer. You know, at this point, my journey and career, this is the most special one. The sport in itself is much, much more high performance centred. The opportunities of what we've been given in the support and preparation is so strong. And I guess this time around, I know whatever happens, I will have done nothing or there will be no barrier, nothing left unturned, I've given myself the best preparation to obviously do my best. And yeah, I just can't wait to be honest. But yeah, back to your original question, pride in wearing the the jersey, I guess more and more I have to remind myself as I get older, because it's a real privilege.

Tim Gavel: And I guess going back to Pambula too, being a Commonwealth Games representative has a certain amount of status, doesn't it?

James Reynolds: Oh, it is. We've had a numerous great sportspeople come out of the far south coast. Even the young fella that won the gold in the Winter Olympics recently, you know, don't know him personally, but I know how much the community really respects and takes great pride in that.

Tim Gavel: What about the fact that the Commonwealth Games is an integrated program? So, does that make it really special because you're competing alongside able-bodied athletes in the team, amongst able-bodied athletes as well?

James Reynolds: Yeah, I guess so. I think back in 2002 that was a big shift, or the start of a shift, being able to be on the same team as your able-bodied sports compatriots. But again, I was so young, I probably didn't see it for what it was. 

Tim Gavel: You see it differently now though?

James Reynolds: Absolutely, especially being at different touch points in and out of the high performance system. So, when you move forward to today, and again if you look at the two periods from the start to finish, the access to services and supports is, woah, we could talk for a while about that. So, it's pretty amazing in that respect. I guess the thing that, from our sport specific though, in the bowls sport itself, there really wasn't any defined, 'oh, you're the Para team and you're the Open team' from the athletes. And I'm highlighting that because a number of those teammates at that stage, they've all gone on to become Australian coaches, Australian selectors, and so on. And so, the culture that's resonating in our sport, there isn't any sort of segregation in any respect, you're a team. So that's pretty cool as well.

Tim Gavel: I mean, that's really important though, isn't it?

James Reynolds: It is.

Tim Gavel: You know, to be treated as one team, as opposed to being separate.

James Reynolds: Yep. And it's not common in all sports at all.

Tim Gavel: No, it's not.

James Reynolds: Not at all. So, I think a lot of sports are really starting to grow into that aspect. But yeah, it's pretty cool.

Tim Gavel: You mentioned a moment ago about the elite nature of what you do. Tell us what you do to prepare for something like the Commonwealth Games, because you've got to be mentally prepared as well as physically and fine-tuned for competition.

James Reynolds: So, I'm very lucky, whilst I live in Canberra, I play and compete more so in New South Wales, but because I live in Canberra, I have a really great support in the ACT Academy of Sport. I've had them in the last three-and-a-half-years, their support. And so, everything from strength and conditioning, so as an example, today I started with my gym session for an hour, I then go and have a short session with my sports psychologist, you know, nutritionist. I'll go back in a couple of days from the medical side of things to prepare for a care pack and things like this to go overseas. You know, they're things that are extremely beneficial, help me with the best I can, I guess. With a person with disability, at my age, I'm definitely fitter and more capable in certain areas based on the services that I've got in the last, in receiving support. So, yeah, that's a big part of it.

Tim Gavel: Yes, and it does sound that because you are an older athlete preparing for your third Commonwealth Games, do you feel as though you're setting an example for some of the younger athletes, Para athletes coming through?

James Reynolds: I certainly hope so. I look at my standing in the game at the moment that I have an opportunity to set a legacy. I'm also, you know, a pathway coach. So, I like to think I'm living as much as what I'm preaching, and that is really embracing the high performance, living it in every respect. So, yeah, I'd like to think the young ones are seeing the standards that I'm, well not I, we, the top players are setting, that we have been very successful internationally, so that reinforces the work that we do. And so, I hope that the young ones do see that. And I hope they take my spot in the future because they'll get that spot because they'll earn it. And they'll then deliver the same sort of standards that we're delivering at the moment.

Tim Gavel: So, you're looking to instil the values that you have into these other athletes, and that includes integrity too, doesn't it?

James Reynolds: Absolutely. Every athlete, you know, fairness, you know, inclusion, the way you treat people, you know, being transparent. All those things that we talk about in our sport.

Tim Gavel: So, you talk about it a lot, do you, the integrity aspect in your sport? Is that something you talk about a lot?

James Reynolds: We have been, yeah. We've been very lucky to have a great partnership with the AIS and ASC, and so we've had numerous camps every year at the AIS. And so, the integrity, we do have numerous workshops on integrity, which has been quite beneficial. I guess one that sort of is Para-specific, at times, is sort of the medication kind of thing. So, I'm very lucky I don't use any sort of medications based from my disability, but for many athletes, that's not the case. So, learning how that functions, making sure we're doing the right things in relation to that world of living, with what they live with, is so important. And that's why the education. So that's just one area. Yeah, I mean, it covers so many things, doesn't it?

Tim Gavel: What does it mean to you?

James Reynolds: For me, it's more about, I guess I've thought about this in sport, fairness. The word fairness keeps coming to my mind. I guess in some sports which are more physically, if it's track and field or swimming or things that are very physically related, of course, there's the normal things that we talk about in integrity, in relation to fairness and what have you. In our sport it's more about the way that you play the game, you know, and the way that you approach it in a much more, in a way that's not against the norms or expectations of how it should be played, if that makes sense. So that's fairness. Fairness in Para is also around the, you know, how we are classified, being transparent about how you're, what you're living with and how you're living with it and making sure that, I'm sure the process always gets the right outcome regardless, but it's still something I think is very important.

Tim Gavel: What's the camaraderie between lawn bowlers right across the world. Is it good? Are there some there that sort of try and get into your head?

James Reynolds: The camaraderie is very strong. Yeah. I think you, I feel like, especially the last three years playing internationally a lot, there's a lot of respect amongst the different nations. Obviously, we try and knock each other off constantly, but I think if you play the game at the right standards, in the right way, and we certainly feel like we are, that sort of flows on to the other nations too. There'll always be that little edge in any competition, as there should be, but the respect, I think the key word is respect and there is a lot of that amongst the players, we often do, especially after an event, we generally have a great time not just during the event, but after the event. There are genuine relationships across the different nations.

Tim Gavel: And have you started to visualise what it might be like in Glasgow?

James Reynolds: Yeah, I have. It's a lot of work I've been doing to a point with my sports psych, but also, we've been very lucky to have a few visits to Glasgow as part of our selection process. So, we've been to the venue numerous times. Of course, it's not built, as in the rinks and what have you, but we've been to the, obviously, as far as the hall, where it's going to be situated. We've been to where our accommodation is going to be. But, you know, we've spent at least two full weeks, or three weeks, acclimatising to those surrounds and what have you. So, it's quite familiar for us. So, for me, it is easy to visualise a fair bit of what that will look like. Visualising success is obviously the key, obviously what we're about, so we'll see how that goes.

Tim Gavel: Yeah. What comes into your mind when you talk about what motivates you? Is it, I've got to do this for the people of Pambula, or I've got to do it for myself, or I don't like this person I'm playing against, I really want to beat them. What motivates you?

James Reynolds: That's a question that's changed over many years, the answer. I could absolutely tell you when I was younger, it was to prove people wrong. It was an absolute perception, when I was a kid that, you know, I couldn't tell you how many times I'd turn up for a game and they thought they'd won before they started, and then you'd wipe the floor with them. So that was my, what was my motivator when I was young. And then you've got a reputation, so that's now not going to work. So, then my next motivator was, you know, how do I be the best I can. At my point now, it's, I used to get really hung up on the results, and you put that undue pressure on yourself because you think about your family or your teammates or your coaches, and if you don't get the result, 'oh, I'm going to let them down'. And when you realise that's not actually how it works, realistically, then you realise that what you can control is your performance. So at the moment my motivation, yeah, I know what the ultimate goal is for us, but I think at the moment, the real thing I'm working on is being okay with making sure that that's my best performance and hopefully that's enough on the day, on the days that we play, because you can't always win, but you can control your performance, so hopefully that's enough.

Tim Gavel: The Commonwealth Games, are they the pinnacle for your sport?

James Reynolds: At the moment it is, yeah. We're not that far off, I mean, all sports are going so hard for obviously the Paralympics in 2032. But as a sport, we haven't been in the Paralympics for many, many years, or before my time, so, you know, early 90s, I think was the last time. So that could become our pinnacle, but, Commonwealth Games is absolutely our pinnacle. And then, of course, our World Championships and World Cups and those sort of events.

Tim Gavel: So, you sort of see beyond the Commonwealth Games for this continuous improvement in integration and acceptance, yeah.

James Reynolds: Absolutely. I mean, look, again, it's a privilege that, you know, we're even a part of the Games. I mean, there's so many sports that, unfortunately, due to the reduced nature of this particular Games, that are not there. So, when you say continuous improvement, yeah, of course, but we, it's also been respecting that we're lucky to be a part of it as it is. But I guess, yeah, the continuous improvement, I mean, they're so good as they are, the way that the CGA really help the sports to be the best they can be.

Tim Gavel: I guess beyond the Commonwealth Games, you'll be looking for organisations to emulate then what the Commonwealth Games does.

James Reynolds: Exactly right. Yep.

Tim Gavel: So, what does success look like for you in Glasgow?

James Reynolds: Yeah, that's what I was talking about before is that I know, I guess I was a bit hung up a few months ago on the opportunity. I came out of retirement, international retirement, back in 2022. One of my, a young girl I used to coach, when she was a kid, she won two golds at the 2022 Comm Games. She's from Goulburn, Ellen. And that sort of gave me the real drive to come out and have another go. You could see the high performance nature of the sport that hadn't quite been there before was really there now. So, that got me back and I guess the last three years I've really wanted to get those things I hadn't had before. I didn't have a Commonwealth Games gold medal. I didn't have a World Championship gold. I didn't have a World Cup. So, the last three years I, we won the Worlds in 23, and the World Cup last year, I couldn't believe it, we had the Para men's singles and the Para mixed pairs, which I was lucky enough to get both of those. And then also the MVP for the whole entire event with mainstream athletes as well. So, I guess what I'm showing you is that it'd be very easy for me this year to get hung up on that gold medal, because if I was to get that, there's nothing more that you could win. So, this is what I'm trying to explain. So, I want it but I'm also respecting that you can't always win either. So, if I lose, if we don't get what we want, but we play really well, and at our best, then that's okay. That's what success is for me now. But it still hasn't changed; I want the ultimate.

Tim Gavel: It might change tomorrow. Alright. Thanks very much for joining us, James. Quite a remarkable journey to get here in the first place. Obviously coming through, successful, retiring, coming out of retirement. Now you're going to your third Commonwealth Games.

James Reynolds: Very lucky and very lucky to have the opportunity to, Tim, and thanks for your time and having me.

Tim Gavel: No problems. Thank you very much for that. James's journey highlights not just excellence on the green, but the power of perseverance, integrity and inclusion in sport. His story is a reminder of what makes the Commonwealth Games so special, the coming together of athletes from different sports, backgrounds and disciplines, competing side-by-side on one stage. If you've enjoyed this episode, make sure you follow our Commonwealth Games series for more stories from our incredible team who are off to Glasgow. Thanks for listening and we'll see you next time.