Welcome to Paradise: My Journey. Cody Simpson

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СКАЧАТЬ whole family came with me to the Nationals competition, which helped me feel comfortable. A couple of friends from my local club also made the Nationals squad, so it was great to go with them. I was the youngest on the team. As always, I felt like I had a lot to prove to keep up with my team-mates. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

      Before a race, we would be lined up in a holding room, waiting for our turn to walk out to the pool deck and take our positions. I would bring music and lose myself in some of my favourite songs. To race, we would all wear the Fastskin suits, which are knee-length swimming trunks that glide through the water better than normal swimming togs. While waiting, we would have on the big, warm team coats that look a bit like what boxers wear. And sometimes we would wear Ugg boots to stay warmed up for the race.

      When we’d finally move from the holding room out onto the pool deck and get down to our suits, the adrenalin would really hit me. I’d climb onto the starting block and adjust my suit, then my goggles. I’d go over the race in my head, visualising every stroke and turn. I can still hear the judge telling us to take our marks and feel my muscles tighten as I bend over and grab the block. The whistle would sound, and I’d hit the water. And the rest would just happen. I knew what I was doing, and what I needed to do to win.

      I’d push myself to the limit as I’d race towards the final metres. And when I’d slam into the touch pad at the end, I’d immediately look up to see my time and my place. One of the best feelings in the world is looking up to see that I’ve won. At the Nationals competition, I had the fastest time in the 50-metre butterfly and 50-metre freestyle for a ten-year-old. I won all the races – gold medals in all of my events, in every stroke!

      The Australian Nationals have a medal ceremony like the Olympics. It was a truly amazing feeling when they called my name and I stepped up onto the podium, onto the middle, tallest level. It’s so gratifying to work really, really hard at something and have it pay off or to be recognised for your efforts.

      On the flip side, when I came second, I would feel so disappointed. To be honest, I was never totally happy unless I won! I know that sounds harsh, but it’s a standard I set for myself. I don’t like to stand on the second tier – especially when I know I could have done better. I don’t like to leave anything out there.

      I competed in the same competition the following year, in which I ended up with the same incredible results. When I was 12, I went to the Pan Pacific School Games, which is an even more intense and prestigious competition because it’s not just Australia. More than 30 countries compete, including New Zealand, Canada, Guam and others. There I won three gold medals, two silvers and a bronze.

      Swimming had all of my focus and energy. I was working really hard to reach my goals, pushing myself each and every day. I loved it. When I really thought about my future and what I wanted for myself, I hoped I could reach the Olympics. I knew that anything is possible if you work hard enough for it, and I felt like I was so close to living my dream.

      A champion!

      Checking the results at the end of my race at the Queensland Championships.

      Racing my favourite stroke, butterfly.

      SECRET STAR

      Even while I was swimming competitively, music remained very much a fun hobby and creative outlet for me. So, when I posted my first video on YouTube, it happened by chance. I was 11 years old and there was a talent show portion of an end-of-year assembly at my school. A family friend and great friend of my sister named Nusi McCarthy had entered the talent show to sing Jason Mraz’s song ‘I’m Yours’ a cappella. I wasn’t planning to perform that night, but I offered to play guitar with her and we made it into a duet. It was fun to play for my friends at school for the first time. But it was nerve-wracking, too. I was grateful that I wasn’t alone and had Nusi up there with me. The whole thing was very casual and small, though, so that made me feel more comfortable about performing. Her mum filmed the performance, and when I saw the video, I thought it was pretty cool. So I made a YouTube account and posted it online. It got a couple of hundred views and I was thrilled!

      I asked my parents if I could post more videos on YouTube, and they were reluctant at first because of safety concerns. I was never allowed to have a MySpace page or even an email account. But after a few months of me bugging her, my mum started to come around. She let me sign up for MySpace and continue using my YouTube account as long as she was in control of them and could check any messages. Once she was satisfied that it was secure and safe for me to use, she even started to help me with filming and would get excited when people liked the videos.

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