Nile Wilson - Nile Wilson--My Story

Nile Wilson: My Story

Nile Wilson

First published in Great Britain in 2021 by

Pen & Sword White Owl An imprint of

Pen & Sword Books Ltd Yorkshire - Philadelphia

Copyright Nile Wilson, 2021

ISBN 978 1 52677 201 5

eISBN 978 1 52677 202 2

The right of Nile Wilson to be identified as the Author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

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I dedicate this book to my Mum, Dad and Joanna.

Everything I do is to make you proud.

Hi, my name is Nile Wilson and I do roly-polys for a living!

That has been one of my opening lines on YouTube for so long and I thought it would be a perfect start to this book!

When I first sat down and started writing this book, I wanted the ending of it to be me gloriously holding up an Olympic gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. I truly felt that was possible but, in the end, it wasnt to be part of my gymnastics journey. But my journey within the sport has been, and still is, about far more than just winning medals. In fact, I feel as though my story is as important now as ever. I have experienced more than most within gymnastics and while the sport is on the cusp of major change, it is time for me to speak my truth.

Most importantly, I want my message to anyone reading this book to be that anything is possible because I am a true reflection of that. When I was 7 years old, we had a new patio put in at our house leading on to the garden. There was a separate side bit where the patio doors were going in where my sister, Joanna, and I could put our handprints into the cement before it dried. My dad asked us both what message we wanted with our handprints, and I said: Nile Wilson, Olympic Gymnast.

That 7-year-olds dream became reality thirteen years later at the Rio Olympics. Within a world in which people are often told to be sensible and protect themselves from possible disappointments, I dreamt big and my parents never shot me down for it. There is a powerful lesson in this. If youre a gymnast shooting for the stars, then understand that the power to achieve what you want already lies within you. You can do this! And if youre not a gymnast then the same message applies to whatever you want to do in life. The world is full of opportunities so get out there and fulfil your dreams. Dont be crippled by fear; be excited about possibilities. As the tattoo on the side of my body says: The only limitations in life are the ones we set ourselves.

My great hope is that this book goes beyond the gymnastics community and is read by people from all sports and all areas of life who experience hardship but still dream big.

I have so many people to thank throughout this book but the first one must go to you for reading this.

Thank you for being part of my journey and remember

Train Smart, Keep It Real!

Nile

M y first memory of gymnastics was at Pudsey Leisure Centre when I was 4 years old.

Its all a bit fuzzy in my mind, but I remember the simplicity of the gym with just some mats on the floor and maybe a beam. I also remember walking back to the car afterwards with my mum. So many of my early memories are of my journeys to and from gymnastics with her. I was a high energy and clumsy 4-year-old and fell over and hurt myself on a fairly regular basis. Mum had been a gymnast herself and also a coach; she felt that gymnastics might really help me with my balance and spatial awareness, or at least contain me within lots of soft things so I couldnt hurt myself!

But my first profound gymnastics memory is a summer camp that I went to at Headingley Carnegie University. I guess it is where it all started for me. I genuinely had the time of my life! I got to hang on the rings and the bar and do my first swings and, basically, bounce around on soft cushions; it all felt like a really fun adventure.

Back in 2000, Leeds Gymnastics Club was based at the Carnegie University in Headingley and the summer camp was run by a man called Mike Talbot, or as we used to call him Mr T! He didnt look like the Mr T from the A Team, unfortunately, and the bald patch on his head was the exact opposite of the other Mr Ts Mohican!

Our Mr T was an amazing man, and I was so lucky to have him involved in my early gymnastics. He had a genuine love for the sport and his passion was infectious. His sessions were always fun and most of the time he worked on a voluntary basis. As time went on, if we knew we had a session coming up with Mr T, there was always an air of excitement with all the kids. He just made us all smile.

It was he who fast-tracked me into being a full member of the club from that summer camp. To get into Leeds Gymnastics Club you would ordinarily need to do well in a regional competition to show you were up to the necessary standard, but Mr T saw something in me on that camp. One day he pointed at me in front of all the other kids and another coach, Chris Lowe (who eventually became Ashley Watsons coach), and looked me in the eyes and said: That kids special. Really special.

That obviously felt good, but I also felt a bit uncomfortable. I was very young, and everyone was staring at me! I wasnt actually sure if it was good or bad!

I had some very special times with Mr T he was there when I first learnt to do a dismount off the Pommel Horse. It genuinely brought him as much pride and joy as it did me. Sadly, he was diagnosed with cancer when I was 15 years old and as things started to look bad for him, I went to visit him in hospital. The decline in his health was really rapid and heartbreaking for all of us. In December he was in the office at the club; by January he looked a shell of the man he once was.

Those moments in hospital with him were special, though. I took in my iPad and showed him a pirouetted dismount I had performed that day in the gym off the Pommel Horse. Mr Ts face lit up when I showed it to him, and he called in all the doctors to come and see it. There was me, Mr T and five doctors all staring at my iPad in the hospital! Looking back, it was wonderful to have that time with him just before he died. I believe all young gymnasts need an early coach in their lives who will surround them with passion and enthusiasm for the sport. Someone who makes it fun, so you fall in love with it. Mr T was that coach for me.

Mr Ts backing meant I was straight into the squad and avoided having to perform at a certain level in a competition to be selected. I have to say, I wouldnt have minded that, but the fast-tracking was out my hands. I was initially assigned a young coach called Andrew Butcher, who I guess was my first proper coach. Obviously, the likes of Mr T had coached me previously, but Andrew was my first serious coach and was dedicated to really progressing my gymnastics. Andrew was a good gymnast himself and we had a good group of us. Everything just felt so exciting and cool at the time in the gym. I just wanted to learn and try everything! It was a bit like being a kid in a candy shop. I was obsessed with learning new tricks and skills, and having a go on each apparatus. By the time I was 8 years old, I had progressed rapidly to doing twenty hours per week of training Monday to Thursday 59 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m.1 p.m. Every week. My life was school and gymnastics, while trying to fit in eating and homework as well; I loved it!