The Sam Oldham Podcast

In January 2023 my grandad George Arthur Oldham passed away after a three year battle with cancer. He was an incredible man and lived a wonderful life. I have been frightened of death ever since I was a kid and I've been incredibly lucky to have not experienced much of it in my life so far. I knew it was coming and it's followed me around like a shadow for many years. My grandad taught me so many amazing lessons throughout his his life and he continues to do so in death. And this is my story. 

In November 2020 we went into a second lockdown in the UK. The summer was long gone and this time around, I was outside doing my gymnastics training in the rain, gradually losing motivation. I had lightbulb moment and for the first time I realised that my career was coming to an end. I didn't have any sponsors, there was a lack of a support network around me and with no education to fall back on I realised in that moment that it was going to be up to me to make sure that my twenty years of experience was worth something going forward. The idea of a mentoring program was born and this is my story. 

In 2006 British Gymnastics appointed a new figure to lead the Men's artistic gymnastics program. Over the course of the next seven years, that team climbed from 23rd all the way to the third best team in the world. I was lucky enough to be a big part of that story and during that period I experienced, observed and was able to learn all about leadership. I've been fascinated with what makes a great leader ever since I was a little kid and this is my story. 

In February 2023 I celebrated my 30th birthday with my friends and family. It's a big milestone and in the twelve months leading up it, I was asked time and time again how I felt about turning thirty. My answer was always very similar. I was really excited for the next chapter and I was looking forward to what was to come. I've made some calamitous mistakes in my life so far but hopefully the lessons I've learned will help me avoid making quite so many big ones again in the future. This episode was inspired by a young gymnast from Denmark that reminded me of myself and I'd to congratulate him on his world championships silver medal. And this is my story. 

I was joined by three time Commonwealth Games medalist and the Junior European all around champion Frank Baines to watch the 2023 European Gymnastics Championships apparatus finals. We spoke about Franks career, experiences and reminisced about some of the great times we shared throughout our  gymnastics journeys. It was incredible to see the results of the both the GB men and women competing out in Turkey and we both enjoyed commentating on their performances. I hope you like this episode and it's something we hope to do more of in the future, especially in the lead up to the Paris Olympic Games. For this episode we used hand held microphones and didn't record in the studio so the audio quality is not as crisp as the regular episodes. 

In September 2021 I tore my right rotator cuff whilst competing on the pommel horse in my final gymnastics competition. During the course of my career than spanned over two decades, I tied almost every recovery strategy in the book. Some of them worked, some of didn't and to be completely honest, some of them were absolutely bonkers. When I work with young athletes now I try to explain how their physical, mental and emotional diet is extremely important. They have to think of themselves as a sports car and the support network around them as an F1 pit stop team. Who are all trying to give you the best possible chance of winning the race, every time you step on to the competition floor. To this day I still incorporate lots of these recovery methods into my everyday life and this is my story. 

In the summer of 2020 during the global Covid 19 Pandemic, Netflix released the documentary athlete A. That unbelievably sad story, told by a group of extremely brave young women sent shockwaves around the world and right through the sport of gymnastics. Throughout my twenty one year career participating in the sport of gymnastics. I trained, competed and observed many of the different cultures that exist within my sport. And this is my story. 

In 2006 at the age of 13 I logged in to YouTube for the very first time on my family computer. Over night I now had access to an ever growing library of gymnastics content. What started out initially as just a love for the sport, very quickly became an opportunity for me to gain an advantage on my competitors. In recent years these small advantages have become known as marginal gains and this is my story. 

In the year 200 at the age of seven I walked into a gymnastics club for the very first time. From that day onwards my life completely changed. I often get asked wether if given the chance , I'd go back and do things differently. The positive impact gymnastics has had on my life by far outweighs the negative experiences I've faced throughout the years. And this is my story. 

In 2002 at the age of 9 years old my dad secured me my first sponsorship deal. Incredibly the number one barber shop in Keyworth supported me and my family for over 19 years. There're so many obstacles along the road to success and carving a career path in a sport like gymnastics, required a great deal of help from some very special people. And this is my story.