RIO 2016: Olympian Natalie Cook is the athlete’s athlete.
She will jump higher, work harder, run faster or juggle 20-plus balls if it makes life easier for the Australian athletes as they prepare to kick off their Games campaign.
As a member of the Australian athlete services team, Cook is on hand day and night to support, cheer on and manage logistics for the group of elite sports people representing the country.
“We make sure the athletes have no distractions or problems that affect their performance,” Cook said.
“They come in for coffee, maybe snacks, sit and watch Channel 7 Sunrise, we just interact and make sure the athletes have smiles on their faces. We try to be a friendly face.
“You need to be a Jill of all trades really… We have that experience if somebody wants to talk to us; we don’t go searching for that role but we’re here and available if they need.”
But her job doesn’t finish once the athletes walk out on to the field of play. Once they’re done, Cook will be there rallying the troops to cheer on their teammates.
The challenges athletes might experience are many and varied. Though there’s no doubt that attending and competing in an Olympic Games is a life-changing career pinnacle, it’s an undulating road to the finish line for most.
From helping people find their way around the Olympic Village to managing medical and personal needs, arranging tickets to other Games events and lending an ear when someone needs to talk, there’s no such thing as an average day.
“The Olympic Games are the best place on Earth for four weeks of every four years,” Cook said.
“Some athletes are a bit overwhelmed, there’s so much to see and do, there are so many people.
“For some of them, they experience boredom. They have nothing else to do (outside of training) so we just try to take their mind off things and fill in some time.
“We are trying to make Rio and the Village as homely as it can be. The AOC do a great job by putting up drawings from children and fans, lots of Aussie products in the welcome kits.”
This is Cook’s seventh Olympic Games: she competed in five for Australia in beach volleyball (winning gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and bronze in Atlanta in 1996) and she attended 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics as a spectator.
She is enjoying being behind the scenes and drawing on her past experience to buoy the team to meet its full potential.
“It’s a mammoth job and everyone is committed to getting the best result,” she said.
“Every single person in this team is working their butts off to give us the best chance to have a successful Games campaign.”
