Get Cooked Episode 3: Jed Altschwager

Intro [Music] hi everyone and welcome to another episode of get cooked I'm Sarah cook and today I'm going to be talking to Jed Asperger member of the Australian rowing team Jed welcome great to have you on our episode thanks Sarah looking forward to it excellent well let's get straight into it and we're gonna start with one of those you can't ask that questions but we're gonna go ahead and ask it because I know that you're up for it can you tell us about how you lost your leg yeah absolutely so it was 2015 so almost coming up five years I was working in civil construction so earthmoving I was sitting on an excavator basically in a pretty precarious position I was pop digging postholes just as normally sort of doing sort of whatever I needed to do that day and we had a little cave in on the left side of the track and basically the machine tipped and as I'm sitting now in this seat basically I've reacted is putting my left leg sort of to brace myself even that essentially since the machines adapt to time but you know as you do sort of react and I did that and then come down and it's pinned between the road and that and the and the cab itself it just basically got squished between the road and the cab and and that's basically how the accident went down it was in pretty bad nick there but wasn't severed and then later that night or not it about 10:30 that night it was yeah and amputated and that's when the journey again Wow and it's remarkable because I've heard you tell that story a couple of times now how I guess matter-of-fact you are about it and how positive you sound about it I mean I can't even imagine how horrendous an experience like that would have been has these taken time for you to get to this place where you can just talk about it in a very matter-of-fact way partly yes and partly no so like it yeah absolutely it's been a huge you know a huge personal growth and personal and personal growth journey that I've been on emotionally and physically and you know for sure the first you know week month six months year you know isn't quite like it is now but I definitely had some sort of some sort of Drive very early on that was driven I guess steered by positivity and and extremely driven so that was always there but it was always anything that happens to you in life whether it be good or bad but generally bad sometimes we tackle you know it takes time and depending on how long but it'll take time to digest and so I guess it was just that digestion of the accident the loss that I went through you know inking you know and then you can like I said because I was driven positively you know I found myself in you know in remarkable situation that I could look back and I can look back at that as a positive thing in my life now yeah it's absolutely incredible and I know that you're a much loved member of the Australian rowing team and I think you know your positivity and what you bring to the team as an individual is is such an important part and why you know you're such a fan favorite so it's great to be able to interview you and get to know you a bit better so let's talk Finding Power Rowing about how you found rowing I mean were you were you athletic before were you an athlete before your accident and then how did how did you find power rowing no I really wasn't I wish I had a photo to show you so I definitely wasn't an athlete I was you know it was in late 20s spent you know you know obviously much already my 20s surfing in a band you know I like to you know I elected a beer as you do and have a really good group of mates and you know I just was engaged only just married sorry just prior to the accident and so kind of that's where I was at but being athletic was not you know I really didn't care about my body I could look at it now I thought I did but I definitely didn't but from there it was it was just a journey and one of the biggest lessons I learnt when I lost my leg one of the first things that stuck out for me it was how important the body was and so from there it was like that journey that I went on to to where I am now it was just like first of all how important it was so don't take it for granted and then second ball how far push my body and that went from just learning to walk how far can i push it how quickly and how good can I walk to how fast can I row and can it you know the the other end of the scale you know three years later two into that so you know so that's kind of how it worked but for me I started doing I started in rehab but that was the first gym that had ever been to and so the first time had ever looked at Tim stuff and then we went from there to I loved it like I said through a huge passion for it started in CrossFit love that for about eighteen months and then sort of got to a stage where I was like you know it could I mean pretty good Nick I could look at a Paris sport love the water and that's why I chose rolling you know among other things we looked at kayak and stuff I'm more of a just a suggestion so I looked at a few things and it's just a matter of fact that that Gordon marks was in West Lakes that week the next week or something I first spoke to Tim Matthews from Paralympics Australia so I met Gordo and then from there it was it was you know I really it liked what he was basically saying and and from there it's like well I'm gonna give wrong ego and then that's basically where we started yeah wow that's incredible winner and I like how you just brushed over I had to learn to walk and then see how fast I can go wrong you know like that's that's that's massive I mean that's big game there but yeah absolutely and I think When was your accident yeah the way you speak about it in such a nonchalant ways is really just incredible and you know that journey is so massive they have gone over in just such a short period of time when was your accident it wasn't yeah mm and so as I should know the exact date but it's July 2015 it was something like that so it's coming up five years which feels short and long they depend you know it's it I don't know how quiet but I'm looking forward to the data always - always you know usually have a really tough workout you know usually damn a couple of extra things in in that day just to push it but also celebrate it so yeah that's coming up soon I guess that's amazing and what has your What has your accident taught you accident taught you about yourself and in turn what has rowing taught you yeah it was a big on floor effect so first of all the accident and going through that physically and emotionally I guess I learnt number one and bought my body is and and also just not to take things for granted and also you know through the process of trying to stay positive and try and stay on that positive path that I always explain to people through that process daily you know I guess activations in gratitude and thankfulness so I love doing that every day and I still do and so if you do that multiplied by X amount of days you're gonna have it a you know a quite a beautiful outlook on life and be able to tackle such a certain situation so then that that sort of started to snowball into just how I approached everything can that work turned into okay we've got rolling and so the way I set goals was the exact same how I really put my mind to say like I said before walking it was like art we've got rowing I need to I need to learn to grow I never stepped I never sat in the boat so I was I saw all right I'm meeting obviously that's what I need to do get join a club getting a boat I was under the impression quartz quite early on that I couldn't just stick to the club sessions three sessions a week I wasn't gonna get good enough quick enough so I was like let's you know I just I just really had this drive and that came from how powerful that experience was after my accident and that drive has driven me through to to learning rowing and then pursuing I guess my personal best enrolling so yeah yeah that's a great message and Gratitude particularly around gratitude in the situation that we all find us or seen at the moment we've covert and various degrees of shut down and and a lot of these things were excited about the Olympics the Paralympics the World Championships World Cups all being pushed and and canceled for athletes but even just for for anyone who's at home and and seeing the things they were ordinarily looking forward to can soar that what you're talking about in terms of gratitude on a daily basis and and that mindfulness is so important and a lesson can all take yeah so spot-on that's exactly right that was beautiful sentence that's that's been massive lately and seems like things like patience and you know yeah like one thing you learn it and you can navigate through life sometimes and if you know it it should you know it's not always going to be easy and so well I think we've got a we've got to realize for me like I realized this when I lost my leg that and and went through that it was like it's not always easy and but that's cool because you really don't generally tend to grow as much when stuff's easy and all for me when it becomes about what do I want what's happiness to me it's personal growth right I you know it's it's and so for me it's like well like you know it's not that disco food thing it excited me but what I'm talking about is is when they started to happen I got okay what can we do is how can we grow I really was like it was like heightened since and that was that came that happened when it's not like I was excited when I lost my leg but I can explain it as this heightened sense and so I think it this is a good message for everyone is don't steer away from the hard things in life and have a crack and and and you know and really push yourself as hard as you can because that's really when you're gonna grow so that's think of it is a perfect example and it's a beautiful example at the moment as well because we're all doing it like it's rare that I'm like every super human being on the planet is doing it at the moment so there's that I don't exactly it can't see exactly what's gonna come of that yet but I know it's gonna be pretty cool so it's happening at the moment yeah yeah absolutely and Priorities one of the bonuses I guess with this situation is that you're spending more time at home more time with your beautiful family can you tell me a bit about how I guess your priorities changed when you welcomed just son Wolfgang and how that helped you on your recovery yeah it really did I guess one of the coolest things was yes the bad news when when I lost my leg and having to that echo through my family and my mom and dad and my mother-in-law and father-in-law and my brother and sister that news echoing and obviously the support that then they gave me but how amazing it was like yeah what was mm it was like maybe 18 months later to have this amazing users of when we told him I'm just as pregnant is probably less than that so it was like having some mazing years ago now Jessa's pregnant and you know how beautiful that was and so and then the old story of you don't know if you don't know and then you really don't tell you have kids I guess it's just like just you know the explosion of love and and you know the explosion of you know basically they matter and and that's you know my number one and when that shifts and then you know your family unit sort of becomes the number one it was it was amazing but then also I've got to admit is pursuing a Paralympic dream and that is almost polar opposite of what you have to be which has been tough it's been it's because you really it's not like I'm going down and playing social basketball on the Saturday morning you know what I mean it's it's it's six days a week two or three sessions a day plus the months away you know what I mean so it was it's been a tough thing like this fully supported by the family 100% especially my wife and and but it's more the internal fight in my own brain of going hang on like you know you know so it's it's tough but that's but you know we're cruising along that's cool so yeah yeah that's amazing and and on a daily basis how do you how do you balance your family life and your training because you know people often say being an athlete is you know a really selfish pursuit how do you stay focused and do what you need to do but still you know I guess ya share that time and share yourself with your family yeah I just got to make a conscious effort to one when the time is there be 100% there and present and also I like being at home and training in my home environment there are some bonuses I like is you know you're out early in the morning but I'm usually back for a couple of hours and I am in and out and yeah there are some sessions by eg some blocks here and there that are flexible on time you know so I can you know so there is that I can have that extra special moment here and help Jess out here and there when I can and you know always try and be home I always try and make dinner and so I always squeeze Jim in a little earlier you know just to get home there's a few things I do just to make sure it doesn't feel to me me me it's all about jet which it totally can I can understand that and and yeah and then you know then the occasional thing I think this happens in every relationship too it's not just an only athlete is you know you got to watch you know how your partner's going and she does the same for me and sometimes I can tell I you know I just needs a bad day or you know what I mean needs that half a day I want to have the kids for even an hour or whatever that is and that's just normal in every relationship but I have to be conscious of it and that's the big thing yeah yeah well it sounds like you've got an incredible support network there and then a great relationship with your family which is really special in yeah and I bet that Spurs you on as well when when you're doing the hard yards yeah it does now Sweep or Skull you are a two-time World Championships silver medalist in the pr3 men's pair so I think I know the answer to this one but one of our listeners wants to know sweep or skull ah definitely sweep yeah definitely sleep I spend a lot of times yeah thanks mate I knew you I've sent a lot of times going but I'd have to yet but yes weight for sure it's just something about it especially in the pair it's just so so good absolutely best boat I agree yeah and we had Keeping the boat straight someone want to know how do you keep the boat straight I guess this is more about the single scull probably we don't have a rudder and obviously the difference in strength in your legs and your analogy so how do you actually keep the boat straight yeah to be honest it's never been an issue not even once even when I first started so you know it's probably maybe also because I've never rowed before maybe if I went from rolling injury got back into a boat I'd find some sort of weirdness but because and I found this a lot with all sorts of things that have done since my accident is you just make it and so whether or not my body is adjusting somehow I do have sort of you know your body works in slings like you know so I do have some sort of issues and my lot stronger on my right side so there are some issues here and there in Eagles like it run hands but mine are always associated with my left leg not being as strong basically every niggler has is okay it comes from it might be a buyback but it's because there's this leg so that's probably the thing but my boat certainly go stray I mean there's been the old brace here now that we've all been and in terms of your rowing Hardest moment career and your journey today what's the hardest moment that you've had is is there one time or one moment that you can think of that you know was really tough probably I've got to say selection selections probably the hardest moments I've had in in the sport you know your question what the heck you're doing here and all of that sort of stuff and you know the sound about it you know it's even we were halfway kind of through selection this year and Kovach kind of kicked in but I remember sitting there and looking across at will you know and I'm like what are we doing what are we doing this to ourselves but you know that feeling um yeah but definitely some of the hardest moments have been through selection team selection is tough my yeah as you know yeah yeah absolutely I think most athletes do heard you say that answer would probably say yeah you know what give me the hardest session any day selection Charles you wouldn't wish it upon anyone yes so we're up to our Fast Five now our The Fast Five five questions that I ask all of our guests so we'll get straight into it yep hydrate hydrate get ready all right what's your favorite rowing Coster on sir sick absolutely top track - urgh - beds are burning you're not oil oh good one just you just picture a bit of Peter Garrett go absolutely berserk yeah yeah yeah maybe don't mirror those moves on my machine best piece of advice you've been given don't worry what people think nice with respect obviously absolutely career highlight today winning gold at the International para regatta last year with will amazing and I team did so well at that regatta I remember really breakthrough regatta for the Australian para teams yeah it was well done on all your success there and finally the hardest session you've ever done I'd have to say probably repeat rate twenty eight eight minute pieces like I think it was that six or six or seven of them probably one of the hardest sessions uh yeah it's hard to pick them like this so many I own all together but that's probably one of the hardest a big long K session is sometimes a little hard on the head mentally but as far as physically I think it was rate twenty eight really back to back seeks yeah then yeah that's a bit of a nasty right to isn't it just you know that sort of sub max South Max and yet you know do a few of them yeah yeah no very worthy answer there well that winds up our chat for today thank you so much for joining us Jed and all the very best in navigating through this period and of course looking towards the international season in 2021 and the Paralympic Games next year yeah thanks heaps for having me might appreciate it's been good [Music]