S4E06 · Aiden Hinson

Alrighty, beautiful people. Welcome back to the Verdi podcast. I'm here with the man himself, the best looking Verdis coach, Aiden Hinson. What a time to be alive. Great man, how are you? I'm good, I'm good. I'm doing real well. It's a beautiful day. How's your morning been? Been productive, funnily enough. You had your servo coffee? I did, I did. Grow up. A couple shots in there. Didn't have the energy to make it at home so I thought I'd get it on the way. Mate, you should do a reel of day in the life of servo coffee making.

And just follow your journey walking into the servo, pouring your three shots, you know, rolling. I'd watch that reel. You know, they call you a viral. I have to get a trending audio on that but maybe, I'll add it to the notes. Add it to the list. How are you? I'm well. I'm not going to lie, I've been better. Yeah, been a rough little bit. Been a rough couple weeks mentally but yeah, just in a bit of a rut but there's nothing that I can't come out of. Absolutely, absolutely. It's like, we'll dive into it a bit, I reckon later on.

And it's kind of a, I'm actually excited to talk about that stuff rather than it just being a stock standard like, "Oh yeah, I jump really far and I do comps and stuff like that." But first of all, what gets you out of bed in the morning? For, when you asked me before and I had a little chance to think about it when I went to the toilet, first thing that came to mind was, it sounds cliche and cringe but honestly, like, just bettering myself every single day. I love that. I love waking up, first thing, go outside, stand on the grass and just look at the sun.

And yeah, it kind of opens my mind and allows me to think of what I can do today and what I've got on and then, yeah, just do it. I love that. Have you always been someone that's wanted to get the best out of themselves or is it something that's grown over the years? I think it's definitely grown over the years. It's something that I've known from a young age that I have the ability to do the hard things and get on with it. But yeah, especially over the last couple of years, I think of competing at a higher level and having to train, it's something that comes naturally and something that you do rather than you overly think about.

Yeah. Yeah, I love that. Oh, it's Miles and Simon. Hey. Hey boys. The other two looking guys. Carry on. Yeah, I think that aspect is super obvious from meeting you and getting to know you better over the last little while. Was it always athletics that was going to be your vessel or was there times where it was like maybe football, maybe something else? Yeah, so up until year 10, I was playing in Rays and doing Aths at the same time, so trying to juggle both Rays training, which was at that point, it just seemed like they were punishing you.

Which is wild. Yeah, and then trying to like turn up for Aths training and it got to a point where I remember I was in school, I was in maths class and I was just like almost about to cry because I just did not want to go to footy training because I just knew how hard it was. And I think at that point I was like, it wasn't necessarily, I was crying because how hard it was, I think it was more me knowing that I was going to choose athletics, give up this footy dream. And I think that was my brain telling me to lean towards more individual sport rather than team sport.

But it's hard, like every year the draft comes around, I'm like, I kick myself, I get a bit down, there's just that small bit in my mind of like, I could have made it and it always kicks me some years. Yeah, that's hard to you. Like obviously you made, you know you made the right decision now, you can sit here and go, yeah I made the right decision. Was it, obviously you've had that like solidifying moment in maths where you realised, but was it like a push and pull for months, years before that, like making that decision?

Yeah I think it was, like up until that point in school it was yeah, probably a couple months before that where like the thoughts started coming into my mind and with me, if a thought comes into my mind then my brain just follows it and still to this day finds it really hard to step away from that thought and like just move on. But yeah it was kind of push and pull, like my coach Chloe, shout out Chloe, for athletics really really wanted me for athletics because she'd lost some really good athletes to footy like

Will Hamill, Connor McDonald, they were all training with me at the time and she thought I was going to go down that path but yeah she was pretty happy I stuck and yeah now we're here. From that, talk us through that moment from when you like decided to like now, what's the journey been like from a training perspective, from a competing perspective, from a like throwing everything at athletics? Yeah look it's like some instances have been amazing, some instances have been really hard, I've had a pretty hard path with athletics from a young age, I've been able to get some really good performances but in terms of injuries it's been really hard so I'll kind of take you through.

So yeah once I kind of put everything into ats at a young age, yeah did really well as a junior, won I think maybe six junior national titles in a row. First year of COVID, I'm not sure what year was it, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2019, no 2020, yeah 2020, March 2020, I qualified for the World Juniors in Peru, was going into that ranked first or second but Australia didn't send a team due to COVID, fine, next year qualified for again, jumped a qualifier like 12 times. Two months before I was about to go, I did

my hamstring, complete rupture of the tendon, got surgery, missed that, was going into that ranked second and was looking good, had a sponsorship lined up from a manager so missing that was really hard. Next year, first open year coming back from the hamstring, I just put in a really good pre-season, had a really good team, won nationals as a 19 year old, did the longest jump run at Aussie in I think 11 years for triple jump, qualified for the World Athletics Championships in Budapest 2023. Got through that whole season, it was one week before my

comp on a Saturday, one of my very last training sessions, had a run up for triple jump, the very last stride onto the board, did my hamstring. Was over there in Mont Peler, yeah so I missed those championships and then all the other events I missed so it's been pretty tough the last three years and then just missing out in the Olympics by a couple of spots but I'm still somehow. But you're right on the nice edge right? I am, I am. Because obviously you're studying this stuff, you're coaching here now, you've been in that world for so long, you understand how high level it is right?

Like how, like pushing your body to that level over and over again, like there's bound to be some injuries you just would like them to have for less often. How have you, because like one of the first things I've kind of gotten to know about you is how resilient you are regardless of all of that stuff. And obviously you've been a bit flat lately which I want to talk about but like how have you, what process do you go through to work through those setbacks? Yeah I'm a lot better now than what I used to, I used to let it really get to me.

A few of the people on my team like my psychologist and just a few other coaches kind of say like don't try and completely disregard all the negative emotions like don't just, like grief like if you lost someone don't just shut it all out, like sit in your emotions for a bit. Because it's the best way to process them so now I like to give myself, if I have a bad competition the night of then I'll be an absolute baby that night. Maybe the next day in the morning but nothing more than like 48 hours. And then you get rolling again.

And then you get rolling again because like you just got to because next training session comes around and that's still on your mind then it's hard to focus on training. But with like the big injuries yeah like it is hard and sometimes it might take a week or two weeks to get over it. And you've got everyone telling you that it's going to be alright but you and your mind are like is it? Yeah is it? You're the only one that knows what's going on, the only one that knows how you feel. I got a

quote on my whiteboard at home that I put on after the Olympics and I missed out and I said adversity is my best friend and not my enemy. I didn't say that anywhere it just came straight to my head and I was like yeah you almost got to make it your best friend you can't let it defeat you. I think you just got to keep the ball rolling. Yeah I like that. You have to right? There's two options you can either stop or you can figure out how to keep going. You mentioned before about the shift between individual sport and team sport right?

What has that been like? Because yes you've got a team, you've got coaches and psych and all of these people around you but ultimately it's on you. I was never anywhere near as good as athletics as you were but when there was that push and pull between the two it was like footy no brainer because I worked better in a team environment because I wasn't as good individually obviously. But what's that been like making that shift and what do you love about that but what do you miss about the team aspect of it? Yeah it's a great question.

First things first it's bloody hard being an individual sport. Your footy team save you lose you can put the blame on your forwards, your centre, your ruck or even your coach. Whereas athletics it's like you have a bad jump and you've got no one to blame. You can blame other things but ultimately it comes down to you. You're the one that works out how you prepare for a comp. You're in the comp after the comp. It's really hard and travelling is hard by yourself. When I go overseas for competitions everyone's always like 'oh'. I'd love to be in your position where you can travel for ass.

Yes I'm super grateful I'm able to travel overseas but for me if I'm going over to Europe for a comp I'll get over there 8 hours behind all my mates and that. And then I'm not sightseeing, I'm in the hotel, I'm eating well, I'm not going out, I'm sleeping early, I compete, I leave for the next country the next day and repeat. I like to say it's a business trip and that can be really hard especially when you don't do well and you're on the other side of the country and you're like 'what am I

doing?', you spend all this money and I've had a few realisations where I'm like 'what the fuck am I doing?' So that's really hard individually. What do you miss about the football environment? Obviously you can blame the Fords but what do you miss? Is it that shared responsibility of 'I can play bad but if the 21 other blokes play well we're still going to go ok'? Yeah I think so and just the camaraderie between your mates and being able to, I don't know, I was a junior but even now being able to go to the

pub after with the boys, we used to have club room dinners every night Sunday after games, just having that and just being in the thick of it with your mates, like say if you lose you're all in it together, if you win you're all in it together, you're amped. So I think that team aspect, but I'm pretty fortunate now, I've got a good squad of people I train with so it's really good to get to training and to have a couple of mates there but it's like all different events and it's still that hard in that regard.

What's your relationship like with the other guys you compete against and then like the guys you train with and guys and girls that you obviously would, I would imagine there'd be a fairly consistent crew that move around to different comps at that level. What's your relationship like with them? Yeah like with my squad members, really really good. With a couple of the people that I'm with now, like you train with them four or five times a week, we've been through the hard winter sessions so we're really close. With the people I compete with, I'd like to say we're close but it's that weird close feeling.

You've been competing with them for so many years, most instances if we have a comp in New Zealand you'll probably be in a room with them. You go through different events, you eat with them and it's that weird closeness of yes we're mates but it's also like we're not mates. And some of the boys that I compete with are better than others. There's a couple real proper douches but there's a real couple good ones. It's a real weird spot. I always watch, I don't follow athletics super close but I love watching it whenever I get a chance to watch it and I always find it fascinating the interactions between different athletes.

I love middle distance growing up so you look at all of those guys and it seems like it's super polite and super connected and then you see the sprinters and they're either going to say a lot or they're going to say absolutely nothing. And I imagine being the short, sharp, field would be fairly similar where you've got so much time to talk in between or so much time to be stuck in your own head. What's that like in terms of, are you a talker out there when you're in between jumps? Yeah, I try and keep to myself.

A few of the other boys try and talk to me mid comp and I just give them one or two word answers. Most of the time I'm just either focused or just other stuff's running through my head or been in the sport for so long and coming in as a junior. People just try and get in your head for mind games and a few of the boys if they do a really good jump then they're up and about, they're talkative. And they're just real positive and I think if you feed into that too much then it can almost be them playing mind games and it scares you away.

But yeah, the time in between jumps is one of the worst and best things that I think you can experience as a triple jumper. I envy sprints. When you can just get in, have the adrenaline and just sprint 100 metres and that's it. Whereas a triple jumper comp might go for, well I've had one in Japan that went for nearly two and a half hours and it's just hard to stay mentally right for that. Yeah, I would imagine the comps where you're in a good headspace when you're in flow and you're just smiling the whole time in between just hanging out for your next jump.

Whereas the comps where, and we've talked about the last few where maybe you're not in a great headspace and you're not jumping as well as you want where you'd just be like that feedback loop would be not a positive place to be. Yeah, it's a real fine line and it's amazing what the brain can do to you if you don't stop it and you just let it run exactly as you said. You have one good jump and your whole demeanour, your whole body language, you're positive, you're looking forward to the next jump, you're ready to go.

Whereas you have one bad jump and your mind starts saying you're not good enough, you're not going to jump well, this comps over and then after you jump you sit, you can just sit in that for the next 10-15 minutes before your next jump and if you don't kind of catch yourself and try and cheer away from it then comps over which sometimes I find really hard to do. Do you have a process you go through? Like a framework where you go this is what I do when? I do. I've been working with the psych for quite a couple of years.

We've got a good process of if I have a bad jump I am allowed to get out of the pit, talk to my coach but as soon as I then either go and sit down, place my bum on the seat or pick up my drink bottle then that's it. That's why I put that comp behind me and try and focus on the next comp. So little things like that but with anything it's easier said than done. You can be like this is what I do and then you put your drink bottle down and you're like that wasn't as good.

And then other things like listening to external noises like the music or sporting something out in the crowd and focusing on that or just listening to something else to try and take your mind away from it. A lot of things that you can do but it's just whether or not you can actually do them and stop those negative thoughts. I find it fascinating that you've got to be at the top of your game physically and mentally and you've got to put it all together and you get only a handful of times to execute which considering how much you train and how much you put into it is kind of fascinating.

Has it always been triple jump? Was triple jump always where you excelled? Yeah kind of. I did a few events coming up as a junior. I was a hurdler for a bit. I did the 200 hurdles and actually come third at Nationals for that which is pretty crazy. You cross country for a bit and then just long jump, triple jump. So that first year when COVID hit I qualified for the World Juniors for long jump and triple jump as well. And then I did my hamstring I think because of training for the long jump and triple jump.

You'd think they'd be similar but the actual take off from the board is a bit different and the forces and the biomechanics are different and doing both of those I think my muscles were just like I've had enough and then they just went. Just stuck with triple from that point. Nice. Let's talk about the last couple of months. I just missed out on qualifying for the Olympics. What was that process like? Was there a time where you were like fuck this is going to happen? Talk us through where you were at through that period and then what the last few months have been like.

Yeah so there were a couple of times last year where I was like right I'm making it. Athletics Australia kind of sent out. They put you on the waiting list for the Olympics so you get all the information that they send out to people that have already qualified. So I was getting all that. Had mediocre season, had some good performances. I was able to come second at Nationals which is all I was annoyed about but then I was able to get up and win. I was able to get up and win the Oceana's which was

in Fiji so Oceana champions are the best triple jumper in basically all the Oceana regions which was really really good points because there's a point system for which is another conversation because it's a really tricky point system. So it's like a consistency thing but also top jump. Yeah so it's like for the Olympics it was if you're in the top 32 in the world for ranking you make it. You can either be in the top 32 or you can jump the order qualifier. The order qualifier is like 17-22 which I haven't done so then you try and get in through ranking points and each comp has different points and blah blah blah so on and so on.

So the Oceana's was a GL which is the best points you can get. I had won that. I was like right I'm roaring a girl. I was in the quota at that point for the Olympics and then a week later I got bumped out because of other people in other countries. Went over to Europe had a couple pretty average comps and then I was sitting maybe 34th going to my last comp and I was like right I need a big jump to put me in and I just couldn't perform under pressure at that point. And

then ended I think maybe 36th 37th which is wild which is yeah which is like really annoying because for worlds they take top 32 top 36 but for some reason for the Olympics they drop to the top 32. Like is it because there'd be now obviously the overwhelming feeling would be disappointment right but like in top 35 in the world like it's it's what it's like it's it's a wild juxtaposition of like like that nice edge like you just saw you so close does that like obviously initially disappointed but did that fuel fuel that like I like I'm going to dial in.

And really lean in now. Yeah, yeah, like, or more than you like could know the stuff I was, I was doing throughout training like the sessions, the, the, the, the team I changed. I anyway, like after when the Olympics was happening, I think I was reading a book and I hadn't heard this before but you've definitely heard it but nothing changes if nothing changes. And that just like stuck with me because I had so many things that just needed to change. And I was like if I keep this team and nothing is going to change so I got a new agent, which is manager.

Got a mentor who that mentor is a three time Olympic champion for triple jumps. So got him under my wing changed training, just put in absolute black hours and hours and hours and and I think that's what's been hard with the comps now it's like, I've had these amazing training sessions like everything is basically gone right for the last I've got a diary and I'm up to I think 210 sessions. From when I started and basically all those have gone right and it's like you put in all this effort but now my last comp is like, I'm not getting I'm not getting out what I've put in which is I think been being the hardest thing.

Yeah, and like can you sit in the headspace of like, or you're only you can only be responsible for the process right you can't be responsible for the outcome like can you sit in that at the moment with the frustration and kind of go like the result will take care of itself or is this is there like friction with how you're sure like how you're showing up with cops. Yeah, like, yeah, it's, it's, it's been hard like it's, it's hard because you, you tell yourself that the results will come up for me like I need the results.

Yeah, yeah. These comps are good points to qualify for me for worlds. Yeah. Later in the year like yes I've got until August, when they select the teams yeah like getting better comps now will help me get into better comps in Europe so it's like, yes, I know the results have come and yes I'm trying so hard to like trust the process and I know that my work will pay off but Is there an element of gripping those handlebars so tight that's almost like to detriment though. Oh, yeah, like, I'm a perfectionist and I'm, I'm someone who wants everything right there and then.

And, yeah, like, even going to sleep last night like put my book down and as soon as you don't have something taking your mind of things and you just sit in your bed like my mind was just like, go and go in different places and, and, and, like last night I was even just like, still like, what am I doing like what what am I putting myself through And, yeah, but, yeah, yeah, it's, it's, it's hard because it's like you can have to really, you can have really good performances and your mind just goes a complete other way it's like it's yeah it's it's weird.

Do you feel like, even though things are going super well you're better equipped now than you would have been say like this time last year the year before to overcome this. Yeah, 100%, and I know for a fact that I am in a lot better form than I was last year I've been like training absolute house down for the past 10 weeks out of the maybe like 50 sessions I've had one bad session and it's like, how, how am I training the house down so well, and absolutely smashing it but I just can't transition that into comp.

It's like my brain and my body just connecting and that's another really hard things. What is going on, it's like it's a million dollar question of like what's missing. Yeah, but you had some, you had some good chats yesterday that you went through, like with where your head's at Can you fill us in on that is, this is a fascinating aspect of it I think, yeah, for sure like I am, I caught up with Australian athletics head of well being and performance now she's such a great individual and we just caught actually caught up in common folk and frankston first didn't even know that had other places.

Yeah, well I heard there's one also one in South yara. Yeah, that way I did not know that, or in the city, Sam kicks taken over the world. He'll love that he came up here too. Yeah, just like I like I'm, I'm an open book and I'm being truly honest like I right now like I, I do need help like I do need mental help like I'm not in. I'm not in a good space. So just catching up with her was like really good. And she just pointed, like so many things that I was like kind of aware of, but when she ran through like a bunch of these questions.

Like for example we had maybe like 10 subheadings one of them was like relationships one of them was like community friends, sport and was like, out of five as five been the most important right the number so I did like relationships and friends and family and it was like a five. And then on the other side it was like, how satisfied, are you with like that number and where you are now and I was like, what's a, it's a five, but I'm at a one has been like the least satisfied like I'm, I'm pushed, I'm giving so much of the apps and I'm just forgetting about everything else in my life.

Yeah. And I like black being honest like I basically just broke down in front of I was like, I was like, I am so I am making athletics my identity. Yeah. And rather than something that I do a lot of. Yeah. And I know I'm talking a lot here but what you're here for your fucking. Yeah, well, well then like talking about balance and, and, and she said that most people think that like balance is this, which it can be, but she's also like balance can be this, and this. It's just like from for you balance looks like this where it's like athletics, and everything else just vertical it's just, yeah, straight athletics and.

Yeah, I was like shit. But it's almost like a it's a byproduct it's like a follow up of you, throwing yourself into everything after, like, after missing out on the Olympics last year right it's like you kind of, there'd be an element of you where you're like I have to make it my identity I have to make it everything that I am because I wasn't able to get to where I wanted to get to. Whereas like the answer is, again, we don't know the answer but the answer is probably somewhere like you have this life

that you live outside of athletics that is fulfilling and allows you to get what you need to get, but then athletics is is it is the still the main thing, but it's supported by being able to exhale once in a while, which you probably haven't done too much of the last little while. Yeah, so was there now because that's super interesting to go through that, like to hear that you're going through that process. What was the, like actionable things that you took out of that chat and like what will do you think will change. And what does everyone listening need to hold you accountable to doing.

Oh, like, seeing my mates more, adding in, adding in different circuit breakers throughout training like I when I'm in training mode and competition mode. I might go like three or four months of just of just training and I'm someone who loves the outdoors I love camping I love fishing I love just getting out in nature and, and I always push that aside until after the athletic season so then when it's late into the athletic season I'm just like holding on and I'm just like cannot wait for the season to be finished so I can just get away.

So I think, adding in little circuit breakers maybe like every month on a, on a Saturday and Sunday, just get out. Just, and then it's like, you can look forward to something every month rather than just grinding away and just, and just getting out of my house like my house is a safe place and there's someone who does like to be social and also can be a bit of an introvert and, yeah, and yeah when I'm in athletics mode is like, I just want to train I just want to recover I just want to eat well.

Yeah, I don't want to go out and, and be with mates. When I could be getting a nine hour sleep. Yeah, then puts me in a good spot for training so yeah so it's been able to carve out that social time. Pardon me, sorry about the coffin today. It's been able to carve out that social time and that like psychological release, without it having to be at 11 o'clock at night or, you know, or with 15 beers or, or all of the things that, that I imagine your mates would be doing on the weekends. Yeah,

I think and I think that's like having something to look forward to that has nothing to do with your sport is probably massively important because it's, it's like it's the life conversation right it's like the Who am I outside of athletics. I imagine there would have been times in your life and now you kind of going through it is like, well I'm not really sure. Like, does that, because it's not necessarily a bad thing, it's just the self awareness of going on. There needs to be some substance outside of that like how does that sit with you.

Yeah, like, so true. Like, I'm not good enough like, I, yeah, it's, it's hard because it's like, if I don't make the World Championships team this year in Japan, then I'm like, me thinking Ath is my identity it's like well you're, you're, you're a failure like you're, that's what you've been training for so long and you didn't do it so you're just, like, yes, it's, it's, I can't really put the word into perspective but it's, um, yeah, if you if you're having this conversation with one of your teammates that you train with, and they were in the same headspace as you are now.

And you're like, sitting on the outside like what would you say to them in terms of like, if they're saying I'm, you know, for lack of a better term worthless for not making it like what would you say to them. Yeah, I'd say get grip. Like, and I try and tell myself that I try and so different. So yeah, I try and almost like parent myself like if I, if I was a parent and my son was was thinking that way, like, I'd talk them up and say no like, you're good enough you're like, just

keep being positive just keep like things would turn out and you try and tell yourself but if you don't have that hundred percent self belief and and you like lately I've been, I've just been tricking myself like I'm saying I'm fine I'm saying I have all this self belief and confidence but it's just a show like it's just, it's just something that I'm tricking myself rather than that I actually believe deep down. Yeah, which, yeah, when you say. Yeah, as you said with your teammate like, get a grip like that but it's like, yeah, it's almost goes in your brain and then just out.

Yeah, but like, because I'd almost challenge you on that because like you saying that you, you have this false bravado of like self belief, like, you know you're good at what you do right. Yeah, yeah, so so so there's there's substance to that and there's. And the thing is you've got proof that you think you can that you can triple jump with the best of them so it's like, how do you get through that, like, break that barrier of like, it doesn't almost doesn't matter how you jump, you still have those things. Yeah, like you're still, you're still at the top end of what you're doing.

It's just not all coming together right now. And like, it must, it must be a feel for you because I can see how much you give a shit but it's also like, you can't, you can't make the results happen. Yeah, but all you all you can do is trust the process which super cliche. The clique cliches are there for a reason. So it's like, yeah, what are you? What do you control? What like, what can you control? What are you doing about it? And then it's just like, you know, hope. I think I hope can be a tactic sometimes.

I hope that it all comes together. Yeah. And do it in a way that way you're like, because you said before, like, you know how grateful you are. Do you ruminate on that enough? Do you think of like, what you get to do? And you get to do it because you've worked so hard to get it. So it's not like you've been given it given it like, you know, your the last few weeks you've had even though you haven't competed the way you wanted wanting to, like, it's pretty cool. You got to do that. You get to do that stuff, right?

It is it is. And I, I try and remind myself that of every time I get a chance, even even speaking to one of my old, old mates that I used to compete with and that used to we always used to go number one and two in triple jump and he's is retired now and he's just in finance and I was talking to him and I was like, Do you miss competing? And he's like, Yeah, like, and then he's like, and then he just straight out and said, I, I envy you like I I'd love

to be traveling and competing and being able to go up against big dogs and I was like, shit I was like, shit damn like I am in a position where I can do that and, and I think you can get so caught up with just going in the motion that you you can forget to be grateful for the position that you're in. And so many things that are going well, like a working body. Yeah. Food like travel just just yeah, a lot of things. Yeah, it's, it's hard to appreciate it when you're in it though, right?

It's hard to especially when there's when there's so much friction or so much going on under the surface, I imagine people would look at you like a duck sitting on water and you're just like, yeah, it's cruising and then your legs are just going nuts underneath trying to figure out how to how to dial everything in. But your friends right like, if you're, you know, 10 years down the track, and you're looking at spreadsheets, you're probably like, kind of wish I was back. Yeah, dealing with all the shit I was dealing with in 2025. Greg's got a line that I really liked that might be helpful for you.

It's like treat you treat yourself like an eight year old version of yourself. Like how would you talk to yourself? What would you do? Like, you'd give yourself so much more grace and you're giving yourself now. It's actually quite funny because on my, on my I don't know if the camera can see that but my luck saying is a picture of my old self love. Maybe I see that but he'd be pretty proud of you. Just, just another thing where I'm like, I just want to be a younger me we just you just go through life you don't think you don't have all the stress and it's like to take me back to the end and exactly right.

Like when I'm older and I'm 3540 and I'm not whack competing. It's like, take you back to 21 and being able to do this as an old washed up athlete it goes quick. So it's like, yeah, like, obviously, there's an element of like, doing your best but just find find ways to carve out enjoyment. Right. Are you going to Perth next week? I am I am. Which will be, you'll have just finished competing when this launches when this drops. So yeah, what's the what's the plan for for Perth? Oh man, honestly, still like still trying to work that out myself.

I normally I go into comp with expectations of certain distances I want to jump for me, I think for Perth it's, it's just trying to go out there and have some fun. Like the last couple of comps. I want to see you smiling on the live stream. Yeah, and I want to I want to be like that like the last couple comps I just haven't, I haven't had that love I haven't had that enjoyment out there and I just want to get into Perth, have no expectations of myself, just be a junior and just jump with a smile on my face and actually love what I'm doing.

Yeah, I'm actually craving that so bad. I'm doing that in training but comp is just so different and yeah, that's just what I want to do. Yeah, good. Good. So talk me through the process of like getting ready for a Nationals comp. It's Nationals right? Yeah. Yeah. Getting ready for a Nationals comp. Obviously, and something we might talk about in a minute but yeah, going to a different state jumping on a plane for three hours, four hours. Yeah. Like what does that process look like for you from like today, which is Thursday? When do you leave?

I leave Tuesday. I leave Tuesday. So what does training look like over the next four or five days? And then what does the process look like going into a comp? Yeah, it's tedious. It's, it's, yeah, a lot of a lot of different things go into it. So I only have a couple more sessions left on the track. Tonight will be pretty, pretty light. Gym probably Friday. Track session again Sunday. Just I think, yeah, just real light. Just only a few jumps just trying to more get the feel like I could not train from now until comp and I'll be sweet.

Yeah. It's more just like trying to take the body over like the work's been done from now until Nationals not going to get really any benefit from anything else. And then yeah, with the travel. Yeah. Cause it's a bit longer of a flight, leave the Tuesday and then qualifying will be Thursday final Saturday. And then probably from Monday or Tuesday, my like diet kind of just completely changes. So from Monday to basically Saturday, I'll not have many veggies. I'll not have much, much fibre. It's real, it's real tedious, but basically fibre holds weight with water in your gut.

Yeah. A bit heavier. So trying to cut out that you, you might drop, I don't know, maybe all up 700, 800 grams, but it can, it can make a difference. Get the carbs up. And then just, just trying to relax really before and make sure the recovery is right. And then just rip into it. Love that. Love that. Well, good luck. Thank you very much. It'll be interesting. I probably should have asked this before, but when you, when you're travelling overseas to, to do your comps, what's the process like, obviously you spoke about seeing hotel

rooms and athletics tracks, but what's the process like getting yourself into a head space to compete when you're like in a whole different world essentially? Yeah, it's, it's, it's something that I honestly think I'll still be trying to figure out in the next, in the next couple of years. Like I might've only got it 80% figured out. But yeah, it's, it's challenging, especially with the new time zone, like from two days before you leave, say for like a long haul flight, like you gotta be doing all these different things. Otherwise you'll be jet lagged and then that'll throw you training and comp out.

So it's like so many little different things, like wearing my sunnies in between flights and the airport. So then the light pop into melatonin at the perfect time, not eating at this certain time, every little minuscule thing to not be jet lagged. And then, cause it can, yeah, it can just ruin your comp. For overseas travel, there's like a period where you can basically get there the day before, say for, if you leave from Australia to Europe, you can get there the day before comp and you'll be fine. Cause jet lag doesn't necessarily hit until like 30, 48 hours or you have to get there a week before.

But yeah, mindset, it's, it's real difficult cause you've got all this added pressure. I've come all this way. I've got to, I've got to show up, I've got to put in and, and for some of the comps like I've had in Europe, they've been at like nine o'clock at night because the sun doesn't set. So it's like, yeah, at home here, I'm asleep behind nine. So it's then like trying to push back your sleep a week before so then you can get ready for it. It's real challenging. Cause you've got to change essentially every aspect of your life, right?

You do. It's yeah, it's, yeah, it's hard. So after nationals next week, you smile, you jump with a smile and you crush it. What's the, what's the plan for the rest of this year? Athletics wise. Yeah. So look, if I'm being honest, it's honestly dependent on nationals. It's, I don't want to manifest it or I don't want to throw out in the universe, but if I do have a bad comp, then it, it, it will put me in a hard position to then get into some good Europe comps or Japanese comps to then qualify for worlds.

Um, so then it's like, do you go over, do you chase like so hard and trying into comps and try and get points and then it's like extra pressure of you have to jump really well. Oh, the other thing is, is I jump absolutely smash it at nationals. I jump really well. I win. I get those real good points, get into real good school plan. Yeah, I reckon. But so if that happens, I'll probably have a week off from training. Almost start like another mini pre-season, go over to Europe in probably, uh, start of June and I might base there for like anywhere from six to eight weeks, just competing, um, competing, traveling around training.

And then most athletes actually stay over there and then go over to worlds, but that's like three months and I could not do that. I can't be away. Like I like, I like Australia. I like my routine. I like my family. I like the coffee. I think even like six weeks. Honestly, send it over like last year I was, I was away for like three or four weeks and I was like, right, get me home. It's just the little things you miss, which is hard, like seeing your dog waking up, yeah, making a coffee, going to the beach, sunshine.

It's, we've got a pretty good here. Oh man, traveling the world is like, as definitely made me realize how good we've got it. Australia, like no complaints. Yeah, I love that. Um, we obviously haven't spoken about it and we, uh, we'll wrap up in a moment, but being coach at Virtus for a few months now. Um, we love having you out. What's it been like? Oh, it's been unreal. It's, it's doing my internship here and then being able to actually coach. Like I feel like as a coach, I've already developed so much, um, finishing off one of my very first programs for a VAD athlete.

Um, Jasper is a basketball player and Superstar basketball player. He is. And just finishing that and, and it was very good too, by the way. Was it? Oh, I was kind of stressing over it. I was going to ask for feedback, but, uh, just like doing that and just feeling like accomplished that I, I, I can create a program and I, I, I do have the, the qualities and the strengths as a coach to pull that into place, coach it, go through the exercises and even give an explanation of why to the athlete they ask.

So the things I've learned here already, and I know that in a year, two time, a years or two, like the strengths and that, that I would have developed will be even better now. Absolutely. Absolutely. And you've got so much more experiential learning than most people from an athletics perspective or from, from a competing perspective that, yeah, your, um, your wisdom that you've already got, even though you might not think so is going to be invaluable to an athlete. So it's a pleasure to have you. Um, thank you for coming on today. Love chatting to you.

Thank you for being open and honest open, open book things. Um, yeah, I'm very excited to see how you go next week and see a smile. That's all I care about. Yeah, we'll have to, we'll have to jump on for another party. Absolutely. And then if, if things change or if things don't change and we can go through that, um, any members that are listening, feel free to ask me any questions. Um, I am an open book, so if you have any questions at all, just send me a DM or ask me in person. Good for you.

Thank you very much. Appreciate it. Have a good day.