'Competitiveness has always been a part of me': Former Humboldt Bronco heading to Paris for Paralympics

Jacob Wassermann, 24, is heading to the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris just a few years after taking up the sport of rowing.

“This came five years earlier than we were ready for. We were kind of planning for LA [2028] and prepping for that and then just kind of got lucky and few things fell into place for us and just going to make the most of it,” Wassermann shared.

Wassermann, who is from Humboldt and lives in Saskatoon, was already considered a "natural born" athlete from a young age and shared he was known to have a mini-stick in his hand or even kicking a soccer ball around daily.

His athleticism led to a career in junior hockey in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) with the Humboldt Broncos for the 2017-18 season. His love for hockey then led him to the sport of rowing.

“Six years ago, I still wanted to be in hockey and stay in that world as much as I could. I knew I was never going to be away from that sport. It was my life, it had been since I could walk. And then the crash happened and I made that transition,” he shared.

Wassermann was one of 13 survivors in the April 2018 crash that left 16 people dead after a semi ran through a stop sign. He was paralyzed from the navel down.

“The mindset hasn’t really changed. The competitiveness has always been a part of me. Rowing is no different [than hockey], it’s a sport that you get out what you put in.”

He got into the sport after learning about a ‘try-out clinic’ that was put on by a local rowing club in Saskatchewan.

“I thought it would be a really good workout. I have a really good build for it as I’m really tall. I really enjoyed the people that were there and enjoyed the workout that came from it. It was the hardest workout I’d ever done, pre injury or post,” he chuckled. “It’s a thrill to be out there on the water and doing things that I wasn’t doing before I was injured. I wouldn’t have been able to do something like this before I was injured. The hardest part is, it hurts.”

Wassermann will compete in the PR1 singles 2,000 metre event in Paris. The event is for rowers who do not have use of their legs. The rower is strapped into their seat and row using their arms and shoulders.

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“In March, we went to Rio just to get more experience. Around Canada, there’s not a lot of PR1 athletes so I went out there to get some racing experience. It was a Paralympic qualifier but there wasn’t any expectation going in. I was just going out there to get some practice racing against other athletes in my classification,” he explained. “We got lucky, things fell into place, and I ended up getting a silver out there and qualifying for Paris.”

“He knows how to work. That comes from his hockey days, I’m sure, and he’s an athlete. It’s really special to work with someone like Jacob. It’s really a thrill,” said John Wetzstein, the provincial coach and technical lead for Saskatchewan Rowing.

The switch from a team sport to an individual one for Wassermann was not as hard of a transition for the athlete as he said his position in hockey helped.

“I was a goalie when I played hockey. So it was little bit more of my own position. I didn’t have line mates that I was playing with, I was working on my own game. I’m working on my own skills so that transition hasn’t been as difficult as many people might think between the two sports,” he said.

Wassermann shared that his former teammates from the Humboldt Broncos are still a major component in his life and journey today.

“Those guys are my biggest supporters. I think besides my wife and family for sure that are. They’re the best, we all keep in touch all the time. At least once a year we all try to meet up. They’ve sent lots of words that they’re pumped for me and they can’t wait to watch me out there,” he exclaimed.

The hockey player turned rower added that many of his former teammates who survived the devastating bus crash have gone on to find new passion projects.

“I think the biggest things of all the survivors is we were part of that team but everybody’s so much more than a Humboldt Bronco. I mean, that’s going to be a part of us forever, and we’re all very proud to be that, but we are all so much more. They’re all a group of amazing guys, and were before the crash, and now everybody gets to see it. I’m not surprised that any of those guys are going on to amazing things,” he said. 

Wassermann will travel to Paris on Saturday and will compete on Aug. 30 in the rowing heats in hopes to make the finals the following days.