The Sam Oldham Podcast

In January of 2023 after arriving home from South America to lovely wintery English weather. I turned on the television and switched to the news, to catch up with everything that had been happening back home. The BBC had the minister for education on their morning breakfast show and I was completely dumbfounded by the questions they asked her. Are you concerned with the rise misogyny in young boys thanks to the influence of the likes of Andrew Tate. Teachers up and down the country are stretched so thin that many felt in recent months that striking was their only option.  However they chose to ask about Andrew Tate and in many ways wedge a divide between boys and girls in primary schools. I spend lots of time working with young children, visiting schools and coaching gymnastics. In my experience young people are too busy being kids and the focus needs to be aimed at getting men and women to work together. We have far more in common than with one another then we think and this is my story. 

In October 2019, Joe Fraser became the first British man to win a World Championships gold medal on the parallel bars at age 21. Two years later he was selected to represent TeamGB at what became the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games. The team secured a 4th place finish and Joe ended the Olympic cycle as the 9th best all around gymnast on the planet. 2022 was incredible year for Joe and one that saw him add seven major championships medals to his name. He underwent multiple surgeries at the start of this year and now faces a difficult comeback ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.  World, European and Commonwealth golds have lead to Joe working with big brands such as Gymshark and Sky Sports in recent years. Navigating the world of elite level sport is challenging, at times he's struggled with motivation following his most recent injuries and this is his story.  

In 2009 Dan Keatings made history becoming the first British man to win an all around World Championships medal. Incredibly he made his senior debut at just sixteen years of age when he represented Scotland at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. After Leading Great Britain to their first ever team gold medal at the 2008 junior European championships in Switzerland. Dan represented TeamGB at the Beijing Olympic Games finishing 12th all around at just eighteen. He was the first British man to ever win a European gold medal and perhaps his most memorable achievement was taking the gold in front of a home crowd for Scotland at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Daniel Keatings legacy can still be seen today in the continued success of the men's British Gymnastics program and this is his story. 

In the spring of 2023, I had an all too familiar conversation with a high level gymnastics coach. They began to complain of both the current and next generation of talent coming through. It's been put to me on many occasions that they're lazy, unmotivated and have bad attitudes. At times I've been guilty of making these claims myself and whilst it's true that  small group of people exhibit these characteristics. The vast majority of young men and women in my experience are crying out for purpose, inspiration and a reason to work hard. And this is my story. 

In November 2022 Courtney Tulloch became the first British man to win a World championship medal on the rings. He has consistently been the strongest gymnast in Great Britain for over a decade now and hopes to represent TeamGB  at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games next year. The decision to to move gymnastics clubs in 2021 surprised many gymnastics fans but lead to his most successful year in the sport in 2022. To date he has won a total of fourteen major championships medals and is without doubt one of the most successful British gymnasts of all time. And this is his story. 

In the summer of 2016 Nile Wilson made history at the Rio Olympic Games becoming the first British man to win an individual apparatus medal on the High Bar. He built an incredibly successful YouTube channel which brought him fame, financial success but more importantly inspired a whole generation of kids to take up the sport of gymnastics. He's written a book, opened multiple gymnastics clubs and more recently won the TV show dancing on ice. Nile is one of the most decorated British Gymnastics of all time. And this is his story. 

In this episode of The Sam Oldham Podcast we decided to answer some of the questions that had been sent in to me through social media. Thank you to everyone who has supported the podcast in the past five months and continues to listen to my stories each week. I had some great questions to answer and hopefully you're able find some value in my responses. We have recorded our first guest and I'm very excited to share his story with you in next weeks episode. Make sure you subscribe to the podcast and if you have five minutes to leave a review it would be be massively appreciated. 

In 1999 at the age of six I sat in my front room and watched Manchester United score two late goals to win the champions league final and complete a historic treble. From that moment on I was completely captivated by the beautiful game of football. As a kid I juggled competing for Great Britain in gymnastics and a four year contract at Notts County football club. Throughout my career the question I got asked the most by far was who I chose gymnastics over football. And this is my story. 

In January 2023 after returning home from travelling, I decided it was time to start building my own career. Since retiring from gymnastics, I've struggled at times to find my place in the world. The lack of structure, the loss of a mentor, the drastic decrease in the amount of time I spend exercising. All alongside the resurfacing of some things I struggled with when I was child have all impacted my life. However I believe retiring was the best thing for me and I find myself now more motivated, content and excited for the future than ever before. And this is my story. 

In the summer of 2021 I prepared for my final gymnastics competition and retirement. I had three main goals: The first was to embrace the experience both the good and the bad, the second was to win the British High Bar title and third was to successfully compete on all six apparatus. I came within two weeks of achieving all three of these goals before my body finally caught up with me. I think every retired athlete dreams of making a comeback. In fact I think it's part of the process, a bit like relapsing if you're on a path towards recovery. And this is may story.