Mac is a PR3 Rower for Australia and has been competing in the sport for many years now.
In 2023, Mac competed at the World Rowing Coastal Championships in Italy in the PR3 Coastal Mixed Double Sculls Final A (Final) with teammate Phoebe Robinson where they placed 1st against Great Britain.
I started rowing at the end of year 7 when I was at school as that was when my school first offered learn to row and I fell in love with the sport. I rowed the rest of the time I was at school rowing was the first sport that I was not in the lowest team and I rowed in the 2nd 8 when I was in year 12. After school I joined the University Of Queensland Boat club where I still row today I have been a member there since 2015. Throughout school I rowed just as able body rower and when I fished school my parents looked in to if I could be classified to be a para and I did the tests and I got told I could be a para rower my disability is intellectual impairment and I row in the PR3 category. Sadly my disability is not internally recognised so I can’t race for Australia at the world rowing championships or the Paralympics but in Australia I race against athletes who are aiming for the Paralympics or have already competed at them as they have a physical disability. I also race in the able body racing in Australia I also race as a lightweight. I have represented Australia a few times in 2019 in Brisbane at the INAS Global Games (renamed after the games to VIRTUS) they are a multi sport event for athletes with an intellectual impairment and I got 7 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze medal. I competed again in Brisbane in 2022 in the Oceania Asia VIRTUS games where I got 4 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze mental And again in 2023 in Vichy in France at the 2023 VIRTUS global Games where I got 5 gold and 2 silver medals. I have also just competed for Australia at the world rowing beach sprint finals in Barletta in Italy in the PR3 mixed inclusion double scull only 1 of the rowers has to have a disability and it was just a demo event this year but I ended up wining the event this year.
I love all the friends that I have made some of my best friends have come from the sport of rowing and how supportive everyone is I’m only 1 of 2 para rowers but no one treats me any different as I have a disability and I don’t do any different training at all because I’m a para rower. I train with a squad of high performance athletes at my club that are all able body. One of the my favourite things about rowing came just a couple of weeks ago when I was in Italy I raced the PR3 mixed double with Phoebe Robinson it was very special to go to Italy and win the world it meant a lot to both of us as I have known Phoebe for many years and she is one of my best and that we could do it together and it was one of the first times my disability had been included in a world rowing regatta.
I have had quite a few one of my first ones was when I first won the PR3 mens single scull at nationals in 2016 I was not expecting much from the event as it was the biggest regatta I have ever been to and the first time I had been to nationals. I only decided just over a month before nationals that I was going to go I was not classified when I entered but they let me enter and I could pull out if I did not meet the criteria to get classified and I did meet the criteria and was able to race. Another big accomplishment was in 2017 where I made my first QLD team at nationals on the last day they have the interstate regatta under 21 mens and women’s 8’s, lightweight men’s 4, lightweight women’s quad, open men’s and women’s 8, open men’s and women’s scull and PR3 men’s and women’s scull and I have represented QLD in the event from 2017 and I have won it 3 times, 1 silver medal and 2 bronze medals. Another carer highlight was in 2019 when I first represnted Australia in Brisbane in the INAS global Games where I got 7 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze. I have also represented Australia in 2022 in Brisbane at the Oceania Asia games where I got 4 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze. Also this year I retested Australia in France at the Virtus Global Games and got 5 gold and 2 silver medals. But I would have to say one of my biggest achievements accorded just a few weeks ago in Italy when I raced at the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals I would say it is one of my prodest moments as it was my first time that I have been able represent Australia at a world rowing event as it was the first time scone I stared rowing that athletes with Interlectal Impermant have been able to compete at world rowing events I competed against rowers with physical disability and it was a mixed double and only 1 of the rowers had to have a disability and me and my partner ended up wining the gold medal and becoming world champions.
Probably all the friends I have and the opportunity it has given me and all the wonderful people I have meet in the rowing community and they don’t treat me any different just because I have a disability
I would love to one day have the opportunity to race for Australia at the Paralympics but that is a bit of a way of as currently in the sport of rowing II athletes can’t compete only athletes with a physical disability can. The only sports at the Paralympics that II athletes can compete in are Swimming, athletics and Table Tennis
Not really any set backs but one of the things that I have found the hardest is getting the opportunity’s like the other para rowers in Australia that have a physical disability and can row at the world champs and the Paralympics I know that I can match it with them in Australia and knowing that they can go on to higher levels where as nationals is pretty much the highest opportunity I have. Also one of the other set backs I have had is trying to get supported by the Queensland Academy of Sport the old Australian Para head coach spoke to the QAS a few years ago to see if they could support me but all they said was that I can’t row internally so they can’t support me so I have ached everything I have with my rowing without the support of the QAS.
To never give up and keep pushing and the opportunity’s will come and even if you are no good some sports does not mean you will not be good at another one
My sport is not that professional as I don’t get paid for it but I do a pretty full on program and may hours a week it started with me rowing at school and then joining the University of Queensland Boat Club after my final season of school rowing finished after term 1 in 2015 and that is where I have been rowing ever since.
Hard work it is not easy aiming to be the best at anything is not easy and you don’t know how far you can get if you don’t try. Also with the very little opportunity I have had to represent my country at the highest level so far it is all about taking any opportunity that is offed to you and always doing it the best you can as you don’t know if this will be your last chance or when the next chance might arise.
I was looking at a company thought would help me in my recovery from all the training I do and one day I came across PainPod on Instagram and thought I would message them to see if they would be interested in working with me and they where I’m excited to be a part of the PainPod family.
Head to Mac's Instagram profile to keep up to date.