Posted by geoff | HOME | Sunday 24 May 2009 6:43 am
BIO
Where it all began….
I started very early in my life to aim for the Olympics. At the age of 5 I remember watching Jono Sieban win gold in the 200m Butterfly at the LA 1984 Olympic Games. I remember thinking to myself, that’s what I want to do…that’s where I want to be.
Yep, that’s me in the front row already wearing a sort of yellow cap (and much later the official bright yellow Australian Swimming cap).


I grew up in Mackay, Australia, which is half way up the QLD coastline just on the edge of the Whitsunday’s.
My brother and I did all sports when we were young.
We had a very active childhood and we rode our bikes everywhere from swimming and surf life saving in the summer, to hockey and rugby league in the winter.
Every October there’s swim meet in Mackay and every year a team from Brisbane travels 10 hours north to compete.
Almost 20 years ago now, my mum had a chat with swimming coach Ken Wood and she asked him if there any room in his squad for me.
Few coaches have transcended the world swimming stage like Ken Wood. From an aspiring swimming coach at Redcliffe Leagues Swimming Club, Queensland to Olympic glory, Ken has done it all.
Ken’s had swimmers on every Australian, Commonwealth teams since 1976 excepting two. He was Assistant Coach at Australian Institute of Sport for three years. And together with Coach Sweetenham, placed seven swimmers on the 1984 Australian Olympic Team.
Ken was awarded the Australian Sports Medal 2000 – Outstanding Contribution to Australian Sport (Nominated by the Prime Minister and Federal Government).
Everyone knows he’s played a major role in my life.
My story is just one of hundreds of stories that have come out of what Ken would call “The Ken Wood Finishing School for Kids” or to everyone else, Redcliffe Leagues Lawnton Swimming Club.



Just before my 12th birthday, I received a phone call from Ken asking if I’d like to join him with his team in Brisbane. Immediately, I jumped at it. I knew that if I was going to swim for Australia, I had to leave Mackay.
Over the next 12 months my swimming started to take off. I was winning medals and breaking records at state level and everything was great. We didn’t have a lot of money I even remember even living in a caravan park there for a while, but we had each other so life was great.
Suddenly my life was turned upside down. I woke up in the middle of the night to a loud thump in the bathroom…dad had a heart attack and died that night.
The next week I was faced with the toughest decision I’ve ever had to make.
I had 2 choices. Do I go back to Mackay and live with my mum and go back to the same old things or do I stay in Brisbane, move in with Ken and his family and chase my dreams. I stayed and from here I never looked back.
Sure it was tough; there were times when I was a teenager when I wanted to walk away from swimming and there were times when I thought I was never going to make that break, but the thing that keep me going was my hunger and my desire to compete for my country and be the best in the world.
In fact, striving for a Personal Best in my swimming and in my personal life was then and still is today a driving force in all that I do!
I didn’t win my 1st medal at nationals until I was 16 and funny enough, it was in the 200m Backstroke and I didn’t win my first gold medal in the Butterfly until I was 17.
Ken taught me to believe. In fact, I was “bred to believe”. It’s main thing he teaches every student when he or she enters the front door. It’s the main thing that motivates us, drives us and is in our minds when we stand up behind the blocks at any swim meet, whether it’s a BSA meet or the Olympics.
For 16 years I did the 4am starts, there were countless hours in the gym, 10 pool sessions a week averaging 5km per session. That’s 50km per week or 2,400 km’s a year and over 16 years that’s 38,000 km’s, the same distance as Sydney to London and back again.
And the rest is history.



Like I said for 16 yrs I was living a strict, strenuous program so it was only natural to have a blow out, I had to swing the pendulum in the opposite direction.
I travelled the world for over 12 months and I didn’t deny myself from anything.
If there was a festival, I made my way there especially if there was good food and wine involved, I was always the first one there and the last one to leave.
By late 2007 and early 2008 I was a hefty 40kilos heavier.
And I realised that the fun had to stop. My clothes weren’t fitting, I was struggling when I was walking up stairs and I was starting to feel embarrassed for letting myself go. Not to mention the fact that at any stage I was going to have a heart attack just like my father
I heard what people were saying in the background and I was starting to get depressed about the situation I had put myself in.



So instead of playing the victim card, I changed my thinking and did something about it.
I went back to basics and I had to go back in my mind and remember all the things I was taught that got me to the top.
In my career I’ve had access to all of the elite coaches, the best dieticians and the best doctors that money can buy and there’s one thing I’ve learnt from all of them and I’m going to share the secret with all of you, You have to trust me on this one. It’s not rocket science. There’s no quick fix or magic pill that can change your life and make it better.
Mental toughness counts. There, it’s as simple as that.
If you want something in life you have to work hard to get it.
That’s right and I know from living proof that if you want to succeed and get the results, you have to put the hard work in. It’s not going to be handed to you on a platter.
So, like I mentioned earlier I’ve had to go back to basics and implement a balanced program that work on all aspects of life, Mental, Physical and Nutritional and that’s how I’ve dropped almost 30kgs.
But the most important things I had to regain were my values.
Values, Ken teaches every child everyday when they enter the pool. From common courtesy, a simple good morning or good night to punctuality, discipline and respect. Simple traits that unfortunately are hard to find in most teenagers today.



2009 onwards….
I recently made a successful return to the world of elite swimming for the 2009/10 international season. And I am aiming for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India and potentially London 2012 Olympic Games.
Today I am establishing myself as an Athlete-Entrepreneur whilst I am also focused on my comeback to international level swimming, along with positioning myself within….
the ranks of the business and corporate world,
humanitarian ambassadorships,
civic-minded projects, and
undertaking socially responsible community outreach initiatives.
My efforts were boosted with Charles Turner CEO and Jim Fowlie – Head of Swimming at NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) offering me a full swimming scholarship to train with the new Sydney super squad headed by Australia’s pre-eminent swimming coach Grant Stoelwinder. The super squad includes Eamon Sullivan and Libby Trickett.
And I have recently appointed Grand Slam International (GSI) for exclusive management, marketing and media representation.
The partnership with GSI will also involve a new business concept – OPS   Consulting – a collaboration between myself and close mentor, award winning television producer, media consultant and educator, Keith Saggers.
At OPS Consulting we have developed a unique Best-strengths Coaching Program: Be-Your-Best (BYB).
I see BYB as an opportunity for individuals and executives (corporate athletes) – who ALL face similar challenges – to gain the tools, tips and skills to dynamically kick start and improve individual Personal Best performance in any endeavour, anywhere, and anytime.
Through OPS Consulting I am currently involved in providing an exclusive suite of seminars and workshops, keynote presentations and speeches, ice-breaker briefings, boot camps and retreats, Q&A sessions, convention and sponsor promotional appearances.
Throughout my swimming career, I have had extensive television experience both as an interviewee and as an interviewer. Along with expanding my national profile by guest appearing and presenting numerous programs including sports reports for FOXTEL during the 2008 Olympics.
My on air talents have also extended to other arena’s including extensive TV segment presenting and guest appearances on a variety of morning television shows along with radio.
And currently I am a co-host on the national radio broadcaster ABC network program Grandstand Active for 2009.



I am very proud to take on an ambassador role for The Sir David Martin Foundation. With the main aim- to get more young people off the streets, away from unhealthy situations and into care and rehabilitation, The Sir David Martin Foundation encourages young people towards ‘a new sense of self belief’ so that they can face the community at large without the need for drugs, crime and homelessness.
And I am now an Official ‘Role Model’ Ambassador to the Federal and Private Sector funded National DrinkWise Australia Cultural Change Program 2009.
Along with Brook Hanson, I will be the public face for the 2009 AUSTSWIM community service announcement to be aired nationally.
And I had the most amazing opportunity to help a children’s charity in Fiji. I spent 7 days as host/sports personality in Fiji for the Accor Hotels & Resorts ‘Race to Survive’ charity event working to improve the odds for Fijian children in partnership with Rotary towards funding the basic, life-saving medicines and equipment which they believe, are every child’s right.
Now I am off to Europe with Grant, the NSWIS team and the Super Squad as we start a very exciting round of international swim competitions.