How did you get into diving?
I got into diving because my brother was doing it. He had been in swimming lessons and the swim teacher pulled my dad to one side and said that he had good body control and that that was something that would be good in a sport like diving. So my parents signed him up for diving lessons and then a year or so later (when I was swimming well enough to stay afloat!) I had a go.
Why do you love diving?
I mainly love diving because of the people. The diving family, although it may sound cringe-worthy, it really is a group of amazing people who I've had some of the best experiences with! The sport in itself is challenging but also very rewarding so when it goes well the level of satisfaction you feel is like no other sport I've done before.
What does your usual day look like?
We train approximately 25 hours over 10-sessions a week. So generally my first session of the day will consist of 90 mins of land training; this can include any strength and conditioning, diving specific gymnastics, acrobatics, trampoline work, core conditioning, and agility training. We then get straight into the pool for around an hour and train anything from our hardest dives to basic technical development work. Next, it's time for lunch! Then we’re back for the afternoon session which involves another hour of land training and another hour in the pool.
What is your proudest moment?
My proudest moment was probably when my brother and I got the phone call to say we had been selected to represent Team England at the Commonwealth games.
If you weren't a sportsperson, what would you be?
If I wasn't a sportsman I would love to be an actor/performer.
What injuries have you had and how did/do they affect you?
Unfortunately, diving is quite a brutal sport with many people retiring in their mid-twenties because of injury. I have had to deal with my fair share; including tears in both my triceps, chronic inflammation and swelling in my shoulder, I’ve also had stress responses in too many bones to count! As I have gotten older I feel as though I am learning to identify problem areas and act on niggles before they become problems.
However, sometimes some injuries just aren't avoidable. Mentally it can be very hard to keep going because you know what you want to be able to do, but it just seems like your body is letting you down. In the same notion, I have seen people come back from injuries and be better and stronger divers than before, so I always try to keep that in mind and stay as positive as I can!
How does NuroKor help you manage your recovery?
I use my Nurokor mainly after hard strength and conditioning sessions, as well as after all of my competitions. This means I can be recovered and ready to go again much quicker than if I didn't have my NuroKor Lifetech device.
Where do you use it?
For recovery, I mainly use my mitouch on my quads. However more recently, I have been dealing with a shoulder injury and have been using the device to help with pain management and recovery of those muscles too.
What's next for you? Next big goal?
My goal for the moment is to sort my shoulder injury out, hopefully getting rid of the pain and re-strengthening the area. Once that is under control I can get back to perfecting my dives for my next competitions!
