Memorial University is set to host the 2025 Canada Games next week on the St. John’s campus, and one of our own will bear the Newfoundland and Labrador flag during the opening ceremony as Team N.L. enters the Mary Brown’s Centre during the Parade of Athletes.
Nathan Luscombe, a third-year bachelor of arts (psychology) student and celebrated Paralympic swimmer, will have the honour.
Originally from Grand Falls-Windsor, Mr. Luscombe has already made waves on the national stage, winning medals at the Can Am Para Nationals and the Eastern Canadian Championships.
His medal-winning performance in the Niagara 2022 Canada Games made history as the first medal for Team NL during those Games. As a result, he was a recipient of a 2023 Premier’s Athletic Award.
Read a conversation with Nathan Luscombe below, where he speaks about his athletic journey, the challenges he’s overcome and what drives him in the pool and in his studies as he prepares to represent Team N.L. on home soil.
Lydia Hardy: Can you take us back to the moment you got the call and paint a picture of how it all unfolded?
Nathan Luscombe: I was home in Grand Falls when I got the call.
It’s weird – I don’t answer unknown numbers, but I had a suspicion that something was coming when my coach told me to answer the phone if it rang. It was wild!
After we said hello, they asked if I wanted to be the flag bearer for the Canada Games, and suggested I talk it over with my family first. I said, “Nope, I’m good.”
The last Games were the best experience of my life by far, and to be able to lead the charge is nerve-wracking and incredibly exciting.
LH: Is there anything you’ve learned throughout your psychology degree that helps you in the pool, especially when it comes to performance or mental preparation?
NL: I’m an anxious person, and before races I can get nervous.
When I’m prepping for a race, I’ll be up hours before my first practice. It’s the same with exams.
I need time to focus, so I set aside time to get ready mentally.
Learning about coping mechanisms for anxiety during psychology courses, like grounding and turning my anxiety into fuel as opposed to freezing up, is so helpful.
I say, “I’m feeling nervous, but how do I channel that into action?”
LH: You began swimming for health reasons. Can you tell us a bit more about that journey and how it evolved into competitive success?
NL: I was born with spina bifida, and as a kid, it prevented me from playing those small-town Canadian sports.
Impact was a risk and running hurt my back. Organized sports were not a big part of my life.
When I was 10, my mom put me in swimming lessons, and I loved it.
I found swimming made my back feel better — the pain faded away.
I swam in the Swim N.L. summer league with the Grand Falls-Windsor Gators from 2015 2018, with support from my parents, and then met a Paralympic coach who helped me get classified as a Paralympic swimmer.
I joined the winter league with the Gander Lakers after being classified as a Para swimmer to further pursue competitive swimming.
There’s something addictive about racing; it’s exhilarating and fun. You see the hard work pay off as your time drops.
Then the world went sideways during the pandemic, and I couldn’t swim. My back got worse.
Gradually, things opened up again and I got back to the pool.
By the time I was back to form, I was selected for Team N.L. and it was Canada Games time!
LH: What is one piece of advice you would offer to young athletes?
NL: Meet people! Sports, above all, are about being social.
You compete, but your competitors are so similar to you and you’re interested in the same things.
To make those friendships is so valuable, and it’s something that’s really special to me and what I value the most about being in competitive sport.
“Nathan’s journey is a testament to resilience, passion, and excellence in sport.”
It’s easy to get caught up in the performance and stress, but there is so much more to sports than that.
Don’t get too caught up in the results.
LH: What are you most excited about for this year’s Canada Games, outside of the competition?
NL: The opening ceremonies.
To lead the charge this year with Team N.L. on home soil is an incredible honour and something I didn’t think I would do in a million years.
I’m looking forward to spending time with friends I haven’t seen since the last meet, to pin trade with them and collecting all of the provincial pins is going to be really cool.
Fun fact: they call pin trading the unofficial sport of the Canada Games.
It’s a great way to encourage us to connect with other athletes.
2025 Canada Games
Jamie Randell, the chef de mission for Team N.L. says they are “incredibly proud” to name Mr. Luscombe as Team Newfoundland and Labrador’s flag bearer.
“Nathan’s journey is a testament to resilience, passion, and excellence in sport,” she said. “His achievements and leadership make him a true inspiration to his teammates and a deserving representative of our province on this national stage.”
You can find more information on the 2025 Canada Games, including a schedule of events, here.
Visit Memorial’s Canada Games website for Games planning at Memorial, to learn how you can get involved and to explore what the Games mean for Memorial and for you.
