Dive into "From The Throne" to explore the personal reflections of players and coaches that highlight their personal journeys, pivotal moments and behind-the-scenes stories that shape their careers. These features paint a personal portrait of the people behind their accomplishments.

Barrett Potter is a varsity athlete for the Durham College golf team. He is also very involved with ParaGolf Ontario, an organization that he holds closely to his heart which allows him to support his brother and be involved with the game of golf along with his family.
   

---

 

A lot of student-athletes can be outgoing, cliquey people.

They have their groups, their friends, and they stick with them.

I was no different.

But over the last few years, I've gotten a chance to do something different, thanks to my brother, dad, and ParaGolf Ontario.

Because of my brother, who has cerebral palsy, my dad got involved with ParaGolf Ontario to help him play the game at a tournament level.

My brother loves sports, and my dad has always been there to support him.

I wanted to do the same.

Since my family was getting involved, I figured I'd join in as well.

It was a chance to spend more time with them and play some golf.

Little did I know how much this was not only going to change my life but make me a better student-athlete at Durham College.

Supporting the family

It's no surprise my brother is my inspiration for being involved with ParaGolf Ontario.

He's an awesome guy.

We're only two years apart, so we've been through a lot together.

He's had cerebral palsy his entire life, and it's affected the left side of his body.

But he's never let it slow him down.

He loves sports and is always trying to do as much as he can.

He's actually getting pretty good at golf, too.

I'd say he's better than half the people I run into at the course.

He's got a great outlook on life and does everything he can to promote adaptive sports.

He's always there for the First Tee program that ParaGolf Ontario runs, encouraging kids with special needs to play and be active.

Honestly, his passion for Paragolf kind of made me want to get involved.

He's just so into it that I wanted to be as well.

I also need to give a shoutout to my dad, who's the vice president of ParaGolf Ontario. 

He does a lot of work behind the scenes to make this all happen.

Without guys like him and my brother, ParaGolf Ontario wouldn't be anywhere near where it is today.

The lessons of Paragolf

What I love about ParaGolf Ontario is that it's all about the people involved.

Everyone has their own story.

You meet people who are missing limbs, people like my brother with cerebral palsy, and all kinds of other disabilities.

But they're all out there, playing golf, a lot of whom are better than me!

I've learned so much from these people, but mostly that it doesn't matter what your circumstances are; there's always a way to work around it.

That was really important for me to learn.

During COVID, I was dealing with a lot of anxiety and depression.

I was really struggling and didn't know how to get out of it.

Actually, the anxiety is one of the reasons I quit golf for a long time.

I thought I was done with the sport forever.

But being around these people, seeing them work through their challenges, it showed me that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

I've always been a nervous person, so getting back into that golf field again was a big help.

It made me a lot more confident in tournament golf.

Honestly, ParaGolf Ontario probably helped me a whole lot more than I helped them.

Changing my perspective

The funny thing is, being a part of ParaGolf Ontario also changed how I looked at the game of golf.

I've always had this idea of what a perfect swing should look like, what the ball flight should be, and all that.

But watching these guys play, they swing their swing.

It doesn't matter how you're swinging it.

As long as you get that ball in the hole, you're doing your job right.

It's a simple thing, but it took me a long time to learn that lesson.

It was great to take these lessons into my time as a varsity athlete at Durham College.

I didn't know if I'd ever play again, but ParaGolf Ontario pulled me back in.

I had a lot of anxiety and nervousness about playing at the collegiate level, but I would say playing in the Paragolf tournaments helped me with that.

There's no reason to be nervous or anxious.

Just use your own swing and have fun.

I think we all forget that sometimes.

The future of Paragolf

I'm always going to be grateful for the experiences I've had with ParaGolf Ontario.

It's been a privilege to set up the tournaments, play with the golfers, and share in this experience with my family.

It's still not a popular sport by any means, but those who are in it love it.

I'd love to see it grow even more.

It's a sport that has the potential to change lives.

My brother and I are proof of that.

I'm not sure where I'd be without Paragolf, but I'm glad I never have to find out.