Eric Duigan

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1: Name: Eric Matthew Duigan

2: Age: 24

3: Resides: Cheltenham

4: Swimming Highlights: Making few age state finals in butterfly. Winning a few medals here and there. Being on the boat on my father (andy’s) channel crossing.

5: Biggest influence and coach: Most people inspire me. Just little things they do. Like the way little kids have no fear and are willing to try anything, the way some of the best swimmers are able to go so fast with so much efficiency, and the way some of the not so fast guys just keep going and going and going.

6: Swimming Idol – Andrew Laughterstein, I only put this down because I used to train with him back in our junior days. The way I have seen that guy go about his training and performance was amazing.

7: Pool or Ocean – I’m going to go against everyone else here and say the pool. I love the black line. Its just a great way to refine your stroke, practise all your skills and really see how fast you’re moving.

8: How many kms a week – At the moment? 3 if I’m lucky. When I’m training? Around 20km.

9: Longest swim and how many hours in the water – I remember back in my junior squad days doing a couple of 10km days that took about 3 hours.

10: Favorite place you have swam – I love swimming in the bay in summer when its nice and hot and there are no jellies.

11: Coldest place you have swam and temp – 7°C in the bay

12: Roughest swim – Off Aspendale beach many many years ago, waves were at least 5 metres. Awesome to surf in on but bloody hard to swim out.

13: Swimming goals – Do next year’s Bloody Big Swim and a Rottnest Channel relay. After that we’ll see….

14: What or who motivates you – Being around people that are doing things motivates me. I see people doing things and I go along with them. But what really gets me motivated is when I want to see a change in me or my life.

15: How much is Physical/Mental – Probably equal, about 50/50. There is only so much you can do with mental determination, you’ve still got to train your body to be able to achieve your goal. And hopefully, the more you train the easier it will be and the less mental determination you will need.

16: Favorite saying: Hmm, there are a lot of good ones out there but at the moment the one I use the most is “Suck it up Princess!”

17: Biggest fear swimming – You know, the usual: Sharks, jellyfish, stingrays, bluering ocopusses, Moby Dick, the Kraken, the Loch Ness Monster. But in all seriousness I really am afraid of getting hit but the prop of a boat. Oh, and I F****** hate jellyfish.

18: Swimming close calls – This one time I swam about 3k out from black rock beach and back only to find out later that they had closed half-moon bay(the next beach along) because of a shark siting.

19: Tips for other swimmers – Listen to your coach, learn as many strokes as you can, and watch as many other swimmers as possible to see what they do well and how they do it.

20: What would you eat and drink during a swim – Fruit, Biscuits, Maxim

21: Worst place you have swam – Dover Habour

22: Worst injuries – Nothing too serious, just a few chronic shoulder niggles that get better when I do all the exercises I’m supposed to do for them

23: Favorite food,drink,music ,movie and holiday destination

Food: Pasta
Drink: Beer
Music: Rage Against the Machine
Movie: Snatch
Holiday destination: I like the cold, so Norway or Canada

24: What do you think of when you are in the water for hours – I sing songs to myself in my head. Usually stuff that I think is appropriate or that will get me going, but sometimes its just the last song I heard on the radio.

25: Where is one place you haven’t or would like to swim - Well, there’s this absolutely amazing water park in Ljubljana Slovenia I’d like to check out.

26: Three people you would invite to dinner – Jesus, Buddha and Ian “Lemmy” Kilmeister; but they’re all the same person, right?

27: Cold water tips - Relax, take your time, and once you get going and the hyperthermia is setting in, DON’T PANIC

28: Toughest competitor – Jonathan Hayward

29: How much is weight a factor on long distance swims – I’ll tell you after I do a few. But I’ve heard its pretty good

30: Pet hate – Thinking you know everything someone is going to tell you.

31: Biggest thrill – Climbing to the top of Preikestolen in Norway with my Aunty at the start of winter. The climb was tough but the view at the end was amazing.

32: Favorite sport besides swimming – AFL, NFL, Cricket

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