NEWS
Wednesday September 21, 2016
19
Nira Windeatt: Life lessons learnt from an Olympic experience
Elle Mackintosh From swimming upstream in the creek at Narrabri, to the Olympic pool in Montreal, Nira Windeatt has had quite an adventurous life. “Swimming was the only way we could get out of our small town and see the world.� “My dad was the manager of the local swimming pool, so my five siblings and I were always in the water. During the summer holidays, when the pool became too busy for our training we would go down to the river and swim against the rapids. It was absolute torture, but it was really great training.� Butterfly was Nira’s stroke of choice and she knew that in order to get out of Narrabri and see the world she needed to give 100% commitment to the sport. With no scholarships or government assistance for athletes then, Nira was supported by her parents, her swim club and the town of Narrabri to get to the level that she did. Nira began swimming training at age six and worked her way through, Country, State and National Championships – at which she broke a number of Australian records for butterfly. At sixteen she went to the World Championships in Cali, Columbia and the next year to the 1976 Montreal Olympics. She was also Captain of Narrabri High School that same year. “At the World Champions I placed fourth in the 200m butterfly behind two East Germans and an American. That was my best result,� she said, “But that was before drug testing had been brought in, and I remember that the Russian and East German athletes were quite scary to look at, very muscular and hairy with very deep voices.�
“Most of our 1976 Australian Olympic Swim team were quite young and naĂŻve. The oldest swimmer in the team was 23 and we had two girls that were only 13. “Many of the Australian Olympic team was made up of country people back then,â€? she said, “I think it is because in the country, we breed them tough. We also know that you have to train hard if you want to succeed.â€? Nira met her husband Graham at the trials for the 1975 World Championships in Cali, Columbia and they trained together and both competed in Montreal. Graham was already an Olympian and World record holder and had won a silver medal in the mens 1500m freestyle at Munich in 1972. He also won gold at the Commonwealth Games and attended university in the USA at Tennessee on a swimming scholarship. After the Olympics, Nira decided to hang up the swimmers and retire at just 18 years old. She returned to finish school then go to University in Sydney. Considering that part of her life to be over, Nira was reluctant to tell people of her experience at the Olympics. “I didn’t really think it mattered, and I didn’t want it to influence the way people thought about me,â€? she said, “I worked with Australian Airlines and Qantas in a trainee management position and then with Continential Airlines. When they later found out I went to the Olympics they said ‘why didn’t you tell us?’ I just didn’t think it made a difference.â€? However as time has gone on, Nira has a different take on things. “The experience of being involved in sport at that level has taught me many
important lessons. Sport teaches you how to deal with failures, how to show your competitors respect, how to deal with travelling and living away from home for a long time and how to interact with a huge variety of people. It also teaches you to aim for a goal and to be true to yourself. I was given the opportunity to learn these things very early in life by being involved in sport, and it has led to a rich and fulfilling life.� Nira and Graham recently went to a reunion of the 1976 Montreal Olympic Australian swimming team. She said it was interesting to see what everyone was up to now and how they had all dealt with their postOlympic lives. Nira married Graham in 1979 and together they have two children, now aged in their 20s. People of Jindabyne will know Nira as executive assistant to local businessman Bruce Marshall, who as well as other businesses owns of Nuggets Crossing, Jindabyne Mitre 10 and Lake Crackenback Resort. She and her family moved to Jindabyne 16 years ago mainly to send their kids to Snowy Mountains Grammar School (SMGS) and to allow them to ski for sport. Both their children are also very sporty, having been involved in dragon boating and skiing locally. In fact, Nira’s daughter has recently been involved in organising ‘welcome home’ events for the returning Australian Rio Olympic competitors around Australia. “I was very upset to see on the media that the Australian Olympic athletes were being criticised for not bringing home enough medals,� said Nira, “They must not understand how much work and sacrifice it has taken to get them to that level. To even be at the
Olympics and make it into a final is an extraordinary achievement, and to be criticised by your own country for not coming home with a medal is appalling.� However, Nira was pleased to hear from her daughter, that despite the trepidation the competitors felt about coming home, the Olympians were being welcomed back as heroes. Nira’s son is currently in Canada working at Camp
Olympia, so the apple has not fallen far from the tree at all. Graham and Nira have remained passionate about sport their whole lives. They are particularly passionate about bringing it to the public and educating them about the best practises available. They owned and ran fitness centres in Sydney in the 80s - at the height of the aerobics craze. Graham is currently working on apps that
allow coaches and players access to expert advice from the best in their field. Graham has been working on this for the past eight years, and they currently have two programs. The rugby league app is called Panthers Complete League and the soccer version Everton Way will be coming soon. The idea is to provide access to the best practises in coaching and playing for all sporting associations, which are mostly made up
of volunteer parents who may not know the best way to go about training. This program supplies them with videos and information about how to go about it. Nira is now enjoying her job at Nuggets Crossing, particularly because she loves being involved in the community and interacting with people. Pictured, Nira Windeatt at work in Jindabyne and in action at Montreal.
“Nothing compares to the versatility of a Greenfield Fast Cut Mower�
Greenfield mowers now available at
Cooma Power Equipment *VTTPZZPVULY :[ *VVTH ŕ Ž 7! -! ŕ Ž ,! JVVTHWV^LY'NTHPS JVT