Stick at it girls!

Posted: 11/12/2011

I was at the East Midlands British Triathlon Academy time trials a few weekends ago and I was talking to coach, Jonny Riall, about an interesting topic, a topic I am quite passionate about. He asked me why I thought so many girls around the age of 14 stop sport. It’s sad, but he’s right, and I will share some of my thoughts in this blog.

I remember being 14 at school. It was the age where my friends started to catch the bus into town after school or for the day on a Saturday. It was also the age where cinema or a pizza hut trips creped in in the evenings.  As much as I wanted to join in with my friends, I had to say no. I had swimming after school everyday and swimming on a Saturday morning. Now the hardest part for me was saying no. I think that’s the hard things for most girls at that age. We do experience peer pressure.  I guess I always had my goal in the back of my head. Around that time, it was always making Nationals for swimming and I wanted to do everything I could to get there.

I guess the other thing was having a fear of missing out.  Yes – it was hard for me to hear the next day what fun my friends had had the previous night whilst I’d done a 8km session in the pool. At the time it’s really hard to look into the future to realise that what you missed out on wasn’t even worth it for the things you may get to experience later on in sport. When I look back now, I sit and think about all the things I’ve done, all the places I’ve visited due to triathlon.  It was definitely worth saying no to the odd trip to pizza hut!

Sorry to put the blame on the other sex, but boys slip into the equation too. 14 was the age where all my friends started getting boyfriends. I never had a boyfriend through out school and at the time that was quite tough too. I was always the odd one out in our friendship group. I was just so one-track mind with my sport, I didn’t have time for distractions.

I sound like I was social recluse at secondary school and that’s not the case. I did get to go out with my friends on the odd occasion. The friends who I got to go out with on the odd occasion were the friends who understood what I did, they never got angry when I had to say no and they supported my sport. They are the friends that are still my friends now at the age of 21.

In sixth form my friends all started going out at night into town. The whole time I lived in Northampton, I went out at night into town once, and that was in my break! I just couldn’t afford to go out late when I had to be up at  4.45am the next day. I guess I didn’t want to spend my money on alcohol at that age either, I’d rather spend it on some new cycle kit! Looking back, I don’t think I missed out at all on nights out. Every triathlete will tell you how fun the after party events are after a major competition! I had my fun and nights out then, when I dissevered them.

So I believe the message for any girl who’s contemplated giving up their sport because they feel they are missing out or don’t have life is: stick with it, your fun will happen in your sport in the not so distant future. I have traveled to a list of countries as long as my arm, met so many amazing people and earnt enough money from my sport to support myself, go on holiday and enjoy life.  Saying no when I was in school was one of the best things I’ve done in my sporting career!

Don’t ever give up girls!

Hollie