Emily Seebohm

Name: Emily Seebohm
Age: 16
Occupation: Student / Swimmer

Emily is a 16 year old girl and a student at St John Fisher in Brisbane. She is a member of the Australian Swim Team and this year won Gold for her country at the Beijing Olympics as part of the Australian Swim Team. Life for Emily is full of training - in the morning and then again in the afternoons throughout the week. Emily says that weekends are really good because she only has to train on Saturday. . . putting most of our exercise regimes to shame. Emily loves swimming, and beyond swimming enjoys meeting new friends from all over the world.

Who was your role model/s when you were a teen?
My mother, father, Coach and friends are my role models.

How did your role model/s help you?
They help me to keep on track and stay focused. They give me lots of good advice, and are easy to talk to. They all work pretty hard too with work and training and I respect them for what they do for me. Both my parents and my coach have also been successful athletes in their different sports and I look up to them and it helps to keep me motivated. They know how tough it can be and the sacrifices that I make; they encourage me to have some time out and fun in my life as well.

What role or influence do you think role models have?
Role models help me to keep focussed. They are someone I strive to be.

What were some of the issues you face as a teen?
Issues I face at the moment, include schoolwork, swimming, competing, travelling, and living away from home without my parents. As for visual stuff I had to face pimples, boyfriends/girlfriends and parties.

How do you overcome these issues?
My parents help me with stuff to do with home and school and my coach helps me deal with the swimming side of life. It's pretty tough when I'm away from home and friends and family but my swimming is something that I am very passionate about and I work really hard to be the best I can be.

What qualities do you think you possess that have helped you succeed in your chosen field?
I'm very passionate about my swimming, I love being with my friends, love to work hard in the pool and I love to race. I also have great ability to remain extremely focused when I need to which helps when I race.

Outside of career success, what is it that you are most proud of?
The things I am most proud of was finally learning how to ride a horse, getting my learners, and just being a caring person who is easy to get along with. I love to have fun and enjoy the company of my friends. I'm also an animal lover and support the work of organisations such as WSPA. I hope to work in this field one day.

Do you undertake activities to help others/community?
At the moment I haven't had a lot of spare time, but when the opportunities occur I have no hesitation in helping others, whether it's at the pool teaching the little kids or putting on demonstrations, or going to primary schools and talking with students. They love to see my medals! I also like to donate signed caps and autographs for fundraising. I would like to later on take on roles helping Children's Hospitals with sick children, as I have spent sometime myself in hospital with asthma and I am also passionate about Prevention of Animal Cruelty.

Your advice to youths about realising their own potential...
My advice to youths is to work hard at what they want even though sometimes it's really tough, have short term and long term goals and work towards those everyday. Reward yourself along the way and have fun with what you choose.

When it comes to how you live your life, what are the most important factors/values?
In my life the important people I value are my family and friends.

Why do you think you make a good role model?
I'm just a normal person who's worked extremely hard to get what I want. It hasn't always been easy and I've had to make a lot of scarifies as well, but I love what I do and I love what I believe in and what I stand up for. I want to be the best I can be and that keeps me going. I work towards my goals and when I achieve them I get lots of personal satisfaction as well as seeing other people happy for me as well.