sailing alone at the age of five (and
understandably going overboard), he
has a plan for once he has turned 18.
“My aim is to finish my A-levels,
then move down to Weymouth and
become a full-time sailor,” he says.
“So every day I’m training in the gym
and on the water, my goal within the
next two years is to be part of the
full-time Olympic team.”
We discussed what his situation
means for his schooling. How does
somebody with all this sailing on
their plate also cope with A-levels in
Physical Education, Psychology and
Engineering? “I just try as hard as I
can midweek when I’m not training
to do the schoolwork,” he answers.
“That then frees up time at the
weekend for sailing.”
Then there’s sacrificing the social
life many people his age eagerly
await each week. The U23 Finn
Association national squad member
goes into school on a Monday to
hear what he’s missed out on Friday
or Saturday night from his peers. In
place of this however is the social
life he has within his sailing world.
“It’s even better because we’re
connected by the passion for sailing,”
he believes.
I wondered whether his 18th birthday
would shift his focus from dinghies
to drinking games. “They’ll be a lot
less frequent than the average 18
year old’s,” he predicts of his own
nights out post the big 18, “just
because of the effects of it. You
can’t be an elite athlete and go out
drinking every weekend.”
Shame really; ambitious, mature,
head screwed on: he’d make a
decent beer pong player…with the
right training.
Keep up to date with Cameron
Tweedle on Facebook:
Cameron Tweedle Sailing.
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