Although Ben Tudhope grew up on the sandy Northern Beaches, he fell in love with the snow at a young age, leading him to secure a Paralympic bronze medal in snowboarding.
Local Ben Tudhope, who has left hemiplegic cerebral palsy, has not only attended the Paralympic Games three times, but also holds the record for Australia’s youngest ever Winter Paralympian, competing at just 14 years old.
“I guess I first saw snow when I was six months old and then started skiing when I was three, and then snowboarding when I was eight,” Ben tells Peninsula Living.
The Manly local says that while he was eager to jump on a board at a young age, the snow sports school he attended didn’t allow anyone younger than eight years old have snowboarding lessons.
“The anticipation to actually get on it I guess grew my passion,” he admits.
“Then when I finally did get on the snowboard, I was never that good. I didn’t have a natural talent and it took me a while, but the love for it just grew instantly so I knew I wanted to get better from there.”
Ben says he navigated into the world of being a professional athlete organically, fuelled by his desire to grow his ability in the sport.
“My goal was always just to grow my ability in snowboarding and be the best snowboarder I could, because it was truly my number one passion,” he says.
“The thing is, I never actually knew what the Paralympics were back in those days. I never grew up knowing they were on TV or anything, so I didn’t actually have a role model, a person with cerebral palsy that I could look up to.”
Ben says when he was around 11 years old, his eyes were opened to a new world full of people living with disability who shared a sporting passion he could relate to.
From there, he hit the competition circuit before attending his first Paralympic Games.
Ben says during that first experience of the Games, he was like a ‘kid in a candy store’ and wanted to take it all in as much as possible.
“My mind going into all three games was so different,” he says.
“The first games were just all about the experience for me, as a 14-year-old kid – all about the fun –but I think that actually set me up so well to know what the games are like for the future.
“Then at the second games, I guess I really disappointed myself. I came away from those games and I was hoping for a lot more than what I did in a results- based way. I think my mind was too focused on the actual result.”
Ben says after his second Paralympics he learned from his mistakes, and it motivated him to ‘have an athlete mindset’ and perform better the next time.
“Heading into these recent Games, I think what was different is that I finally learned that I wasn’t just riding for myself. I wasn’t just competing for myself; I was competing for everyone who has supported me along the way.
“I was just happy to be there, happy to ride and that actually made me perform a lot better and get my first Paralympic medal.”
Ben, who is now also in his final year of studying a sports management degree, is now an inspiration and role model for many young people who have a disability.
Recently, the local champion was in Thredbo at the Torah Bright Mini Shred helping out the kids, which he says is one of his ‘favourite days of winter’.
“One of the first kids I met who came up to me was a six-year-old boy with cerebral palsy right side hemiplegia and I have left side. He and his mom came up to me and said, ‘Oh this is my first day on the snow and we were inspired by you to actually start snowboarding’.
“That meant the absolute world to me. It made my day, made my week, made my year, it was probably more special than winning any medal or winning any accolade. Because it shows I have made a difference in peoples’ lives.”