Finding Passion in Unlikely Places

Back in early 2011, I was deep in the world of rowing, chasing the dream of one day representing Australia. Our crew had been putting in the hard yards, and like many athletes, I had tunnel vision—everything revolved around that one goal. But sometimes life throws you a curveball.

Our rowing crew was unexpectedly dropped by the coach in charge. It was a tough blow—disappointing and disorienting. Not long after, I got a call from one of my teammates, Alex. She told me there was a trike category in Para Cycling and that I should come up to Queensland to race at the Para Cycling Nationals.

I laughed. Out loud.

I’d only ever had a trike made so I could get to and from rowing training. It was a beast—22kg of steel, not built for speed, especially uphill! It was what I called my ‘Red Rocket’. Sure, I’d done some triathlon in the past, but racing a trike? That was a whole other story.

But Alex persisted, and something in me said, "Why not?"

So I went. I gave it a go. I lined up at my first-ever Para Cycling Nationals and raced that steel machine with everything I had. And the rest, as they say, is history.

If I hadn’t been nudged into that unfamiliar, unlikely space, I never would have discovered the incredible passion I now have for cycling. At the time, my heart was fully in rowing—cycling wasn’t even on my radar.

It makes you think—how many times have you been offered an opportunity and instinctively said no? What if saying yes could open the door to a new passion, a new path, or even a whole new chapter in your life?

Sometimes, the best things find us when we’re not even looking.