Why did you apply for an IAS scholarship? I applied for an individual scholarship because I thought it would be a good opportunity to learn and gain knowledge to get more out of myself and my sport. What is your pre-competition routine and how long have you been doing it? My pre-competition consists of stretching and I do yoga for 10-15 minutes, get into the warm-up pool and do a long, easy warm-up for about 30 minutes. Then get out of the pool, get dry and relax in the marshalling area before getting pumped for my race. I have been doing that routine since I started swimming competitively. Who’s your favourite professional athlete and why? It’s hard to say just one. James Magnussen is cool and always exciting to watch race, and David McKeon is definitely one of my favourites because he is a local and IAS graduate. What is your best memory from playing your sport? I have so many good memories with my swimming, like making state finals, winning a state medal, swimming at national championships – I really don’t have a best memory, they are all great memories. Achieving my goals is always a great feeling that I love to do, as well as setting new goals. If you weren’t playing this sport, what would you be doing and why? If I wasn’t swimming in a pool, I would be more involved with surf lifesaving, like I used to be, or playing PlayStation. When did you start playing your sport and how did you get started? I have been swimming since I was 18-months-old, attended swimming carnivals when I was 8 then had a couple of years off and started again when I was 11. From there I decided that swimming was for me and started setting goals for myself. What are the greatest challenges balancing school and sport? When I have to miss days off school for carnivals, then having to catch up on the work that I missed. But my school, teachers and friends are very supportive of my swimming and encourage me to do the best that I can. What is your biggest disappointment in sport? I don’t really have any disappointments from my sport. If I’m not happy with something, I always just smile and work harder at training to make that problem go away. What are your plans beyond school? Swim for as long as I can, then once that doesn’t work for me, go to uni and get a job. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? In the UK or some place tropical. What do you do in your free time? I love to spend time down the beach and surf, lots of eating, recharging the batteries and sleeping!
