Fran's bottom could take her to the top

BT employee Fran Nicholls has a secret weapon in her ambition to win rowing gold at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

She probably has the best-toned rear in BT, she joked. “People think it’s all about legs and arms,” she said. “But rowing is not about pulling, it’s about transferring all the power of your legs into your arms through the blade into the water - and it starts with the muscles in your bottom.”

The part-time BT Global Services business support specialist has another key attribute for a rower - her height. At 6ft tall, it’s what first got the 24-year-old noticed.

Here, Fran – a BT ambassador for London 2012 - talks about her sport and her motivation.

Q. How did you get into rowing?

A. I was approached by a rowing cox when I was at Lancaster University - working at the local campus shop. She said: “You’re tall - you would be a good rower.”

Q. Where do you train - and how often?

A. After university, I got into the Sporting Giants programme, which takes people with the perfect physical attributes for a sport - and turns them into Olympic hopefuls. My coach, Rob Dauncey, moved to the Leander Club in Henley-on-Thames and suggested I join. It’s the top rowing club in the country and I’m lucky enough to train with Olympian Debbie Flood. Fifteen of the 45 rowers at the Beijing Games were from Leander - and 13 won medals.

My training programme varies, depending upon the season. I row six times a week - rowing anything up to 180km a week - and have Sunday off. It’s my “sorting my life out day” when I do all the jobs - like opening post and doing my washing. I also get two weeks off each year, when I’m not allowed near the gym or the water.

Q. What are your milestones to success?

A. I have lots of little goals I’m trying to reach - not necessarily winning races. In order to trial for Team GB, you have to row for 2,000m under 7mins 5secs and they make it harder every year. In October, I did it in 7mins 4.5secs - so that was a big achievement for me. My next milestone will be getting into the World Championships.

I won’t know if I’m in the Olympic squad until 2011 - and still won’t know what boat I’ll be in until six weeks before the event. That’s partly what keeps me motivated - there’s no room for complacency.

Q. Top tips?

A. Eat within an hour of exercise; get plenty of sleep (I go to bed at 8pm); eat the right things to keep a lean body; don’t go out drinking; and use the nasal spray First Defence to ward off germs.

Q. What are your prospects for London 2012?

A. My coach thinks I have the potential to win - and Leander coach Mark Banks, who coached the men’s eight to silver medal position in Beijing, thinks the same. I definitely have the potential to win a medal - I need to fulfil that potential.

Q. With three years to go, how do you stay motivated?

A. There’s no golden ticket to getting a place at the Olympic Games. You have to keep pushing as hard as you can. The sheer volume of training and everything I have given up and the dedication I have put into it - that keeps me motivated. It’s not worth doing unless you throw your heart and soul into it.

I can’t begin to describe how much it means to me and how much I know it’s worth all the sacrifices I have made to be classed as one of the top athletes in the world.

Q. How has BT helped you with your rowing commitments?

A. Flexible working enables me to fit rowing round my work. And BT also helped fund my boat.

Q. What skills can you transfer to the workplace?

A. Motivation, teamwork, planning - and definitely time management.

“There are days when I wake up and think ‘why?,” said Fran. “But it doesn’t last long.”