(NEXSTAR) - Matt Thums, a wheelchair curler from Wisconsin, concluded his second Paralympic appearance in Cortina, Italy, this week. Thums noted the team faced mixed results on the ice but experienced a high-energy atmosphere compared to his previous games in Beijing. The journey to the international stage began as a winter hobby for the Wisconsin resident. Thums joined a "Learn to Curl" event at his local club in 2012. "I went to my club for a 'Learn to Curl' and, you know, kind of fell in love with it," Thums said. "Something to do in the winter is what the first started out for." Meeting the national curling team during tryouts later that year provided the specific motivation for Thums to pursue the sport competitively. A coach informed him of the rigorous practice required to reach the elite level. "I was told if I threw 30,000 stones, I'd probably become well enough to become a Paralympian," Thums said. "So the next season I started doing that." The atmosphere in Cortina differed from the Beijing 2022 games, which were held under strict COVID-19 protocols. Thums described the previous games as a "closed cell" with no spectators. "It was loud. We had a lot of family members there. It was fun," Thums said regarding the Italian games. He noted that when the Italian team played, the roar of the fans made it difficult to hear. Thums attributed the visibility of the games to the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee and the continued success of other American winter programs. "I think with all the promotion, the USOPC has helped a lot in getting the Paralympics out there," Thums said. He noted that gold-medal wins from U.S. snowboarders, skiers and the sled hockey team help the public realize the competition continues for two weeks after the Olympics end. Following his competition, Thums expressed gratitude for the support from his community in Wisconsin and encouraged other wheelchair users to explore the sport. "I highly suggest getting out, find a local club, find somebody that curls," Thums said. "The curling community is wonderful. They will want you to get you on ice and do whatever they can." Thums plans to spend the next few days in Italy, taking a gondola ride and visiting restaurants in Cortina before returning home to Wisconsin. All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by Nexstar. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by Nexstar staff before being published