Less than a year after losing his lower left leg in a motorcycle accident, Jack McLeish has returned to the sport of rowing and is getting back into the swing of things.
The teenager's comeback to swimming has been overseen by Jed Altschwager, a Paris Paralympic gold medalist, who traveled from Adelaide to Queensland to meet with the young athlete and his prosthetist in Gold Coast.
Altschwager, who was Australia's inaugural Paralympic rowing champion, assisted Jack in overcoming and bypassing the two-year hurdles he faced in locating the perfect prosthesis for his rowing endeavors.
Jack's old prosthesis featured a large spring with limited mobility — his new "rowing foot" enables greater flexibility at the ankle joint.
"Having someone who has experienced things firsthand for about ten years is beneficial," Jack mentioned.
It's great to have someone who understands feet.
The Southport School pupil, who had his leg amputated last May, developed a passion for rowing as soon as he grasped an oar during his Grade 7 year. The sight of the rowing vessels outside his dormitory piqued his interest right away.
The student hailing from Winton, an outback township in Western Queensland, joined the school's rowing squad that very year.
Jack's comeback to school coincided precisely with the beginning of the rowing season following his accident.
"The moment I returned to the boat and started some training, it felt quite usual," stated the Year 9 student.
It doesn’t seem very different. Clearly, there’s reduced power, yet everything still feels alike.
Last year, Altschwager secured a Paralympic gold medal before retiring soon after. They connected with Jack via shared contacts and assisted them in returning to sailing.
Aspiring Paralympian
While Altschwager, who is also a below-the-knee amputee, was visiting Jack's school, he was also introduced to another student who had taken an interest in para-rowing.
Year 10 student Beau McKelvey started rowing at the end of last year and is considering a career in the sport.
The student from Goondiwindi, on Queensland's southern border, broke his back after falling off his motorbike in 2021 and has no feeling from his waist down.
The 15-year-old had always been a sporty person before his accident, and became involved in rowing after the school's head coach scouted him out at a swimming carnival.
"He just came up to me and said, 'If you'd like to try rowing, you can come and see me one day, and we'll figure it out from there'," Beau said.
"It's been one difficult but easy path."
Artschwager's sports career has been a source of inspiration for Beau.
"He could show us how he'd gone down that Paralympic path and show us what we need to do to be able to go down that path as well," he said.
I will continue along the path of rowing and focus on my training, hoping to participate in more events such as those at the state level, which will help me gain additional experience in racing.
Then simply observe what chances arise.
Altschwager was struck by what he saw at the school.
“What I witnessed personally was an incredibly open-minded coach who asked, ‘Hey mate, what do you need to make this happen?’” he stated.
It was incredibly amazing for someone who has gone through such challenges as a disabled person to experience this setting.
There aren’t many venues, including Para sports clubs, that back rowing and Paralympic development paths.
The Paralympian advised the boys to simply "carry on with rowing."
"Right now, you're essentially doing absolutely everything within your power to get yourself into an excellent position, performance-wise," Altschwager stated.
The first pre-race event in over 100 years
Andrew Hawkin, the headmaster of The Southport School, stated that involving the boys in the sport was significant.
"We simply want them to feel as ordinary as any other boy at this school since they are our kids," he stated.
As the chairman of the Great Public Schools Association of Queensland (GPS), Mr Hawkin advocated for the inclusion of the inaugural para-race at the GPS Head of the River regatta earlier this year, allowing Beau and Jack to participate.
Mr Hawkin expressed his aspiration for every athletic event we undertake to include a categorized race of some sort, with rowing being a natural opportunity to give it a try.
This was the inaugural event of this nature in the regatta's 104-year history.
"It’s fantastic because these individuals have become part of history," Mr Hawkin stated.
Hard to imagine we've never done this until now.
To tell you the truth, I'm quite enthusiastic about the coming 104 years.
Mr Hawkin said that if he witnessed Jack and Beau competing in the rowing event at the Brisbane 2032 Paralympic Games, he would consider quitting his educational career.
"I consider this a success because it opens new opportunities for our boys and who knows where this might take us," he stated.
I couldn't ask for anything more.