Growcott has spring in step again
Canterbury’s Kieran Growcott has come back from a broken back and depression to be crowned national trampoline champion in three disciplines.
The 24-year-old – who celebrated his triple success in Christchurch last weekend – has qualified for the World Trampoline Championships in Bulgaria in a fortnight. But Growcott is careful not to get ahead of himself. Last time he was in this position he broke his back doing a triple somersault two weeks out from the 2013 world championships.
The then 20-year-old had been battling with his own mind before his accident, taking time out between 2010 and 2013, but decided he would opt for a comeback, as he had had a lot of success at junior national level.
However, his accident left him with large compression fractures and a bent vertebrae and he was stuck in a brace for three months. His surgeon suggested not to operate as it would make his comeback near impossible – a call that saved his career.
‘‘It’s just come back to life really. I am absolutely thrilled, it couldn’t have gone better,’’ he said of his three 2017 titles. Growcott finished first in his favoured double mini event, the individual and the synchronised event with his doubles partner Campbell Robinson, also of Christchurch.
‘‘I am really just taking the sport day-by-day, month-bymonth. I am just having fun and I exceeded all expectations really.’’
Growcott has also exceeded medical expectations. His 11-week recovery in 2013 was unheard of by his doctor and shortly after he suffered a second setback when he tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his knee at the national indoor netball championships in 2013 – another sport where has excelled.
‘‘At that stage he was pretty depressed,’’ said his mother Nikki Growcott.
After suffering a series of misfortunes, it would have been easy for Growcott to give sport up and start to think about a more sedentary career, but he didn’t. ‘‘It was a massive setback, I didn’t want to come back to the sport at the time as I had a lot of fear,’’ he said. Not only was he apprehensive he would injure himself again, Growcott had battled with anxiety as a young Kiwi male and took time out of sport to work through those mental health issues ‘‘that no one really talks about’’. ‘‘I think I always had a little bit of anxiety when I think back, but I don’t think I really knew what it was. Being around creatives as well, I didn’t notice it.
‘‘I got into a bit of a slump, where I didn’t really know what to
do with my career. Sport always made me happy.’’
Growcott said the feeling of anxiety left him stressed about being around large groups of people or in a public setting. Anxiety often meant he would stay at home rather than going out and his confidence plummeted.
‘‘My anxiety in social settings was bad. When I am around big crowds and people I don’t know I freak out, so I end up not going at all and stay at home.
‘‘I get really nervous because I am quite a perfectionist and if I don’t feel my mind or body is quite there I kind of almost have a panic attack.
‘‘It is very common and a lot of people don’t speak out about it. I’ve realised it is the only way that helps. It’s constant but I’ve learnt I can push myself into social settings where and where I should just hang back.’’
Trampoline and dance have both provided him with comfortable environments. He is thankful to all those around him who have given him the right support to not only come back from injury, but conquer a mental illness.
‘‘It does take a lot of motivation and it’s all been self determination. My coaches didn’t force me, they kind of just left me alone, left me to play and to have fun.
Growcott said qualifying for the 2017 world championships was the turning point.
‘‘I decided I can really do it and show everyone that I can be better than before the injury and I have. I have come back better, mentally and physically.’’
Growcott hopes to qualify in the top eight at the world championships in the double mini event.