Email: nick@seacross.co.uk
Age: 41
Place of birth: Chiswick, London
Where you live: Craigantlet
Club/Association: City of Belfast Swimming Club
Your Sport: Swimming
Your earliest sporting memory: I remember learning to ski at about the age of four and have enjoyed this sport ever since. I remember being awarded a medal after an end of week competition and being very annoyed that my sister was given a medal despite not entering!
Your sporting idol: Eric Liddell
Best piece of advice you could give to a young athlete: Never give up. Everyone develops at a different pace and you may be the smallest or slowest now, but this changes over time. Work on the basics of your sport and get your technique as perfect as you can.
Set yourself goals in the sport or sports you enjoy most and remember that you can often learn more from a defeat than a victory.
At the end of the day though, you can only achieve when you are enjoying the sport you are playing.
The most important thing for sporting success is: To set yourself goals. Sit down with your coach and set long-term and short-term goals. Then, drive yourself to achieve them.
Never consider it a weakness to adjust them; be realistic and remember that failure is not something to be feared nor is it a sign that you should give up.
Find your weaknesses and work on them to achieve your goals. Keep your goals always in mind so that you stay focussed to succeed.
My parents made sure that my sisters and I tried many different sports so that we had the opportunity to find the ones we really enjoyed. Due to this, I have enjoyed many different sports, such as swimming, hockey, rugby, tennis, skiing.
I have coached tennis in America and ended up playing hockey at Cliftonville Hockey Club in Belfast, having played county hockey in England.
When my eldest son went through primary school, I coached mini hockey and mini rugby at his age group.
He has concentrated on his swimming and so I have now been involved in the running of City of Belfast Swimming Club for the last three years and acting as taxi driver as he trains nine times per week!
I have helped the Club work its way to achieving the Gold ClubMark Award from Belfast City Council and to achieving the Swim Ireland Clubmark Award also. Competing is far more fun, but contributing behind the scenes is more rewarding.
