As a young boy I was fortunate enough to be able to try almost all mainstream sports during school – finding that I was highly un-coordinated at most of them. After knocking over hurdles, jumping face first into the sandpit while attempting to Long Jump and plodding along the running track with big flat feet, Pool swimming was something that I fell in love with and showed some potential at. It wasn’t until I was 20 that I found Open Water Swimming and soon fell in love with that too.
There are a lot more opportunities these days within the sport of Open Water Swimming for young kids compared to when I was starting out in the pool – National Championships, Oceania Championships, World Championships and of course the Olympic Games. But most importantly, the opportunities to see and experience different parts of the world, swim in some truly iconic locations and meet remarkable people to form friendships are simply life changing. This all comes from hard work in the pool and the ocean.
So what can you do as an OceanKid to reach your dreams and aspirations?
● Write your dreams down somewhere that you can see them everyday (preferably not on the walls of the house, otherwise Mum & Dad might get a bit upset)
● Work hard and smart in the water. Listen to your coach at training and don’t get too mad when Mum tells you to go to bed because you have training the next morning!
● Learn from the best OpenWater Swimmers by watching them and even talking to them at races like the New Zealand Ocean Swim Series. Then as you get older try to put what they do into your swimming routine and make it work best for you.
● Have friends and hobbies outside of swimming. Swimming can take up so much of your life, but equally important is having fun with your friends and of course school work!
● Never, ever, ever give up! You will come across hurdles along the way but just jump over them and keep on going.
● Always have fun – every open water race is different to the last so the fun should never stop!
Checkout some tips below on putting the next OceanKids race together
I look forward to seeing everyone at The Mount!
