The Sam Oldham Podcast

In May 2024 I was asked to be part of the Team England Men's gymnastics training camp at Lilleshall national sports centre. I was incredibly impressed with the level of gymnastics and how professionally the weekend was put together. I had the opportunity to share my experiences in gymnastics with a group of 30 hardworking and positively minded young athletes. At 2AM whilst feeding Ozzy I began to think about the information and advice that would have helped me as a teenager with ambitions of competing at the highest level. I focussed on five key areas: Recovery, nutrition, mindset, confidence and preparation. And this is my story. 

In 2021 at the Tokyo Olympic Games Amelie Morgan made history alongside her team mates by winning the first women's team medal in 93 years. She had an outstanding junior career taking five medals at the 2018 junior European championships and three medals at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires. Amelie home schooled as a teenager in order to maintain her 35 hour a week training schedule. Balancing her education alongside her gymnastics eventually led to her accepting a full sports scholarship to study and compete for the university of Utah in 2021. In the past week she has announced her retirement from elite gymnastics and subsequently withdrawing herself from the Paris 2024 Olympic selection process. And this is her story. 

In April 2024 many of the best gymnasts in the world competed nationally, internationally and globally in their preparations for the Paris Olympic Games. At the European Championships in Rimini the British junior men took the team final in dramatic fashion for the first time since 2016. In the senior event the Ukrainian team edged out GB scoring 255.762 which impressively would have taken the team title at the 2023 World Championships. The British team produced an incredibly professional performance hitting eighteen routines and taking two individual apparatus gold medals. In the NCAA finals Stamford claimed their fifth title in a row and Asher Hong, Fred Richard and Khoi Young were the standout performers producing some exceptional gymnastics. The final individual Olympic apparatus spots were confirmed following the World Cup event in Doha and in Japan the reigning Olympic champion Daiki Hashimoto scored an incredible 88 average all around over two days. And this is my story. 

In 2009 Whilst filming Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. David Holmes suffered a life changing injury that resulted in him breaking his neck during a test stunt. For a decade David doubled for Daniel Radcliffe in one of the most successful film franchises of all time. A documentary tilted 'David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived' was released in 2023 that shares his incredible story. As a kid Dave found the sport of gymnastics training at South Essex gymnastics club. His legacy is now intertwined with the amazing charity work he's the driving force behind. You can't help but feel inspired after meeting Dave and it was truly an honour to have had the opportunity to sit down and have a conversation with such a positive human being. And this is his story. 

In 2005 at the age of twenty, Gareth Timmins began the 34 weeks of training required to become a Royal Marine Commando. Prior to joining the military, Gareth was a professional rugby league player representing Leeds Rhino's, however he ultimately chose to walk away from a potential future career in elite sport. After a successful time serving as a Royal Marine he stepped away from military service in 2010. He then went on to work as a maritime security team leader in the Somali basin and is now the founder of Nought Point One which is a performance clothing brand. Gareth is the author of a best selling book titled "Becoming the 0.1%" and has a brand new book on the way. And this is his story. 

In 2019 Dan Lonsdale launched his gymnastics strength and conditioning business which now supports one ten gymnastics clubs across the UK and Europe. He had previously worked as the senior strength and conditioning lead coach at the University of Durham supporting their top performance athletes. His background was in the sport of Rugby where he spent nine years developing his skill set. However through a local initiative that connected sports medical practitioners with upcoming athletes in the North East region Dan came across the sport of gymnastics. Gymnastics is a sport that is constantly evolving and the work that Dan provides is incredible valuable to the community. Dan also provides coach education focussing on S&C specifically for gymnastics alongside sharing his knowledge at a number of coaching workshops and seminars. And this is his story. 

In the space of seconds on the 11th of February at 8:15PM 2024 I went from what felt like the scariest moment of my life to unquestionably the very best. Ozzy Arthur Oldham was born three weeks early after a forty hour labour by a category 1 emergency C section. Becoming a Dad has been the single greatest achievement of my life and this was made possible thanks to Connie Elizabeth Moreland. Not so long ago I was man that had lost all hope of a future and couldn't see a way out. Every single day now feels like second chance and my goal is to give my son the best possible opportunity to succeed in his own life. I've already made some big mistakes as a father but I'm going to continue to stumble forwards in the pursuit of becoming the person that he needs me to be. And this is my story. 

In the summer of 2024 the biggest event in the sport of gymnastics will take place. The Paris 2024 Olympic Games is a culmination of four years of hard work and sacrifices made by the athletes and their coaching teams. The competitive season is well underway and this month the final individual apparatus spots for the Olympic Games will be up for grabs at the final World Cup in Doha. The English and British championships have now taken place and the American team is looking incredibly strong both nationally and internationally winning Gold at the DTB cup in March. It's been a busy Strat to the gymnastics calendar. And this is my story. 

In 2006 David Eaton won a silver medal on the High Bar at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne for team Wales. He represented Great Britain throughout the 1990's and early 2000's and competed at the gymnastics world championships in 2001 shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks took place in America. Dave's career bridged two generations and he was part of the British team that failed to qualify for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. He went on to be an early component in the beginning of what became the golden generation of men's gymnastics in Great Britain. An opportunity to study and train in California early in his career in part led to the birth of TURN. Which is now the leading men's gymnastics brand globally. Dave was invited to watch the recent British Championships that took place in Liverpool thanks to the All Around British title he won back in 2001. And this is his story.

In 2023 Fred Richard became the youngest male gymnast to ever win an individual World championships medal for team USA in Men's gymnastics. The US Men's team also took the bronze medal putting them in the driving seat ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games this summer. Fred only competed in his first elite level national championships in 2019 and in that short space of time he's already become one of the most exciting athletes in the sport. He represents the Michigan Wolverines college team competing in the NCAA.Over the past twelve months his profile has grown substantially both in and out of the gymnastics community. And this is his story.