From Cape Cod to the Paralympics: Sean O’Neill’s Journey

Olympic pride has been on full display for months as we cheered on Team USA in Italy.

Though the Winter Olympics may have concluded at the end of February, the competition in Milan and Cortina was just heating up.

The Paralympic Games took place from March 6-15. Among the athletes on Team USA was Sean O'Neill, a member of the Wheelchair Curling Paralympic Team with local ties.

O'Neill, who grew up on Cape Cod, visited The MGM Show to share his experience.

Sean O’Neill’s Cape Cod Roots

"I went to an open house at the Cape Cod Curling Club in connection with the last Olympics and Paralympics, something I recommend anyone to do who wants to try out curling," he said.

He said he fell in love with the sport immediately. Four years later, O'Neill traveled to Switzerland to compete for a spot on Team USA.

Sean O'Neill's Journey to Team USA

"Coach read out everybody's names," he said. "You're hoping to hear your own name."

READ MORE: Curling Is "Sweeping" the Nation and It's Harder Than It Looks

Lucky for O'Neill, he did. That was back in the Fall of 2025, giving the team a few months to gather together and practice for the Winter Games.

Team Bonding and Friendship

"We live in five different states, so we started meeting just to get that time together when we weren't physically together," O'Neill said.

"We were hopping on Zooms to talk about curling, to talk about our lives because we all knew each other," he said. "We've all been friends, but trying to build that next level bond to go to the games together was a huge focus, and something I think we succeeded in tremendously."

READ MORE: Massachusetts Connection Behind USA's Historic Curling Medal

Making it to the Paralympic Games was never on O'Neill's radar. "I've always been athletic, but to go to the Paralympics, to be playing a sport on TV, in front of people, it's nothing I could have ever imagined," he said.

READ MORE: 35 Jaw-Dropping Moments From the 2026 Winter Olympics Captured On Camera

Life at the Paralympics

The view from Olympic village was also unimaginable.

"You would come out of your room, little just giant mountains everywhere, you know, fog circling the mountains. It did not get old through the two weeks I was there," O'Neill said.

He and the Wheelchair Curling team finished in ninth overall, an outcome O'Neill wished were different.

"You could point to two inches going a different way in every game and probably flip the result. That's what makes it so intense and what makes it so rewarding, too," he said.

Looking Back on an Unforgettable Experience

Nevertheless, his experience in Italy and the friendships made are life changing. "We had each other's backs through the entirety of the games. Bonded for life," O'Neill said.

Upon his return to the state, O'Neill has enjoyed a taste of stardom as he remembers his time at the Paralympic Games fondly.

"It's been so nice to be back, getting to see people I had missed and getting to have that memory and treasure it and still hold it so close," he said.

Listen to Sean O'Neill on The MGM Show