Meet Jane: Aquatics Officer and Commonwealth Athlete23 Jul

The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth games today, and here at Brio we’re all very excited! Did you know that we’ve got our own Commonwealth medal winning athlete working right here in the Brio headquarters though? Her name is Jane, our Aquatics Officer, and she was part of the 1986 women’s 4 x 400m relay team! Jane, along with the other three women in her team won the silver medal with a time of 3:32:82!

To celebrate the start of the 2014 Commonwealth games, we thought we’d ask Jane for a few questions about her experience at the games.

1. How many times a week were you training for the games, and for how long?
I was training at least once or twice a day, usually totalling around 4 hours doing a variety of different training exercises.

2. Were you on a special diet while training?
Nope, nothing special! I didn’t eat anything out of the ordinary – just my mums home cooked meals, as always. She made sure to cook healthy, nutritious meals though.

3. What was your experience of the games like?
Wet, rainy and cold! Despite the weather though it was a fantastic experience. I got to meet people from all over the Commonwealth that I’d never normally have had the chance to meet. Edinburgh’s a lovely city too, and we stayed in the university halls of residence that had been converted into the athletes village.

4. Did you get to meet any famous athletes?
The Athletics event had several big names, including Steve Cram, Lindford Christie and Sally Gunnell. The games were full of inspiration athletes in every discipline though, and it was really great to meet everyone.

5. How did you unwind after the race?
Well, directly after the race I was a bit sick! But after the event I went out for my favourite meal – curry.

6. How did you make the move into swimming?
I was always a swimmer as well as a runner, but I felt that I had more potential as an athlete so pursued running. However, following the end of my athletic career I realised I missed swimming so returned to be a teacher.

If you’re interested in getting involved in Athletics, two clubs operate out of Brio centres – Stanney Oaks Leisure Centre and Knights Grange Golf Course.

Find out more here

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