So the 2010-2011 season has finally started for me. I ventured back in to the water this week for the first time since my last race at Commonwealths. I spent my break away from the pool, deciding what I wanted to do with my swimming, and whether I wanted to continue at all. Well I soon came to the conclusion that if I were to quit swimming now, I would regret it. I do not believe I have reached anywhere near my full potential, so walking away now would only leave me asking ‘what if…’ in years to come, something I never want to do. However I had been in the same programme and environment for seven years, if I were to continue my swimming journey I would need a fresh start to reignite my passion and enthusiasm for the sport. I have had several discussions with my coach in the last few weeks and kept him informed of how I was feeling along the way. I decided to move not because of him, but because I just needed something different for a while, a new stimulus that hopefully will push me out of my comfort zone and make me a better swimmer.
I have started a trial with the newly formed performance club Somerset CHEETAS which is a pioneering new squad set up and coached by former WR holder Zoë Baker. This move will is intended to give new life to my swimming career as it moves forward into its next chapter, hopefully from promising international breaststroker to international medallist. The change wont necessarily be easy, but this will be the start of a promising new development in my career, and the next step on the path to London 2012.
1 comment
Alice says:
14/11/2010 at 17:04 (UTC 0 )
I think it sounds like you’ve done completely the right thing. I know we only keep in touch periodically these days but with the amount of time I used to spend with you, and how well I probably used to know you, I hope you might agree with me when I say that out of so many people, you always knew what you wanted and how you were going to get it.
I’m really glad you’ve kept the swimming going. Keep it up for as long as you can. My new job doesn’t enable me to ever get in the pool really. My hours don’t fit with joining a swimming club and you’d think living in Birmingham would give me good access to nice swimming pools to do a few thousand metres in every so often. That doesn’t seem to be the case though.
Swimming was always a big passion of mine, and an even bigger passion of yours. I miss it terribly. I hope you keep your passion for it. Don’t give up as I think there are good things still to come. A xxx