Have you ever thought of what it would be like for a retired sportsperson to come back to sport in a form of not competing or coaching?

The opportunity arose to share knowledge and skills with an up and coming young sports person (by young we mean pre-puberty). The ability to give back to the sport that has made you who you are and taught you the lessons you have learnt.

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For three weeks, we focused on getting fit the quickest way we knew how; by not skimping on mileage although understanding that mileage was not our strong point at this particular time. One week out from a small, but important competition our young person visited family outside of their comfort zone and norm. Programs were sent along with them.

Do not underestimate the power of family, tenacity, strength and will power. No matter what is thrown at this youngster, the will to do their best and succeed is phenomenal to witness from a distance and at the same time from close by. This lanky youngster is not to be underestimated by any means.

Early on Saturday morning, which, thankfully, was not one of those never-ending competition days, where one waits for hours to compete in more than one event, the competition mentioned above began.

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Event one was up. Watching that awkward and uncomfortable stroke of this youngster, even, we, questioned what it is we had done wrong. The result - a slow time and a disappointed face could be seen from afar. The experience of failure and what this feels like physically and mentally, we sympathized.
Event 2, and again, disappointment could be seen radiating from the youngster.
Event three and a drop in a time - for probably one of the most important events on the swimming calendar - the 200m Individual medley.

This put a smile on our faces and on the youngster’s face. Lessons: No matter how experienced an athlete can be, the understanding of turning a negative into positive, by far outweighs the good or the bad swim. To come from negativity and to better oneself in one event is remarkable, but to do this significantly in the last event you are entered into, placing way above your normal ranking, takes guts, heart and soul.

This is the making of a true, strong person learning the lessons that sport teaches, through thick and thin, learning more about oneself and what one is capable of! Congratulations, you laid it all on the line, even for a small competition.

We wish you all the best of luck!

The SportsPodium Team

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