TEAM: Going to the Olympics is every athlete’s dream, but to get there, it means heavy sacrifices and a tonne of hard work.

For many athletes on the 2014 Australian Olympic Team, work does not just take place on the snow, ice or in the gym. Like you or I, many are also out in the workforce.

From high school teachers to fund managers, bike mechanics to kitchen hands, all around the country, Australian Olympians are living ordinary everyday lives to fund their Olympic journeys.

For Gareth Nichols, that means starting every day at 5am, to fit in his work as an engineer with his Bobsleigh training.

Nichols, 30, moved to Western Australia in 2009 to pursue a career in the mining industry

“I work as an engineer for our operations side of the business, it is a very broad role encompassing various sites and challenges,” he said. “Predominantly I give technical and engineering support the site manages to ensure the sites can operate at maximum efficiency and problem-solve any engineering or site fails that may occur.”

Nichols took up the unlikely sport of Bobsleigh in 2011, after being scouted for his achievements in surf lifesaving, particularly beach sprinting.

“I have spent a considerable amount of time away from work training and competing,” Nichols said.

“My workplace is very accommodating with my time off over the summer months and training needs during the Perth winter. This season in particular has been a hard balance as I have been fully focused on the Games and work has had to take a back seat for now.”

A typical day for Nichols means waking up at 5am for weights training, after which he heads straight to work. Leaving work at 4pm, he heads off to sprint or push training and then does recovery ice baths, generally getting home by 8pm.

“Then it’s cook dinner, pack your bag for the next day and it’s bed time. There is not much time for fun or TV during a busy training day. If by chance there is no session in a morning or afternoon I will then try and squeeze in a physio session or massage so it's still busy busy.”

The hard work has paid off for Nichols. He is about to land in Sochi for his first Olympic campaign as part of the 4-man Bobsleigh.

“It is very difficult to achieve balance. Many sacrifices have to be made and without the support of your work place, friends and family it wouldn't be possible.”

On the other side of the country- and the other side of the working spectrum- is Cross Country skier Aimee Watson.

Also headed to her debut Olympics, Watson has balanced her tireless Cross Country training with her work as a Veterinarian.

“I have been working as a rural vet in Cobram and Yarrawonga since March 2012,” Watson explained.

“I work in a rural mixed practice - working with both large animals and small animals. Most of our work is dairy cattle, cats and dogs, but we do see some sheep and horses and see the occasional pocket pet.”

The nature of rural vet work means that there is no such thing as a nine to five day.

“A finish time really doesn't mean much in the veterinary world,” Watson said. “It's when we aim to walk out the door but there are often cases to finish off or records to write up.” 

With work hours being long and sometimes unpredictable, Watson fits in training when and where she can.

“Training usually involves fitting in a session before work and after work. I usually train six days a week and most days have two sessions, changing according to my work schedule and whether I am working the weekend.

“It is often difficult to train when I'm on-call, as I find that eight out of 10 times if I attempt to train, the phone will ring at some point during the session. Although, some calvings make pretty good training sessions!”

For Watson, Nichols and other athletes on the Team who hold down full or part time jobs while training, they wouldn’t have it any other way.