'Red-eyes & coffee': Geckos grinding their way to Tokyo

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Inspirational NBL1 West guard Ella Thornton-Elliott and her Australian Geckos teammates are locked in on their Deaflympics preparation despite the growing uncertainty of being able to afford to go Tokyo, Japan.

Deaf Basketball Australia has raised just shy of $8,000 but are still well short of their $25,000 goal with just three months to go to the November 15 to 28, 2025 tournament.

“The past four training camps, I’ve had to do the red-eye flight on a Friday night — overnight flight, landing in Melbourne about 5am, getting maybe 30 minutes of sleep and then going to training camp,” Thornton-Elliott told basketball.com.au.

“I just get the biggest coffee that I can with the highest number of shots in it. But the energy that the girls bring and the excitement of the training camp, it gets me wide awake, so that’s something I’m thankful for.”

Geckos head coach Deb Coulson hoped the sacrifices being made by players such as Thornton-Elliott would not go to waste as the Geckos continued to prepare for their first Deaflympics in 15 years.

“They’re here and they’re ready. I would be utterly heartbroken if they’re unable to fulfil this dream,” Coulson said.

Support the Geckos as they fly the flag for Australia in Tokyo

Thornton-Elliott dissected how this experience would be different to their 2024 Asian-Pacific Deaf Basketball Championships campaign.

“The stakes were a lot lower [last year] … it was our very first time doing any sort of basketball tournament in that environment… but it was a nice way to ease into it,” she said.

“[This year], it’s going to be a lot more competitive. We are in a different country.

"There are so many more factors that we must take into consideration — but in terms of the environment and enjoying it, I think we’ll all be the same. I just think the goal is a lot bigger to chase this time.”

As the Geckos go their new goal, donations will:

• Relieve the financial burden on players
• Cover essential travel and training expenses
• Empower deaf women to represent Australia with pride
• Inspire the next generation of Geckos

“We’re not only paying for ourselves, but we’re also paying for the staff," Thornton-Elliott revealed.

"It was an issue that did cause a bit of tension in our team, because we just didn’t understand why it all fell on the players — it did cause a bit of a kick to the stomach when I saw it.

“Initially, I was very outspoken about the cost, so I did get a bit of telling off just to be a little quiet, but it’s difficult considering that we’re all young players and can’t just get this money out of nowhere.

"We’re very fortunate for the fundraising and donations because I don’t know where we would be without it.”

Thornton-Elliott said she had to sacrifice several luxuries to save as much as much money as she could.

“It was one of those things where I had to set up an Excel spreadsheet and be like ‘What am I getting rid of so I can afford this?’,” she said.

“I love spoiling people and buying people gifts… so I really had to cut back on that.

"My biggest financial goal has been moving out and it’s really slowed down that process. It’s definitely a little bit frustrating on that end, but I guess that’s the kind of sacrifices that you do have to make.”

The support has shown reason for promise. In the last three weeks, Deaf Basketball Australia has received overwhelming support, with six donors eclipsing $200.

The Joondalup Wolves guard expressed her gratitude to all those who have already donated.

“It makes me feel really emotional because going back to how we started, we were so small, and after 15 years no one really knew us — we were just another team playing basketball,” she said.

“But knowing about these donations and that there’s so many people wanting to support us… it’s something we’re never going to forget — I want people to know that their donation does not go unnoticed.

"It’s just an amazing feeling.”

However, there is still work to do with the bigger picture — the financial strain for deaf athletes participating in these events has the potential to deter deaf athletes from approaching and joining the program.

“I remember getting our first breakdown of the budget and I was extremely close to saying, this is way too expensive, I can’t afford this,” she recalled.

“That’s something I kind of struggled with for a few weeks — is this worth the amount of money that I’m going to be paying to enjoy this experience?”

Thornton-Elliott recognises what may be perceived as a struggle for her now will benefit the program down the line.

“I’m hoping that it doesn’t become a lingering issue in the future,” she said.

“I know our efforts and our coverage that we are providing is setting the future up for any athletes that join our program.”

Thornton-Elliott thinks some misconceptions held towards the program and deaf athletes generally must encourage an ongoing effort to enforce systemic change — a shift that will point towards the beneficial future that Deaf Basketball Australia are chasing.

“We want to address the inequity in the funding that we do receive… I think that’s a change that we definitely would love to see as a team,” she stated.

“We just want to shift the focus, that it is not only about being deaf. At the end of the day, we’re just like every other basketball team in the country — I just wish we weren’t put in two different categories (hearing athletes and ‘normal’ athletes), like we’re all athletes, we’re all the same.”

As more people donate and recognise Thornton-Elliott’s sentiment, she senses this could invoke a positive shift.

“There’s so many positives — not only are you showing your support for the girls that are playing for this team, but you’re also supporting a wider cause – the deaf and hard of hearing community,” she assured.

“You’re also supporting women’s sports – which doesn’t get the recognition it deserves, and adding on, a hearing disability on top of being a female is extremely difficult in the basketball world.”

Thornton-Elliott spoke on behalf of the team to all prospective donors and to those who have already donated.

“I just hope people know how grateful, thankful and appreciative we are,” she emphasised.

“We remind ourselves every training camp, we tell each other all the time that we are doing this for all the people here [in Australia].

"We want to go over there and come back with a medal and show them that their support didn’t go to waste.”

Thornton-Elliott hinted at the emotional impact of the generosity exhibited by strangers, as she placed emphasis on the privilege and pride that the Tokyo experience would represent.

“That’s something that we all remind each other at every single camp. We are wearing Australia across our uniform,” she said.

“It’s not our local club, it’s not for our state, this is for our country, and that’s a sense of pride we possess.”