I was never a standout sportsperson at school, but always enjoyed taking part. I played some football, rugby, hockey and cricket and later developed some reasonable squash, badminton and swimming skills.
After leaving school, I continued to play squash and badminton and picked up cricket again. Swimming has always been my one constant activity and this was my go-to whenever I thought I was putting on a few pounds!
I’ve had a busy career in business, moving into management early on in my working life. I have extensive experience of customer service, sales, operations, purchasing, IT and general management. I’ve also worked closely with finance specialists, so can reasonably claim to be something of an all-rounder.
Education has been central to my life and I consider myself a lifelong learner. I left school post A levels and continued my education whilst working full time, eventually achieving a Masters Degree in Business Administration. My affinity for education carries through to my work as a school governor, a role I’ve been privileged to hold since 2005.
My first experience of triathlon came post-2012 Olympics when I was “encouraged” to take part in a work-sponsored event at the Blenheim Triathlon. Having bought a shiny new bike (first one in twenty-plus years) and a wetsuit, I started to train with little real idea of what I was doing (sound familiar?) I managed to survive the event and found myself completely hooked.
I came across Wakefield Triathlon Club when training for Blenheim. At the time, they offered open water swim sessions to non-members and it soon became apparent that it was more cost effective to join if you were doing more than a few sessions (sorry, I make no apologies for being a tight Yorkshireman!)
I’ve been an active member of WTC since 2014 and a couple of years ago decided it was time to start paying back the fantastic club that had given me so much and supported me. I enrolled on the BTF Level 1 (Foundation Coach) course and quickly progressed to Level 2 (Group Coach), coaching swim, bike and run sessions as my experience grew and qualifications allowed. I subsequently completed the BTF Strength & Conditioning CPD module, followed by the Level 2 Diploma, allowing me to coach one to one.
The thing that has struck me time and again on my coaching journey is how much I’ve been coaching others throughout my working life, helping them to develop new and existing skills and encouraging them to achieve their potential through practice, hard work and effective planning. I know what it’s like to train hard and manage work, family and other competing priorities. My last role was managing a business unit with full P&L responsibility for a FTSE 100 PLC, a position I held for over thirteen years; trust me, that’s an achievement in itself!
I am very much looking forward to putting my skills and experience to work alongside Hard & Smart Sports Coaching, helping athletes develop and progress and continuing my learning journey alongside you.
