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Busy Anderson earns Birmingham ticket

Birmingham-bound Kookaburra Jacob Anderson channelled one of Winston Churchill’s most famous quotes to build a compelling case for Australian selection at the Commonwealth Games.

The ACU Bachelor of Exercise Science/Business student was ecstatic to be named in the Australian men’s hockey team to compete at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Rewind a year, however, and it was a different story when the forward was overlooked for Olympic Games selection.

Rather than wallow in disappointment, he embodied Churchill’s observation, “Never let a good crisis go to waste”, by applying himself to training, university study and starting an online coaching business.

His positive attitude reaped huge rewards when the Mackay product answered a call from national coach Colin Batch informing him he’d earned a ticket to Birmingham.

“Mentally I’m pretty strong,” Anderson said.

“When that happened last year I felt like I didn’t want to waste any time. So I more or less started training straight way and I feel like I’m the fittest I’ve ever been because of that.”

The 25-year-old is one of seven current ACU students who will compete in Birmingham in July.

Anderson will be joined in the Games village by Hockeyroo Courtney Schonell, swimmers Brenden Hall, Bronte Job and Alex Perkins, cricketer Nicola Carey and judoka Abigail Paduch.

All are members of ACU’s Elite Athlete and Performer Program (EAPP) which supports student athletes to strike a balance between their academic and active pursuits.

EAPP applications for 2023 open on July 1.