BEIJING - Strategy and concentration.

That's what has made Paul Gauthier a gold medallist in the Paralympic sport of boccia. They are also traits that has made the Vancouver resident, who suffers from cerebral palsy, a successful businessman, husband and foster parent.

"I think the confidence I exude in the game is something I also do out in the real world," Gauthier said Sunday, the first day of competition at the 2008 Paralympic Games.

"I (have the) ability to be aggressive when I need to within negotiations, and also to be able to take it calm and soft when I need to. That's what you need to do on the court and in life. To be able to step it up when you need to and be calm when you don't."

Gauthier radiates a friendly manner and has a warm smile. Watching him move about in his wheelchair you sense his self confidence. Still, many people would be surprised to learn he is married, looks after a 15-year-old boy named Derek and used to operate his own business.

"It doesn't matter what your abilities are," Gauthier said with a shrug. "It just shows if you work hard enough you can make a go of it and make it happen."

Boccia is a sport similar to lawn bowling, but also draws parallels with curling. Unlike most Paralympic sports it had no counterpart in the Olympic Games.

The object of the game is to throw leather balls as close as possible to a white target ball, called a jack. At the end of each round a referee measures the distances between the balls and the jack. The closest colour is awarded points.

Strategy comes into play when you decide if you want to knock an opponent's ball away from the jack; use your ball to move the jack; or even play defence by blocking your opponent's ball from getting close to the jack.

"You are very much always trying to stay focused on the shot at hand," said Gauthier, 37. "It's coming up with the strategy, what you are going to do and being able to execute the shot.

"It really is a mental game."

A near full house watched Sunday's competition in the 1,600-seat Fencing Hall of the National Convention Center.

Players like Gauthier, who has a severe form of cerebral palsy, can use a ramp and a sports assistant to make their shots. In Gauthier's case, his sports assistant is his wife Sarah Douglas.

Douglas assists Gauthier by moving his ramp into the exact position he wants. He decides where the ramp will be placed and if an extension will be added to give his ball more velocity when he releases it.

Douglas must keep her back to the playing surface and cannot speak with Gauthier during the game.

"It's really important for the two of us to be in sync with one another," said Gauthier, who won the singles gold at the Athens Paralympics and took the bronze in the pairs competition. "She needs to be able to move very fast. You have six minutes to release all (six) balls. If we don't communicate effectively that could eat up valuable time.

"Never mind the fact that if she moved the wrong way, it could really affect my shot."

In some marriages taking out the garbage causes stress. Think of the pressure when a miscommunication or misunderstanding can cost someone a spot on the podium.

Gauthier laughed when asked if he and Sarah ever exchange cross words after a match.

"Sarah and I really have a great relationship, both on and off the court," he said. "What happens on the court is on the court.

"Besides, she never makes a mistake. This is Sarah we are talking about."

Gauthier and Douglas met three and a half years ago. What began as a friendship based on sports soon developed into something much more and the couple were married in July.

"I didn't really surprise me," said Douglas, who grew up in Surrey, B.C. "I have been involved with people with disabilities for a long time.

"I see them as the people they are. I completely see the person first and the disability as a part of life. I've never seen it as something bigger than that."

As a child, Gauthier grew up in a foster home. Being able to develop in what he calls a "nurturing system" was one of the reasons he decided to become a foster parent.

Derek was 11, and suffered from a social anxiety disorder, when he moved in with Gauthier four years ago. The love and support he's received from Gauthier has allowed Derek to make strides.

The teenager has made the trip to Beijing to watch Gauthier compete.

"For me it's that ability to care for another (person), to be able to provide really good support for someone else," said Gauthier. "Derek is a great kid. He has really come a long way.

"He has gone through some of his own challenges. I've been able to support him through that. Part of that is looking at my own life and the challenges I had when I was growing up."

Gauthier used to operate his own consulting company that helped people with disabilities make the transition to independent living.

He now works with the B.C. Paralympic Association in Vancouver, helping disabled people with issues such as housing, home support and equipment.

Playing boccia has allowed Gauthier to meet his wife and travel around the world.

But Gauthier found boccia boring at first.

"I didn't like it at the beginning," Gauthier laughed. "I was playing power soccer at the time. It (soccer) seemed more invigorating.

"Once I saw the integral parts of boccia and realized I could control the situation and be able to travel, it became apparent I needed to go further in it."