Sport and Lifestyle

Adam Burgess (canoe)

Name: Adam Burgess

Sport: Canoeing

Discipline: C1, C2

Course: Sports Science

I'm Adam Burgess, and I compete in Canoe, C1 and C2 disciplines. I'm really excited about the Olympics being in London in 2012, and even more excited that I could be there competing for Team GB! I'll be filming my training and posting it here each month in the build up.

Update: Adam successfully qualified as a reserve in the C2 category for the Great Britain 2012 Olympic team on 16 April 2012 at the Tesco Canoe Slalom 2012 Selection Series event.

How I started

I started canoeing through a link my school had with the local canoe club (Stafford and Stone). To begin with it was just another hobby that I did along with football and swimming, but gradually it took over until it became my main sport and I found myself training every day for it. I then moved to Nottingham at the age of 16 to train at the National Water Sports Centre. I've represented Great Britain since 2007 with some success. Most notably winning Gold in the 3xC1M at the J18 World Championships in 2010.

Goals for London 2012

Although I am young I believe that I'm in with a shout of making the Olympic team. I'm training harder than ever this winter to get myself to the top. Only one boat per class can represent so selection is going to be very tight. Britain are going to be a strong nation to contend with at the games so whoever it is on the team is in with a good shout of a medal.

Goals

It's going to take hours and hours of hard training in the cold of the winter. I also need to push myself harder than ever in the gym to really get the best gains possible. I'm trying to improve everything I do day to day to give me that extra 1% that will be the difference between making the team and not.

Milestones

From now until mid-April it’s hard training, and then it’s into the selection races. Performing at those races is the goal at the moment.

What does it mean to you to be a Student-Athlete at NTU aiming for London 2012? 

Since starting at NTU they have been both supportive and flexible around my training. Without the huge support that I get from the University my journey would definitely be a lot harder.

What sacrifices do you make for your sport? 

I don't consider myself to be making sacrifices, but I guess I don't tend to go out so much and live the life of a normal student. But not only am I training towards a dream it’s keeping myself strong and healthy too. So, I wouldn't say my lifestyle is much of a sacrifice.

What does your average day look like:

I wake up at 7 am to train at 8 am every morning; I train two-four times per day which is fitted around my university timetable.

What are the realities of being a Student-Athlete?

It’s tough, yes; but doable. I generally have full days so I am kept busy all the time. I just need to be very good at managing my time well, and planning carefully what to do when I do have some free time so I make the most of it. In elite sport there’s always going to be ups and downs, good races and bad races. But you've just got to take the rough with the smooth and keep training towards the dream.

For more information you can follow Adam Burgess on twitter or visit my Adam Burgess' website.