“I was so proud, stood on the podium, singing Jerusalem. We laughed as I was the only one who knew the words which was my St Peter’s education shining through!”
It is such an exciting time for sport at St Peter’s since Old Peterite, Sam Dickinson’s, huge triumph winning Gold in the Mixed Relay Triathlon at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games. The Alumni and Development team had the pleasure of catching up with Sam, after his amazing win, and enjoyed congratulating him on behalf of the school. Choosing Sport from an early age, when he and his brother, Tom, were given the choice of sports gear or games consoles, Sam’s story is a lesson in commitment and self-discipline in striving to be the best you can be at what you love.
Head of Manor in 2015, Sam’s success is testament to his hard work and the supportive community here at St Peter’s. He shared his huge appreciation for several staff members who saw his potential and encouraged him to excel at sport.
“I was lucky I had people on my side here at school who were really good to me. I was absolutely buzzing when I managed to achieve something like that. It makes you look back on everything you have done and everyone who helped you in the past.” Sam recalls teachers Steve and Justine Williams, and Helen Barnard, amongst others, who supported his extracurricular efforts. He particularly remembered the mighty Angela Tooby-Smith who inspired him to run, and Paddy Stephen who took a keen interest in his activities and has kept in touch over the years.
Sam specifically noted his special relationship with Manor housemaster Steve Gwilliams who gave him special permission to use his Wattbike in his dorm. With training taking priority, Sam made the school his own with schedules and arrangements that took him all over the city. Some days, committed Sam set off at 5am in order to cycle to swim sessions across the city, all before coming back to start the academic day. Sam was supported to be self-sufficient from a young age in order to manage his time and studies well, learning to cook his own meals in Manor to fit around his timetable. All of this served Sam very well when he went on to study Sports Science at Leeds University where he went on to further gain momentum and win competitions for Team England.
Talking us through his training week while at school, we were exhausted at the thought of it! It is clear to see how Sam maximised all the great opportunities available to him at St Peter’s. Running, cycling and swimming on site and across York throughout his school week, Sam certainly put in the hours. “The biggest part for me was the St Peter’s swimming pool, because that turned me from a terrible swimmer into a swimmer just about good enough to get round the triathlon. I spent every day, if not twice a day in that pool.” Sam acknowledged the recent success of our school rugby teams – which he follows on social media - and hopes his gold medal will showcase the prospects for great runners, cyclists and swimmers here, now and in the future.
We look forward to welcoming Sam back to the school soon to recognise all his achievements and celebrate as a school community. Until then, see if you can spot Sam’s tri suit inside our school building, from the European Duathlon Championships 2015; Sam’s very first GBR representation whilst still at school.
