The latest interview from Madeline Hurley with sports stars, and how they got into the sports they love

Sport: Bobsleigh

Achievements: GB Bobsleigh team starting 05/06 season; 1st Bobsleigh British Women Sledge in Winterberg 2006.

Extra: Nina used to live in Pirton, attended Hitchin Girls’ School and trained at Ridlins Athletics Track.

How did you get into bobsleigh?

I was doing 400m hurdles at the time and my coach, Robert Ellchuck, said that I was strong enough and would be good for bobsleigh and as the Great Britain trials are coming up he suggested to give it a go. I thought, why not? I went to the trials which were a combination of strength exercises and speed testing, and I got through. I went to Canada to learn how to drive a bobsleigh. Afterwards I got accepted onto the GB team.

How did Hitchin Girls’ School help with your sports?

I think Hitchin was always really encouraging with anybody who did any sport. I was always involved in some sort of sport.

How did you get from Ridlins to the GB team?

After Ridlins I moved to train at Bath University and started training with Rob. He was more used to bobsleigh than I was or most British coaches were as he is Canadian. The bobsleigh team did all their training at Bath because they had all the facilities.

What is the best thing about bobsleigh?

I think it’s definitely travelling round the world. I saw lots of different places which was really good fun. Also, it’s fun being part of a team with everyone working together and representing your country and you feel proud of yourself while you’re doing it.

What was the best bit about being on the GB Team?

The free kit is really great! It’s cool to be dressed in all the Adidas clothes. One of the best bits was that they had specific GB villas in Germany and Austria and they were amazing, it was like a home away from home. There is a kitchen fully stocked with food, there are homely bedrooms. It’s not like a hotel were you do everything for yourself.

How do you train for bobsleigh?

The key thing is to do a lot of sprint training and explosive strength; it’s all about explosive speed and strength. They also did push-start counts so you would do push training. When you were away you would do all your training on ice. You would practice the routes on the track, practice driving and practice your sprint start on ice with an actual bobsleigh.

What is the favourite place you have visited in your career?

I really enjoyed visiting Calgary, in Canada; it had the track that the Cool Runnings film used.

I remember we went out celebrating in Calgary and it was full of cowboys! I took it as a joke and I was like ‘Look at all these guys wearing cowboy hats’, but actually they are really protective over their hats which I found out when I jokingly tried to steal one. He wasn’t happy about that. Calgary’s fun, but don’t steal any of the cowboys’ hats.

What advice do you have for anyone interested in taking part bobsleigh?

I would suggest getting in touch with the GB bobsleigh team. You can get their contact details online. It’s good if you come from an athletics background, so it’s good if you join an athletics club. You can’t actually do it until your 18 years old...but they’re really keen to develop you from a young age, especially drivers.

What would you recommend to anyone wanting to become a sporting success?

You need to stay focused and don’t be distracted by whatever anyone else is doing. Whatever strengths another person has, you have strengths that they don’t so focus on your own game plan.