Name: Eliza Hammond
Age: 15
Discipline: Swimming
Brief biog:
Hi, I’m Eliza. I have been swimming as long as I can remember. I started swimming properly at Scarborough Kingfishers at age 4 and started swimming competitively at nine. As soon as I could, I started swimming in friendly galas, which is where I fell in love with competitions and the atmosphere which swimming can provide. I have competed at Yorkshires and North-Easterns and just last year I narrowly missed out on the opportunity to swim at British nationals. During lockdown I got the chance to take part in the young leader development programme, which I took up as I have always loved being a part of Young Leader activities outside of swimming. For example, I have been part of the sports leader’s group at my school for 3 years. Then when the pools opened back up, I started coaching to work towards my level one coaching when I’m old enough. I am also planning on taking the official course to become an official on the poolside. My goal for the future is to eventually swim at the Olympics and Commonwealth Games. I would also like to, when I turn 17, join the RNLI lifeboat crew at my local lifeboat station in Scarborough.
Why did you want to join the Youth Forum?
During the summer I took part in the Young Leader development programme, which I was very grateful for, because I have always loved leading and thinking of ways for helping younger athletes to get more involved with their sport. I wanted to join the youth forum to take this passion further and to help other children to try new sports within the swimming world, but also to help with inspiring the younger swimmers to take up leadership opportunities and other poolside chances. I would also like, through the youth forum, to make the opportunities that can be offered more noticeable and more talked about in the swimming community. I have always believed that by taking part in other opportunities within the sport/ discipline you can share the love for your sport by helping others to be inspired to help out within the sport.
What do you hope to achieve as a Youth Forum?
In my time in the youth forum, I would like to give younger athletes more opportunities to help them self-develop in their sport and be able to say what they want to change in their discipline and help the youth have a voice.
