I sit here on the train after a short trip away training wondering there’s got to be an easier way. Perhaps I’m just not that lucky. Trying to combine full time training and full time work just isn’t viable. Not without questioning yourself a lot about what you are doing, how you are doing it to the best of your ability to get the best of both performance and making a living. It surely can’t work long term, training full time, working well over full time hours, can it?
Many athletes may find themselves in the same situation like me. Haven’t quite got professional status yet and find themselves working and training hard to afford both life expenses, and to achieve their dreams. Not an easy task in a world that has a gradual increase in the cost of living.
The Olympics has always been my dream. Ever since I was a little girl, I remember watching the Olympics totally inspired by the immense athleticism and superhuman like qualities amongst the athletes and various sports. Being a young sport girl the influence this had on me led me to start the journey. To be one of them.
Yet, my journey so far has been nothing but smooth. There are constant obstacles and one of the biggest battles yet is funding. You need results to get sponsorship and to be recognised, but in a sport where there is very little limelight and selective funding what comes first? Working hard to afford to get out on season but may affect performance, or work on your performance and risk the possibility you don’t get to afford to race?
Chicken or egg, performance or funding?
It's the first dilemma that caught me out and still catches me out today. Without sponsorship it relies on you to be able to fund your races. Governing bodies want to see results for any backing they put towards you. Being in such a physical job myself (physio and veterinary physio) it did have comebacks of reduced recovery time, which probably led to the burnout earlier this summer. However, how else I am supposed to get out and race against the world, to show what I can do?
My first season I completed 2 races. Just 2 weeks in the pilot seat that season. That’s all I could afford alongside some financial help from the family. Last season I managed 4 races with the help of crowd funding. In a sport where there are at least 8 races, I had barely even managed a full season over the last 2 seasons. I had even qualified for the World Championship, but I couldn’t go. Yes, you guessed it, I didn’t have the money to go. The lack of races, although I am the highest ranked 2-man pilot in GBR from last year’s results, cost me my no1 ranking during the selection process this summer. Not ideal when you are looking for support and partnerships.
Luckily, because of the results I have achieved it did start to sway some heads and encourage some sponsorship. This still isn’t enough though to cover my season costs this year. A full season would cost near enough £40,000. So, I again find myself in the position of having to work and train hard to achieve more weeks on ice, to compete in more races, giving me the opportunity to achieve better.
I know full well, if I had the moment to train as a professional athlete my performance would be so much better. That would snowball results to an even higher ranking, performance in the gym, athletics track, push track and ultimately race finish positions would also improve. Where could this lead to? It is something I aim towards and hopefully the Olympic year that is something I will be able to do; train full time and focus on the aim ahead. I can’t hang on the what if’s right, if there is anything I have learned in my journey so far, it's what I can do with now to change tomorrow.
So, I sit here still on the train, giving you barely a snippet of one of the biggest battles I constantly fight each day. The dream to achieve professional athlete status, to achieve the dream. They say the hardest battles are given to the toughest. I like to think the obstacles you face make you tougher, wiser. I just have a lot of them.
It leads me to the thought there must be an easier way while I sit here, but is that taking the low pressure, relaxed approach? The easy way out? Let’s just say the obstacles along the journey just add fuel to my fire. The hardest journey has got to give the biggest reward, diamonds are only created under pressure, right?
