When Julie Postma was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis as a teenager, she was told she would not be able to walk by 30.
More than two decades later – at the age of 53 – Julie has exceeded all expectations and recently represented Australia at an international World Cup sport climbing competition in Salt Lake City.
“When I was diagnosed, it was like, ‘You have a disability, you just go and sit in a box,’ and the world ignores you,” says Julie.
“So it was about going back and doing the things I never had the opportunity to do when I was young.
“I was excited. I definitely climbed my best.”
Having started rock climbing as a fun form of physical therapy a few years ago, Julie is now a member of the Australian National Paraclimbing Team.
Although there is no funding or formal support, the team is the most successful the country has ever seen.
And with a mostly female cadre, women are leading the way, driven by a volunteer-run climbing group for people with disabilities.
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Australia has secured its first World Cup climbing medal
With its dizzying heights and gravity-defying physicality, the adventurous sport of climbing may seem unsuitable for people with disabilities.
Melbourne scientist and below-knee amputee Sarah Larcombe recently proved how wrong that is.
Making her international competitive debut alongside Julie in May, Sarah won Australia’s first-ever World Championships medal and, to top it off, it was a gold medal.
“I was shaking physically from nervousness,” says the 34-year-old.
The win came after nearly two years of intense physical training and months of fundraising.
“[It] was quite difficult. It’s a massive financial outlay. Para athletes are expected to fund these competitions themselves,” says Sarah.
“Having a disability is expensive in itself. We have a lot of extra expenses that I don’t think most people should have to deal with.”
Though she had to resort to a credit card to get there, Sarah says the sacrifices were worth it.
“Climbing just feels so liberating, especially when you have a disability and you feel locked in your own body,” she says.
“Standing on a climbing wall allows you to do things you never thought you could do… It’s like solving a jigsaw puzzle with your body.”
Sarah is a member of Adaptive Climbing Victoria (ACV), a grassroots group formed in 2018 to help more people with disabilities experience climbing both indoors and outdoors.
The organization’s mantra is that anyone, regardless of ability, can climb.
ACV chairwoman Araminta “Minty” McLennan — who was born with cerebral palsy — says rock climbing is an inherently adaptive sport because there’s no one “right” way to climb.
“It doesn’t matter how you get to the top, as long as you get to the top, people are happy,” says Minty.
According to Minty, ACV’s mission is to change perceptions and attitudes about disability.
“It’s about adjusting the mindset of ourselves and the broader climbing community to make more room for people with disabilities,” she says.
The group runs events and programs for people with disabilities at climbing halls and outdoor cliffs, with a team of volunteers customizing climbing gear to the needs of the individual climber, using specialized gear and a helping hand.
Training and working with climbing structures so that they can accommodate people with disabilities to safely participate is another way the group works to improve accessibility and inclusion.
“Not just to make the people climbing feel safe, but also to make the venue feel safe, which makes that easier,” says Minty.
After Minty discovered that rock climbing was a perfect way to harness her “hilariously strong upper body strength,” Minty said the benefits went well beyond the physical, giving her a sense of belonging and a place in a welcoming community.
“I often say that rock climbing is the friendliest cult you will ever join…it becomes crucial to the fabric of your life in so many ways,” she says.
“It’s had such an incredible impact on my life. I just want to be able to share that.”
Paralympic dreams on the horizon
Like Sarah and Julie, Minty is a member of the national paraclimbing team. She is preparing to fly to Europe for her first World Cup next week.
Her big dream, however, is the Paralympics.
“That’s definitely my big, hairy, bold goal,” says the 28-year-old.
“The official party line is that it should be included in the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, so I have a few years.”
While Sarah says she might be a little too old by 2028, she hopes her success will help raise awareness for the young sport of paraclimbing and inspire other young girls with a disability to dream big.
“Growing up…there wasn’t a lot of visibility or representation in the media at the time for disabled athletes — or just disabled people in general,” says Sarah.
Julie has been sidelined for the remainder of this year’s international competitions by a bout of COVID-19, but the mother-of-two is hoping to make it to next year’s World Championships.
“Having a degenerative and progressive disease can be difficult because you know in your heart that it’s only going in one direction…a gradual decline over a period of time,” says Julie.
While the progression of her MS over the past year has meant she now uses a wheelchair most of the time, her climbing has only gotten better.
“Having something to work on – and keep improving and getting better, even though the body is getting worse every year – was really nice.”
Julie’s advice to everyone, regardless of age or disability, is to just do it: “Don’t let them tell you ‘no’ or ‘you can’t’, if you really want to do it, do it. “