Where Are They Now? Rachel Nicol

Rachel won the Senior Female Athlete award in 2015 and 2016 at the Lethbridge Sport Council Achievement Awards for her commitment and dedication in swimming! Rachel still continues to train full-time at the international level but will now add coaching to her resume as a part-time swim coach in the fall. She is also pursuing a masters degree in Kinesiology from the University of Calgary.

Swimming has helped Rachel learn how to fight through difficult circumstances and know that she can achieve things that may seem daunting at first. This persistence for success is reflective in her favourite quote "fake it 'til you make it". Through the sport of swimming she has been able to expand upon skills such as attention to detail, finding solutions in challenging situations and communicating to the people around her. Swimming also pushed her to better develop her mental resilience at a young age. Today, she believes that she uses most, if not all, of the attributes that she has honed throughout her time in the sport.

When Rachel looks back at her career thus far she cannot say that there is one memory she can narrow in on to be her favourite. Instead, what comes to mind is the positive relationships she has made with coaches, athletes and people in the Lethbridge community. Memories of laughing in practice with friends, meeting and racing with other athletes who quickly become friends from around the globe, the never-ending support from her parents and brothers, running swim clinics to help the next generation of swimmers, the tireless work and patience of coaches especially Peter Schori and her mental performance consultant Sharleen Hoar. In a sport that has had more lows than highs for her, it is these small and consistent moments of connection with people that make her believe sticking with the sport this long was all worth it.