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Moscow hero is still in love with sport
ONE of the primary objectives of Sport Leeds is to encourage participation in physical activity and recreation.
Recruiting Duncan Goodhew as this year's motivational speaker looks like a shrewd move – the former Great Britain ace saying sport not only shot him to stardom but also saved his life.
Goodhew, now 51, is one of sport's most recognisable figures even 29 years on from his career high when he took gold in the 100 metres breaststroke at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow.
His total lack of hair has always made him stand out from the crowd and it also acted to give him a minute hydrodynamic advantage in the pool.
But the British star did not see many plus points in himself as a schoolboy.
Also dyslexic, Goodhew was somewhat ostracised in the classroom and among his many unflattering nicknames was 'Duncan the Dunce'.
Academic, perhaps not and unusual, maybe, but Goodhew's escape route came through swimming, something he began as a child and soon realised he was rather good at, eventually swimming competitively in America as a collegian at North Carolina State University.
Some 20 years later he had become 'Goodhew the Gold Medallist' and the British hero's story will doubtless inspire at next Wednesday's annual seminar for Sport Leeds.
"I think from my point of view, I gained so much from sport," Goodhew told the Yorkshire Evening Post.
"It saved me and it re-built my life.
"It is something that I really believe in and I don't like to be over-bearing about it but I love to see people engaging and involving themselves in sport. I was growing up, I was bald, I was dyslexic and I was drowning in the classroom.
"I was a bit of an oddity socially – being bald at the age of 10 and so I felt that life wasn't going my way.
"I found swimming and then I had this contrast of some things I was not so good at, compared to something I was quite good at.
"That gave me a tool and swimming was the tool that I used to re-build my life from there.
"I think you find things that make you feel good inside and that you can associate with – for me it was swimming, but for other people it might be another sport.
"If you can find some sort of physical activity that you are engaged in, it puts you in the here and now and it does a whole bunch for you physiologically.
"It can help de-stress you, help you understand and engage not only yourself but other people as well."
Based in Somerset, MBE Goodhew now fulfils various roles within sport as a motivational speaker, author and organiser of various events.
His most memorable moments in sport came at the Moscow Olympics, where he also took bronze in the 4x100m medley, but Goodhew says he remains as involved with swimming and sport as he ever was.
He also feels incredibly lucky to be making his living in such a way.
"For me, it is not a question of looking back, it is a continuation," said Goodhew, who also took three silver medals in the 1978 Edmonton Commonwealth Games.
"I found sport and I found a focus for myself and now I love it as a life enhancer.
"My quality of life – everything I do on a day-to-day basis – is better because I am involved in a career – if you can call it that – I am involved in sport in making a living.
"I love that too. It engages me and it excites me that there is a contribution to be made.
"We have 12 million regular swimmers and another 14 per cent of people who are inactive but who would like to take part in cycling and swimming.
"It certainly has massive potential and I am really pleased that here in Leeds they now allow under-16s to use the pool for free."
Goodhew is now charged with the responsibility of selling the benefits of sport to various sport development officers, volunteers, coaches, teachers and administrators at next Wednesday's seminar at Leeds Met University.
Luckily, Goodhew is visiting a city with impressive sport participation figures with the number of those undertaking sport or active recreation on three occasions for half- an-hour each week up from 20 per cent to 27 per cent.
In participation terms, Leeds has also moved from 218th out of 354 authorities all the way up to 16th. Goodhew – who turns 52 a week on Wednesday – has fond memories of the city and enjoys his frequent visits to the biggest city in Yorkshire.
"Leeds has always been a great memory for me and I remember the old 50m pool there (Leeds International Pool)," he said.
"I come up to Leeds a lot and I have been here with TV and other things and it is really good to hear that you are seeing increased numbers in participation in sport.
"That sort of improvement is exactly what we need as a nation. We are all too aware of the obesity crisis which is causing no end of problems – not least for the people who are suffering from obesity."
Recent figures show Leeds is well on track to getting it right in sport and on a national scale Britain too is on an upward curve, as illustrated by Team GB's fine showing in the Beijing Olympics, where they finished fourth best nation with 47 medals, 19 of those gold.
Goodhew says sport in Britain is thriving compared to when he was a national competitor and the former breaststroke ace expects a strong performance from Team GB at the London Games in three years' time.
The former England swimming team captain says British Olympians had nowhere near the support they receive today and feels everything is set for a strong showing from the host nation at the 2012 Olympics.
He certainly hopes so, insisting that – unlike 1980 when his country took just five golds – Team GB's representatives now have no excuse!
"I competed when there was very little support for our athletes," he added. "Yes, if we won it was brilliant but if we did it was by chance, not by support and the crowd seemed to be surprised!
"Now the support is there, it is the process of overcoming all of the obstacles and now the athletes can have no excuses afterwards!"
lTo sign up for the Sport Leeds Seminar or for more information contact Ruth Hartley on 0113 2243329 or email ruth.hartley@leeds.gov.uk.
The event also features a question time session with Goodhew, Jamie Jones-Buchanan (Leeds Rhinos), Ashley Metcalfe (Yorkshire Cricket Club), Tracey Neville (Leeds Met Carnegie netball) and Rick Passmoor (Leeds Carnegie Ladies Football Club). A range of coaching workshops and master-classes will follow including one with Leeds Rhinos head coach Brian McClennan.
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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