Wellington’s Sam Thompson refuses to let distance preserve her from her dream of ocean swimming

Sam Thompson lives a whole lot of kilometres from the coast, however that does not cease her waking up at 4am each morning to coach for open water swimming. 

She entered her first ocean race in Sydney in 2022, 5 hours away from her house in Wellington, in central west NSW.

Since then, the 18-year-old has competed at state and nationwide ranges, scheduling hours of coaching round highschool.

However she virtually walked away from her very first race.

Earlier than rivals acquired within the water, an announcement came visiting the loudspeaker warning them to not put their toes down within the shallow water as a result of there have been stingrays.

“I used to be like, ‘No, thanks, I actually do not wish to try this,’ and my coach was like, ‘You are right here, get within the water,'” Thompson mentioned.

It will take one other two races for her to seek out her affinity with the game.

“I did not fall in love with it instantly, I used to be a bit nervous — it was very uncomfortable,” she mentioned.

“[The team] all acquired in collectively, we have been all going to swim collectively, I acquired about 5 strokes in and I misplaced everybody … I began panicking.

“I do not know why I stored doing it after that.”

It was a 5-kilometre race additional down the monitor that modified Thompson’s perspective.

“I completed the primary lap and my shoulders have been hurting however … I embraced the water and the ache,” she mentioned.

Loads of onerous work

Final month, Thompson travelled to Busselton in south west WA for the Australian Open Water Championships, the place she positioned 14th in her age group within the 10km race and nineteenth within the 5km race.

Whereas some open water competitions are held in rivers and lakes, most races are within the ocean, and Thompson discovered she was typically the one competitor who was not from a coastal space.

“The primary open water golf equipment, they go down and swim within the precise ocean or in a regatta centre … to allow them to get their expertise up going across the buoys and truly swimming in opposition to the present.”

To make up for her distance from the ocean, Thompson places in further hours of coaching, waking up at 4am each morning to swim for an hour and a half earlier than college.

She has unfold her yr 12 research out throughout two years, that means she solely has just a few courses every day earlier than heading again to the pool for an additional two hours of coaching within the afternoon.

“I goal to do additional within the pool than I’ll race.

“So to coach for a 5km, we’ll be knocking out 7km as an goal for it.”

Assist community a necessity

By the hours of coaching, Thompson mentioned the factor that stored her going was a robust assist community, made up of her household, associates and coach.

“Once I’m away competing it is very nice having that supportive background to maintain me going,” she mentioned.

“I do not assume I might do it with none of them, particularly my mother and father.”

She inspired others who have been taken with an unconventional sport to offer it a go.

“Discover a good assist system and check out your hardest, simply give it your all,” she mentioned.

Thompson’s subsequent aim is to make it into the highest 10 at subsequent yr’s nationwide competitors.

However she can also be pleased merely to push her limits.

“General, I form of simply wish to see how far I can go attempting my finest — if I get on an Australian staff, that is wonderful — greater than I might ever dream of,” she mentioned.

“But in addition, if probably the most I make is the NSW staff, then that is so far as I acquired and so long as I attempted my hardest, I am pleased.”