Young Rower Makes Waves Mac Rogers’ Snap Decision Sparks Olympic Rowing Dream

A spur-of-the-moment decision saw 20-year-old Mac Rogers change the trajectory of his life when he came across an ad for the YouFor2032 Olympic Testing Sessions and decided to give it a try.

After tests that included the beep test, sprints, pull-ups, and detailed physical measurements such as height, wingspan, and body composition, the combined data revealed that Mac had the potential to excel in as many as five sports.

He was told he could succeed in beach volleyball, pole vault, boxing, canoe sprint, or rowing.

After trying pole vaulting and deciding it wasn’t for him, he jumped into a rowing boat and discovered his true passion. Now, the sport has his full commitment, and the 2032 Olympics are within his sights.

Mac Rogers Powers Toward Olympic Dreams

Once Mac Rogers committed to rowing, there was no turning back. After choosing the sport, he was invited to give it a try and was granted three months to see if it was the right fit.

That trial period led to a 12-month probation, where Mac proved his dedication and determination, setting the stage for his future in the sport.

He said training was ramped up in the 12-month period and he is training two times a day, nearly every day. But all the training is necessary because the sport is extremely demanding.

“It requires your entire body and soul,” laughed Mac.

“We always raced over 2000 meters, which is like a special kind of distance because it's a sprint, but you can't sprint for 2000 meters!

“It's a pretty painful mix between energy systems, to be honest. It’s endurance but also strength.”

Before he got into the program, the former Proserpine State High School student said he trained hard without knowing what his future would look like.

“In my eyes, I was sort of building a baseline so that once I knew what I actually wanted to do, I would be prepared to go all in, which is pretty much what has happened,” he said.

“It has worked out, even though I didn't have those six years of private school rowing, I had built enough of a baseline fitness in that time that it wasn’t that much of a jump.

In that short time, Mac has already competed at the national level, placing 12th in the under-21s at the Australian Rowing Championships, and picking up a win at the Queensland State Championships in the quadruple scull.

“Not exactly the result I would have liked, but it went pretty well,” he shared.

“I’m definitely shooting for a lot higher up in that ranking next year.”

Now, Mac is currently waiting to find out if he has secured a spot with the Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS), and he is expected to find out within the next few weeks.

Above all, Mac feels extremely lucky to be in the sport, he said he wouldn’t be in rowing if Queensland weren’t going to host the Olympics.

“I feel really fortunate to have been born into these circumstances,” he said.

“I'm only in it because of this talent ID program that came around, and they told me that I had potential in rowing.

“If that hadn't happened, I don't think I would have found it approachable enough, because everyone else has been doing it for six years before me.”

Mac is also an ambassador for the YouFor2032 program and says they have just launched an app, so people can test themselves at home.

He encourages any young local athletes to give it a go.

“It allows you to test yourself at home and if you're good, then they'll invite you to the testing days,” he said.

“That's really big, and it could be a big thing for people in Whitsundays too, which is exciting.”

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Whitsunday Local Mac Rogers has been selected for the YouFor2032 program and has a spot in the Olympic Rowing Team in his sights. Photo supplied

After being in rowing for such a short time, Mac feels honoured to be in the sport
20 year old Mac Rogers has committed himself to rowing
Mac on the water

Photos supplied

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