00:00:03.750 --> 00:00:05.870
I thought making it would look like

00:00:05.870 --> 00:00:08.430
having a uniform. And I

00:00:08.430 --> 00:00:09.671
remember the day I was fitted

00:00:09.671 --> 00:00:12.430
for my Olympic uniform and that really

00:00:12.430 --> 00:00:14.350
felt so symbolic. I was

00:00:14.350 --> 00:00:15.310
like, I've made it. I'm

00:00:15.310 --> 00:00:17.711
on a team. I have a badge. I'm going to

00:00:17.711 --> 00:00:19.111
be representing someone.

00:00:19.111 --> 00:00:20.071
And I got fitted for

00:00:20.071 --> 00:00:22.071
the uniform and they packed it away and

00:00:22.071 --> 00:00:22.591
it was going to meet

00:00:22.591 --> 00:00:23.750
me in Sochi and I never

00:00:24.230 --> 00:00:25.910
picked it up because I never went.

00:00:30.631 --> 00:00:33.430
Success. Who defines it? And what must we

00:00:33.430 --> 00:00:34.910
sacrifice to achieve it?

00:00:35.430 --> 00:00:36.350
Athletes face countless

00:00:36.471 --> 00:00:39.671
obstacles in their pursuit of success. So

00:00:39.671 --> 00:00:40.910
many dream of reaching

00:00:40.910 --> 00:00:42.910
the top. Only a handful

00:00:42.910 --> 00:00:45.511
will ever make it. Beyond the bright

00:00:45.511 --> 00:00:47.151
stadium lights and heroic

00:00:47.151 --> 00:00:48.511
headlines, these are the

00:00:48.511 --> 00:00:50.350
stories that don't make the news.

00:01:02.031 --> 00:01:04.151
Since the age of 16, I've been

00:01:04.151 --> 00:01:06.031
unsponsored, which means you

00:01:06.031 --> 00:01:07.430
simply have to rely on your

00:01:07.430 --> 00:01:09.631
prize money if you aren't getting an

00:01:09.631 --> 00:01:11.750
income from a brand. So

00:01:11.750 --> 00:01:13.910
for me, it was get a result

00:01:14.071 --> 00:01:15.631
or you're not making it to the next comp.

00:01:16.071 --> 00:01:17.310
I was first approached

00:01:17.310 --> 00:01:19.230
by a brand when I was

00:01:19.230 --> 00:01:22.390
very young. I think I was 11 or 12 at the

00:01:22.390 --> 00:01:23.591
time. Probably the

00:01:23.591 --> 00:01:24.991
dream brand for any young

00:01:24.991 --> 00:01:28.230
girl coming up. Being a young girl in the

00:01:28.230 --> 00:01:29.551
surfing industry, the

00:01:29.551 --> 00:01:30.870
main thing that this

00:01:30.870 --> 00:01:33.270
brand was looking for was a girl to post

00:01:33.270 --> 00:01:34.191
a lot of pictures and

00:01:34.191 --> 00:01:35.390
videos in your bikini

00:01:35.471 --> 00:01:37.551
at the beach and just posing for the

00:01:37.551 --> 00:01:38.950
camera and whatnot. It

00:01:38.950 --> 00:01:40.270
meant doing a lot of things

00:01:40.310 --> 00:01:42.711
for them and a lot of those things

00:01:42.711 --> 00:01:44.750
clashed with my values as

00:01:44.750 --> 00:01:46.270
a person. India is one of

00:01:46.270 --> 00:01:48.350
Australia's best young surfers and in

00:01:48.350 --> 00:01:50.111
2022, she ranked among

00:01:50.111 --> 00:01:51.711
the top 18 women in the

00:01:51.711 --> 00:01:53.910
world. But with no sponsor to pay the

00:01:53.910 --> 00:01:55.071
costs of her travelling and

00:01:55.071 --> 00:01:56.511
competing, winning literally

00:01:56.551 --> 00:01:58.790
became her job. And when winning is your

00:01:58.790 --> 00:02:00.270
job, athletes will go

00:02:00.270 --> 00:02:01.910
to extreme lengths to get

00:02:01.991 --> 00:02:06.270
paid. I honestly just knew nothing about

00:02:06.270 --> 00:02:07.750
concussions. The one thing

00:02:07.750 --> 00:02:09.230
I thought was you had to be

00:02:09.230 --> 00:02:13.870
knocked out. In 2021, I got the nose of

00:02:13.870 --> 00:02:14.910
my board to my temple

00:02:14.910 --> 00:02:16.910
and yeah, I didn't think

00:02:16.910 --> 00:02:19.390
much of it at that moment. I thought

00:02:19.390 --> 00:02:20.471
that, you know, I've

00:02:20.471 --> 00:02:21.830
hit my head, but I wasn't

00:02:21.830 --> 00:02:23.390
knocked out on conscious. I was just a

00:02:23.390 --> 00:02:24.750
bit dizzy, a bit out

00:02:24.750 --> 00:02:26.350
of it. I didn't think it

00:02:26.350 --> 00:02:28.870
was too bad. Three days later, they

00:02:28.870 --> 00:02:29.870
diagnosed me with a

00:02:29.870 --> 00:02:32.430
concussion. Even the smallest of

00:02:32.430 --> 00:02:34.390
knocks if it gets you in the right part

00:02:34.390 --> 00:02:35.591
of your head, all just

00:02:35.591 --> 00:02:36.950
the motion of throwing

00:02:37.031 --> 00:02:38.591
your neck so hard that you get a

00:02:38.591 --> 00:02:40.071
whiplash. It's enough for

00:02:40.071 --> 00:02:41.230
your brain to move inside

00:02:41.230 --> 00:02:43.310
your skull and that's what gives you the

00:02:43.310 --> 00:02:45.870
brain damage. I went

00:02:45.870 --> 00:02:47.711
through a lot of mental

00:02:47.711 --> 00:02:50.230
struggles being by myself a lot, sitting

00:02:50.230 --> 00:02:51.551
in the dark room trying to

00:02:51.551 --> 00:02:52.910
recover because honestly,

00:02:53.151 --> 00:02:54.591
there's not much you can do for your

00:02:54.591 --> 00:02:56.671
brain. It was so

00:02:56.671 --> 00:02:58.711
difficult for someone that calls

00:02:58.711 --> 00:03:00.830
themselves a professional athlete. I

00:03:00.830 --> 00:03:02.111
definitely didn't feel like

00:03:02.111 --> 00:03:04.031
one. The one thing the neuro

00:03:04.111 --> 00:03:07.350
specialists did say was, "Indira, if you

00:03:07.350 --> 00:03:09.790
go and compete when you're not ready to,

00:03:10.390 --> 00:03:12.191
you're going to put yourself so far back

00:03:12.191 --> 00:03:13.350
and you could develop

00:03:13.350 --> 00:03:14.790
post-concussion syndrome,"

00:03:15.151 --> 00:03:18.310
which is just going to be a long, long

00:03:18.310 --> 00:03:20.551
drawn out few months of

00:03:20.551 --> 00:03:21.671
dealing with these ongoing

00:03:21.830 --> 00:03:22.310
symptoms.

00:03:34.111 --> 00:03:40.711
I kind of started to see it a bit more as

00:03:40.711 --> 00:03:42.031
a blessing. I had time

00:03:42.031 --> 00:03:43.310
off to work on my surfing,

00:03:43.631 --> 00:03:45.671
work on my health and my recovery,

00:03:46.031 --> 00:03:47.671
something I never had

00:03:47.671 --> 00:03:51.111
prioritised before. 2023 rolled

00:03:51.191 --> 00:03:54.151
around. I had my eyes on snapper. My

00:03:54.151 --> 00:03:55.950
surfing was better than ever. I was

00:03:55.950 --> 00:03:57.031
feeling very healthy.

00:03:57.430 --> 00:03:59.230
If I'm going to get a good result, if I'm

00:03:59.230 --> 00:03:59.671
going to win an

00:03:59.671 --> 00:04:00.790
event, it's probably going

00:04:00.830 --> 00:04:02.711
to be snapper because I put so much

00:04:02.711 --> 00:04:04.230
preparation into that event.

00:04:14.671 --> 00:04:19.671
And then two weeks out from snapper, I

00:04:19.671 --> 00:04:20.910
was going for my daily

00:04:20.910 --> 00:04:22.790
surf out there. Unfortunately,

00:04:23.191 --> 00:04:26.350
a guy did push his board out. I saw it

00:04:26.350 --> 00:04:27.350
getting pushed out and I

00:04:27.350 --> 00:04:29.031
tried to get under it, but

00:04:29.230 --> 00:04:32.191
as I came up, that's when I kind of was

00:04:32.191 --> 00:04:33.270
thrown back with his

00:04:33.270 --> 00:04:35.430
board. Whoa, that really

00:04:35.430 --> 00:04:38.191
rocked me, but this time it was so much

00:04:38.191 --> 00:04:40.071
of my neck and a lot of

00:04:40.071 --> 00:04:41.591
my jaw that got clunked

00:04:41.591 --> 00:04:44.591
up and I was just like, wow, that was a

00:04:44.591 --> 00:04:46.991
big bang. This was the

00:04:46.991 --> 00:04:48.270
most my head has moved

00:04:48.471 --> 00:04:50.950
in a long time. This isn't good, guys.

00:04:51.551 --> 00:04:52.870
I've got two weeks until

00:04:52.870 --> 00:04:54.350
this event I've been preparing

00:04:54.471 --> 00:04:56.950
for for eight months comes around. I

00:04:56.950 --> 00:04:58.430
can't go through this

00:04:58.430 --> 00:05:00.350
again. Can't tell me that

00:05:00.350 --> 00:05:05.511
I'm concussed again. I got an appointment

00:05:05.511 --> 00:05:07.671
to see my doctor and

00:05:07.671 --> 00:05:09.310
he pretty much just said

00:05:09.310 --> 00:05:12.551
blatantly, you're not ready to surf. If

00:05:12.551 --> 00:05:13.591
you're asking for

00:05:13.591 --> 00:05:15.471
medical clearance from me, I'm

00:05:15.471 --> 00:05:18.471
not giving it to you. You aren't ready to

00:05:18.471 --> 00:05:21.230
be back in the water, let alone competing

00:05:21.390 --> 00:05:29.111
at a high level. I get that this might

00:05:29.111 --> 00:05:29.910
put me a bit further

00:05:29.910 --> 00:05:32.111
back with my physical health

00:05:32.111 --> 00:05:34.711
and everything like that, but mentally

00:05:34.711 --> 00:05:36.671
not competing in this

00:05:36.671 --> 00:05:38.631
event would put me so much

00:05:38.631 --> 00:05:41.230
further back. I've just spent six to

00:05:41.230 --> 00:05:43.111
eight months putting

00:05:43.111 --> 00:05:45.551
myself through everything I

00:05:45.750 --> 00:05:47.991
could to be ready for that event and I

00:05:47.991 --> 00:05:49.390
decided for myself

00:05:49.390 --> 00:05:53.910
that I couldn't give up.

00:06:01.711 --> 00:06:04.230
I was on the highest of highs, but also

00:06:04.230 --> 00:06:05.631
not really being able to

00:06:05.631 --> 00:06:06.991
feel it because my head

00:06:06.991 --> 00:06:09.950
was still so damaged that I was just

00:06:09.950 --> 00:06:10.910
like, wow, this is

00:06:10.910 --> 00:06:13.471
pretty amazing, but I'm ready

00:06:13.551 --> 00:06:16.711
to just go back to sleep now. Take me

00:06:16.711 --> 00:06:18.230
home, this is too much.

00:06:23.151 --> 00:06:24.910
When I was named captain of the

00:06:24.910 --> 00:06:25.950
Australian Diamonds, I

00:06:25.950 --> 00:06:27.230
think there was a few people in

00:06:27.230 --> 00:06:28.151
the netball world that were a little bit

00:06:28.151 --> 00:06:29.671
confused. I think the media

00:06:29.671 --> 00:06:31.270
was a little bit questioning

00:06:31.270 --> 00:06:33.230
of that and I felt like I had to show

00:06:33.230 --> 00:06:34.390
them that I was worthy,

00:06:34.390 --> 00:06:35.671
which looking back now

00:06:35.671 --> 00:06:38.870
is just ridiculous. Why do I have to

00:06:38.870 --> 00:06:39.870
prove to someone else

00:06:39.870 --> 00:06:40.950
that I deserve to be in a

00:06:40.991 --> 00:06:43.350
position that my teammates voted me into?

00:06:46.230 --> 00:06:48.111
She was once the biggest name in world

00:06:48.111 --> 00:06:49.230
netball and by most

00:06:49.230 --> 00:06:50.910
measures she had well and truly

00:06:50.910 --> 00:06:53.151
made it. She's a dual netball world

00:06:53.151 --> 00:06:54.511
champion, a Commonwealth

00:06:54.511 --> 00:06:56.910
Games gold and silver medalist,

00:06:57.310 --> 00:06:59.551
and a two-time super netball premiership

00:06:59.551 --> 00:07:01.471
player. But despite all

00:07:01.471 --> 00:07:02.910
that, there's been a bitter

00:07:02.910 --> 00:07:05.790
edge to her success. The media has

00:07:05.790 --> 00:07:07.031
consistently focused

00:07:07.031 --> 00:07:08.750
on where Seabass failed.

00:07:11.870 --> 00:07:13.631
Being a part of the Australian team, the

00:07:13.631 --> 00:07:15.591
tradition is that they're

00:07:15.591 --> 00:07:16.870
the best in the world. And

00:07:16.870 --> 00:07:18.471
so when you step into that green and gold

00:07:18.471 --> 00:07:20.591
dress, you have a

00:07:20.591 --> 00:07:21.790
responsibility to continue

00:07:21.790 --> 00:07:24.191
that legacy. The theme that I just heard

00:07:24.191 --> 00:07:26.230
constantly was that they

00:07:26.230 --> 00:07:27.230
were successful, that they were

00:07:27.230 --> 00:07:29.151
successful, that they won, they won. And

00:07:29.151 --> 00:07:30.471
that for me, as someone

00:07:30.471 --> 00:07:32.230
who's becoming an experienced

00:07:32.430 --> 00:07:35.071
part of the team, I felt like that was

00:07:35.071 --> 00:07:36.671
mine to pick up and run

00:07:36.671 --> 00:07:37.711
with as well, that we had

00:07:37.750 --> 00:07:39.310
to continue being successful because

00:07:39.310 --> 00:07:40.711
that's what they had done in the past.

00:07:46.111 --> 00:07:47.631
The Commonwealth Games for me was

00:07:47.631 --> 00:07:50.151
exciting because I had

00:07:50.151 --> 00:07:51.350
experienced this success in

00:07:51.350 --> 00:07:53.031
2014 so I knew what winning a gold medal

00:07:53.031 --> 00:07:54.111
was all about. I'd had

00:07:54.111 --> 00:07:55.151
World Cup wins under my

00:07:55.151 --> 00:07:57.591
belt. I was the captain finally. Though

00:07:57.591 --> 00:07:58.310
when you're preparing

00:07:58.310 --> 00:08:00.750
for a tournament, you never

00:08:00.750 --> 00:08:02.310
think about losing. Like you always

00:08:02.310 --> 00:08:03.310
prepare to win, we're

00:08:03.310 --> 00:08:04.071
going to beat this team, this

00:08:04.071 --> 00:08:05.071
is how we're going to beat this person

00:08:05.071 --> 00:08:05.511
and then we're going to

00:08:05.511 --> 00:08:06.551
move into this pool. You

00:08:06.591 --> 00:08:08.310
never think about, well what happens if

00:08:08.310 --> 00:08:09.191
we don't win? Because I

00:08:09.191 --> 00:08:10.031
guess that's like a negative

00:08:10.031 --> 00:08:11.430
mindset in sport. Like why would you

00:08:11.430 --> 00:08:12.430
focus on losing? If you

00:08:12.430 --> 00:08:13.350
focus on that, that's what's

00:08:13.350 --> 00:08:17.591
going to happen. In the final game when

00:08:17.591 --> 00:08:18.391
we ended up losing by

00:08:18.391 --> 00:08:19.671
one gold in England, I

00:08:19.671 --> 00:08:22.271
think I was just shocked. The final

00:08:22.271 --> 00:08:24.351
whistle blew. I knew I had

00:08:24.351 --> 00:08:25.551
to face the media and say

00:08:25.551 --> 00:08:27.671
something. I didn't know what to say

00:08:27.671 --> 00:08:29.231
because in my own head I

00:08:29.231 --> 00:08:30.070
couldn't compute that we

00:08:30.070 --> 00:08:32.311
hadn't won because we were supposed to

00:08:32.311 --> 00:08:34.351
win. It's funny looking

00:08:34.351 --> 00:08:35.351
back now, I can look at

00:08:35.391 --> 00:08:39.471
a silver medal and appreciate it to an

00:08:39.471 --> 00:08:41.030
extent. I don't know where

00:08:41.030 --> 00:08:42.391
my silver medal is. I don't

00:08:42.391 --> 00:08:44.671
even think I pulled it out after I was

00:08:44.671 --> 00:08:45.990
given it. I saw a photo

00:08:45.990 --> 00:08:47.750
the other day of me getting

00:08:47.790 --> 00:08:49.150
presented with my silver medal and it

00:08:49.150 --> 00:08:49.990
looked like someone had

00:08:49.990 --> 00:08:51.551
died. Like that was the vibe

00:08:51.551 --> 00:08:53.311
that was being given off and I think it's

00:08:53.311 --> 00:08:54.110
because we often talk

00:08:54.110 --> 00:08:55.351
about winning gold and

00:08:55.351 --> 00:08:57.231
not winning silver and it was something

00:08:57.231 --> 00:08:58.150
that I wasn't expecting

00:08:58.150 --> 00:09:00.231
at the time I guess. In

00:09:00.231 --> 00:09:01.990
the years following her silver medal,

00:09:02.351 --> 00:09:03.910
Seabassa's career began to

00:09:03.910 --> 00:09:05.311
unravel. She suffered injuries

00:09:05.351 --> 00:09:07.711
and changed clubs and moved to Sydney

00:09:07.711 --> 00:09:09.150
leaving friends and family

00:09:09.150 --> 00:09:11.110
behind only to be benched

00:09:11.110 --> 00:09:13.231
for most of her first season with her new

00:09:13.231 --> 00:09:14.471
team the Giants netball.

00:09:14.750 --> 00:09:16.271
In 2021 she went to New

00:09:16.271 --> 00:09:18.150
Zealand to play and when she wanted to

00:09:18.150 --> 00:09:20.671
return to Australia she struggled to

00:09:20.671 --> 00:09:22.110
secure a new contract.

00:09:23.190 --> 00:09:24.711
In my head I had a way that it was all

00:09:24.711 --> 00:09:25.671
going to finish. I was going

00:09:25.671 --> 00:09:26.750
to go to a Commonwealth Games,

00:09:26.750 --> 00:09:27.950
I was going to win a gold medal and

00:09:27.950 --> 00:09:30.551
finish on a gold. I was going to play 123

00:09:30.551 --> 00:09:31.711
tests for Australia,

00:09:31.750 --> 00:09:33.110
I was going to beat the record, I was

00:09:33.110 --> 00:09:34.990
going to go out on a high and

00:09:34.990 --> 00:09:36.671
walk away on my own terms but

00:09:36.671 --> 00:09:38.231
that obviously didn't happen and I

00:09:38.231 --> 00:09:38.910
actually don't think it

00:09:38.910 --> 00:09:41.150
happens often in sport. We always

00:09:41.150 --> 00:09:43.471
glamorise the fairy tale finishes, the

00:09:43.471 --> 00:09:45.070
people who finish on a

00:09:45.070 --> 00:09:46.391
championship, who win the

00:09:46.391 --> 00:09:48.990
Premiership, who win the gold medal and

00:09:48.990 --> 00:09:50.551
then who then decide they

00:09:50.551 --> 00:09:51.990
want to retire and move on but

00:09:51.990 --> 00:09:53.830
I think there's so many stories of

00:09:53.830 --> 00:09:55.551
athletes who don't make the

00:09:55.551 --> 00:09:57.671
team, who get injured, who don't

00:09:57.671 --> 00:10:00.311
get the opportunity, who get cut. I had

00:10:00.311 --> 00:10:01.671
given a significant amount

00:10:01.671 --> 00:10:03.271
of my life 13 years to the

00:10:03.271 --> 00:10:05.351
Australian team, 18 years to netball in

00:10:05.351 --> 00:10:06.551
total. It would have been

00:10:06.551 --> 00:10:08.431
nice to have a retirement fund

00:10:08.431 --> 00:10:09.990
like I know the cricketers have that they

00:10:09.990 --> 00:10:11.150
can go to that gives them

00:10:11.150 --> 00:10:12.591
that security and stability.

00:10:12.870 --> 00:10:14.311
I would have loved to have taken a breath

00:10:14.311 --> 00:10:15.551
after I retired just to

00:10:15.551 --> 00:10:16.870
reflect back on the amazing

00:10:16.950 --> 00:10:19.351
experiences I had. Out of the millions of

00:10:19.351 --> 00:10:20.551
girls that play netball I

00:10:20.551 --> 00:10:21.910
was one of 12 that got to

00:10:21.910 --> 00:10:23.351
go to a Commonwealth Games and a World

00:10:23.351 --> 00:10:24.631
Cup and I was one of the 12

00:10:24.631 --> 00:10:25.711
that actually got to lead the

00:10:25.750 --> 00:10:27.950
team so in all the millions that play

00:10:27.950 --> 00:10:29.351
sport I don't think you

00:10:29.351 --> 00:10:30.671
could pay me any amount of money.

00:10:31.110 --> 00:10:32.511
I just did it because I loved the group

00:10:32.511 --> 00:10:34.551
of girls and I loved being able to do

00:10:34.551 --> 00:10:35.070
something that other

00:10:35.070 --> 00:10:36.551
people couldn't do.

00:10:41.030 --> 00:10:43.110
Well prior to my injury I felt as if my

00:10:43.110 --> 00:10:44.431
career was really taking off.

00:10:44.671 --> 00:10:45.311
I felt like it was all coming

00:10:45.351 --> 00:10:46.671
together and that she was

00:10:46.671 --> 00:10:47.870
looking pretty good and bright.

00:10:48.790 --> 00:10:52.631
Making it as a woman in a traditionally

00:10:52.631 --> 00:10:54.110
male sport like rugby

00:10:54.110 --> 00:10:55.990
asks for more than strength,

00:10:56.231 --> 00:10:58.551
speed and skill. Players put their bodies

00:10:58.551 --> 00:10:59.471
on the line for

00:10:59.471 --> 00:11:01.591
entertainment. The women do it for a

00:11:01.591 --> 00:11:04.631
fraction of the pay that men do. First

00:11:04.631 --> 00:11:06.431
time playing rugby I was in year seven

00:11:06.431 --> 00:11:07.551
and I decided to sign

00:11:07.551 --> 00:11:09.750
up for the school rugby team. We played

00:11:09.750 --> 00:11:10.711
there and I remember getting

00:11:10.711 --> 00:11:13.711
smashed. Absolutely dropped.

00:11:13.990 --> 00:11:15.471
It was year nine where I decided to give

00:11:15.471 --> 00:11:16.910
rugby a real crack and I looked really nice and I

00:11:17.511 --> 00:11:18.471
really liked the

00:11:18.471 --> 00:11:19.870
atmosphere of rugby and the culture.

00:11:21.431 --> 00:11:23.790
The start of 2022 I was selected into the

00:11:23.790 --> 00:11:24.870
New South Wales Bortause on

00:11:24.870 --> 00:11:26.910
18th squad and on our first

00:11:26.910 --> 00:11:28.471
training session, maybe within the first

00:11:28.471 --> 00:11:29.110
hour of the training

00:11:29.110 --> 00:11:31.671
session, I fully ruptured my ACL and

00:11:31.671 --> 00:11:34.030
tore my meniscus and so that was pretty

00:11:34.030 --> 00:11:37.150
disappointing. I'm now 16 months since

00:11:37.150 --> 00:11:38.271
I've done my injury.

00:11:39.790 --> 00:11:41.750
Oh my god that's an incredible time.

00:11:47.910 --> 00:11:50.231
It was quite hard to find the positives

00:11:50.231 --> 00:11:51.511
in at the start. I really

00:11:51.511 --> 00:11:52.750
found that this past year

00:11:52.750 --> 00:11:54.591
being able to build, get stronger, get

00:11:54.591 --> 00:11:56.471
bigger has been pretty good. Looking at

00:11:56.471 --> 00:11:57.391
the positives of it,

00:11:57.391 --> 00:12:00.150
not so much the negatives. Trends show

00:12:00.150 --> 00:12:02.311
that women's rugby is taking off but it

00:12:02.311 --> 00:12:03.231
still has a long way

00:12:03.231 --> 00:12:05.110
to go before it reaches the funding that

00:12:05.110 --> 00:12:07.431
men's rugby receives. The reality is

00:12:07.431 --> 00:12:08.910
Anika needs a plan B

00:12:09.271 --> 00:12:10.990
and that means getting a university

00:12:10.990 --> 00:12:12.990
education at the same time.

00:12:13.190 --> 00:12:16.711
It's definitely pretty hard to balance

00:12:16.711 --> 00:12:18.750
training, work, study,

00:12:19.070 --> 00:12:20.551
rehab all in one week.

00:12:21.711 --> 00:12:22.870
I'm usually training early in the

00:12:22.870 --> 00:12:25.231
morning, waking up at five, leaving here

00:12:25.231 --> 00:12:26.990
at 5.30 for a 6am start.

00:12:27.271 --> 00:12:29.311
I'm finishing rehab usually around maybe

00:12:29.311 --> 00:12:30.471
nine o'clock where I then

00:12:30.471 --> 00:12:31.631
come back here to uni around

00:12:31.631 --> 00:12:33.790
nine to thirty for a ten o'clock start.

00:12:34.110 --> 00:12:35.431
Usually a two-hour lab and

00:12:35.431 --> 00:12:36.990
I come back, get some lunch

00:12:36.990 --> 00:12:39.511
and then knock in some books and then

00:12:39.511 --> 00:12:40.431
from there, training in the afternoon. My brain just stops

00:12:41.030 --> 00:12:46.431
working around the 6-7pm mark so by then

00:12:46.431 --> 00:12:47.950
I'm like I just need to lay in bed.

00:12:50.190 --> 00:12:51.790
I'm a proud Dungaadi and Wiradjuri woman

00:12:51.790 --> 00:12:53.591
from the Maclay Valley. When I

00:12:53.591 --> 00:12:54.711
play rugby I get to represent

00:12:54.711 --> 00:12:56.990
not only myself but my family and my

00:12:56.990 --> 00:12:59.190
culture and providing that younger

00:12:59.190 --> 00:13:00.231
generation that there's

00:13:00.231 --> 00:13:01.990
an opportunity out there playing rugby especially for women.

00:13:10.471 --> 00:13:12.711
For as long as I remember I was taken to

00:13:12.711 --> 00:13:13.790
the snow on school holidays

00:13:13.790 --> 00:13:14.950
as a kid. I think I was on

00:13:14.950 --> 00:13:17.231
skis maybe before I could even walk.

00:13:17.231 --> 00:13:18.030
There are these photos of me

00:13:18.030 --> 00:13:20.110
and I look so tiny and I just

00:13:20.110 --> 00:13:21.110
was pushed down the

00:13:21.110 --> 00:13:22.790
hill and off I would go.

00:13:25.950 --> 00:13:28.070
Slope style skiing is one of the most

00:13:28.070 --> 00:13:29.311
dangerous sports in the

00:13:29.311 --> 00:13:32.070
world. Surveys have found 37% of

00:13:32.070 --> 00:13:34.830
men and a whopping 68% of women who

00:13:34.830 --> 00:13:36.830
compete in it have sustained a serious

00:13:36.830 --> 00:13:38.110
injury but Annabelle

00:13:38.150 --> 00:13:40.351
Blake only dreamed of the reward.

00:13:44.070 --> 00:13:45.750
I was really good at sport. It was

00:13:45.750 --> 00:13:46.950
something I loved. I was

00:13:46.950 --> 00:13:49.030
always having a go. I was rough

00:13:49.110 --> 00:13:51.830
and I was a pretty scrappy kid. I

00:13:51.830 --> 00:13:54.591
remember the boys were out on

00:13:54.591 --> 00:13:56.391
the field playing soccer and

00:13:56.391 --> 00:13:59.671
playing softball and we were kept inside

00:13:59.671 --> 00:14:01.110
playing hula hoop and with

00:14:01.110 --> 00:14:02.551
hacky sacks and I remember

00:14:02.551 --> 00:14:04.431
asking, I told my mum at the time and

00:14:04.431 --> 00:14:05.671
asked if I could be put in the other

00:14:05.671 --> 00:14:06.790
class and the teacher

00:14:06.950 --> 00:14:08.431
made an exception and said well you can

00:14:08.431 --> 00:14:09.671
go. That didn't solve

00:14:09.671 --> 00:14:11.311
anything. That just made me more of a

00:14:11.311 --> 00:14:13.431
sort of an anomaly in an outsider in that

00:14:13.431 --> 00:14:14.750
way and I remember feeling

00:14:14.750 --> 00:14:16.471
really sad that created this

00:14:16.471 --> 00:14:19.551
binary division and I think about all the

00:14:19.551 --> 00:14:21.231
implicit ways where women

00:14:21.231 --> 00:14:22.551
are told through language

00:14:22.551 --> 00:14:24.950
particularly what they can and can't do

00:14:24.950 --> 00:14:25.910
and even when you're

00:14:25.910 --> 00:14:27.790
excelling there are some bittersweet

00:14:27.790 --> 00:14:29.150
edge to that because it's like well

00:14:29.150 --> 00:14:30.271
you're different to all

00:14:30.271 --> 00:14:33.110
the other girls. My mum was a

00:14:33.110 --> 00:14:35.591
very talented athlete and she was on her

00:14:35.591 --> 00:14:36.750
way to the Olympics as well for

00:14:36.750 --> 00:14:37.471
cross-country skiing.

00:14:38.190 --> 00:14:39.711
Unfortunately she had an accident that

00:14:39.711 --> 00:14:40.711
left her with incomplete

00:14:40.711 --> 00:14:42.351
paraplegia and for as long as

00:14:42.351 --> 00:14:45.110
I've known mum she's had a disability but

00:14:45.110 --> 00:14:46.671
she's lived a really

00:14:46.671 --> 00:14:48.231
fulfilling life and has still

00:14:48.950 --> 00:14:51.030
had so much guts though in all the things

00:14:51.030 --> 00:14:51.711
she's done in the world.

00:14:52.271 --> 00:14:54.431
My mum are very similar in

00:14:54.431 --> 00:14:56.631
many ways but I think I also have more of

00:14:56.631 --> 00:14:57.990
an appetite for risk and

00:14:57.990 --> 00:14:59.391
for jumps in the rails so

00:14:59.431 --> 00:15:01.631
I discovered the park later on and didn't

00:15:01.631 --> 00:15:02.551
take the cross-country

00:15:02.551 --> 00:15:04.070
skiing route. I headed on to

00:15:04.070 --> 00:15:12.671
slopestyle skiing. Yeah so I love pushing

00:15:12.671 --> 00:15:14.471
myself and one of the things

00:15:14.471 --> 00:15:15.830
I love in slopestyle skiing

00:15:15.830 --> 00:15:17.910
and being in the park is that you can you

00:15:17.910 --> 00:15:19.271
can take a big big

00:15:19.271 --> 00:15:20.671
challenge or a big jump and you can

00:15:20.671 --> 00:15:22.231
break it down into lots of little jumps

00:15:22.231 --> 00:15:23.391
and you can figure out what

00:15:23.391 --> 00:15:24.471
steps you need to take to get

00:15:24.471 --> 00:15:26.271
there but as the Olympics were

00:15:26.271 --> 00:15:27.671
approaching those steps were getting

00:15:27.671 --> 00:15:28.830
larger and larger and the risks

00:15:28.870 --> 00:15:30.150
that you were taking were getting bigger

00:15:30.150 --> 00:15:31.471
and bigger. I pushed

00:15:31.471 --> 00:15:34.671
myself even further and it meant

00:15:34.671 --> 00:15:36.870
that I had more tricks that I was

00:15:36.870 --> 00:15:38.551
progressing but it also

00:15:38.551 --> 00:15:39.671
meant that there were a number of

00:15:39.671 --> 00:15:42.711
occasions when I went too far so I've had

00:15:42.711 --> 00:15:44.830
a lot of injuries. Some of

00:15:44.830 --> 00:15:45.950
those are from crashes but some

00:15:45.950 --> 00:15:48.271
of them are also from over-training so

00:15:48.271 --> 00:15:49.790
I've had a number of times

00:15:49.790 --> 00:15:50.830
where I've torn on my stomach

00:15:50.830 --> 00:15:52.311
muscles which is a condition called

00:15:52.311 --> 00:15:57.231
rhabdomyolysis. I always stumble over

00:15:57.231 --> 00:15:58.431
that word. I've broken my

00:15:58.471 --> 00:16:01.271
ankle. I've had two ACL reconstructions.

00:16:02.110 --> 00:16:03.631
I have dissertated my elbow

00:16:03.631 --> 00:16:05.790
but in many ways they're the

00:16:05.790 --> 00:16:09.110
least dangerous accidents that I had.

00:16:10.950 --> 00:16:13.391
Something that I only

00:16:13.391 --> 00:16:15.551
became aware of really many many

00:16:15.551 --> 00:16:17.511
years after skiing was the impact that

00:16:17.511 --> 00:16:20.591
multiple concussions had and

00:16:20.591 --> 00:16:21.990
continue to have on my life

00:16:22.110 --> 00:16:26.750
today and that's something I really wish

00:16:26.750 --> 00:16:27.711
I had have known all the

00:16:27.711 --> 00:16:29.271
dangers of when I was skiing.

00:16:30.231 --> 00:16:31.671
Sloaf style is very exciting. I always

00:16:31.671 --> 00:16:32.551
loved my sport but I

00:16:32.551 --> 00:16:33.830
definitely always knew that it wasn't

00:16:33.830 --> 00:16:35.830
a matter of if but a matter of when I

00:16:35.830 --> 00:16:37.591
would get injured. I think it

00:16:37.591 --> 00:16:38.790
was in the second last World

00:16:38.790 --> 00:16:41.271
Cup before the Games and I was just in

00:16:41.271 --> 00:16:42.910
the top rail section and I

00:16:42.910 --> 00:16:44.351
just came off a little bit

00:16:44.351 --> 00:16:47.990
squirrely and did my ACL, fractured my

00:16:47.990 --> 00:16:50.431
tip fit, was put in a sled and I knew

00:16:50.431 --> 00:16:51.591
knew that at that point

00:16:52.110 --> 00:16:53.910
my road to Sochi so to speak was over

00:16:53.910 --> 00:16:55.231
because that was a

00:16:55.231 --> 00:16:56.351
pretty significant injury.

00:17:05.431 --> 00:17:07.351
I don't know what it is to say that

00:17:07.351 --> 00:17:08.671
you're making it or to say that you've

00:17:08.671 --> 00:17:09.750
made it. We're always

00:17:09.750 --> 00:17:11.870
moving the goal post so even if I had

00:17:11.870 --> 00:17:12.990
have made it to the Olympics

00:17:12.990 --> 00:17:14.311
there would have been something

00:17:14.311 --> 00:17:15.750
else on the horizon that I would have

00:17:15.750 --> 00:17:18.190
been looking at. You can make it and be

00:17:18.190 --> 00:17:19.511
making it in all these

00:17:19.511 --> 00:17:21.870
different domains so I'm very proud of

00:17:21.870 --> 00:17:22.870
what I did when I was skiing

00:17:22.870 --> 00:17:24.391
but I'm still making it and

00:17:24.391 --> 00:17:26.150
making it up now in all these other areas

00:17:26.150 --> 00:17:27.431
that I'm pursuing. It's not

00:17:27.431 --> 00:17:28.910
important to have this sort of

00:17:29.311 --> 00:17:31.711
process or goal driven approach because

00:17:31.711 --> 00:17:32.511
you never know if

00:17:32.511 --> 00:17:35.311
you're gonna make it there so

00:17:35.511 --> 00:17:37.190
I've always just been focusing on having

00:17:37.190 --> 00:17:38.070
the most fun I can and

00:17:38.070 --> 00:17:39.231
learning the most I can at any

00:17:39.271 --> 00:17:41.790
point in time. If I'm doing

00:17:41.790 --> 00:17:43.190
that then I think I've made it.