FLEUR Sherlock has come a long way in a short period of time.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
From the frightened under-eight competitor to one of the strongest on the sand in the under-14s ahead of this weekend’s interbranch competition at Forster.
When she first took up surf life saving, the sound of the starters gun brought her to tears – but it’s one that the 13-year-old has now learned to live with.
Despite the tears, the quietly-spoken youngster still managed to win regularly.
“The sound was scary and I didn’t like all the pressure, but dad kept persisting and wanted me to keep trying,” she said.
“I’m not scared anymore because there’s not as much pressure.”
Instead of waiting for the sound of the gun to herald her time to shine in competition, Sherlock instead focuses on getting into the zone.
“I think about getting a good start and instead of focusing on the sound, I think about the start,” she said.
The teenager constantly finishes with top three results in both flag and sprint events, stating the “terrifying” nature of the water competition ensured she was more at home on land.
“The swim is too terrifying because you have to worry about if it’s rough; the sand events are easier because you’re in control of those conditions,” she said.
“It’s about having fun with surf life saving, I’m 13 now and started in under-7s.”
There was one small factor about why she was looking forward to Interbranch this weekend.
“I miss a day of school and get new swimmers,” she said.
“I’d like to place down there because I’m going to try and get better than third in flags and sprints, but mostly flags.”
What else is happening in sport?
While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox from the Port Macquarie News.
To make sure you're up to date with all the news, SIGN UP HERE.