Graduate Tom and his Atlantic adventure

Former Sports Journalism student Tom is training to do something extraordinary. He and his best friend James are pushing themselves to the limit this coming December by rowing 3000 miles across the Atlantic completely unaided.

The team will be rowing from The Canary Islands to Antigua, rowing up to 12 hours a day for up to 70 days.

Here, Tom, who studied at the Eastbourne campus, reminisces about his time at university and how he got to where he is now.

“My university experience was fantastic, playing sport on a hockey scholarship and making the most of the free time was an incredible experience. The summers in Brighton were unforgettable, taking some beers down to the beach with friends and soaking up the coastal atmosphere.

Winning Varsity hockey vs Sussex University in my final year as Captain of the side was my proudest moment. The day in the general was brilliant, and the night that followed was one of the best of the year.

Although journalism isn’t the route I have taken, some of the skills I learnt in regards to writing copy have been easily transferable. Being at uni was also a period to grow up a little and figure out how to do things on my own. Having no money is never fun, so learning to manage that was pretty fundamental learning.

After I graduated, I worked for Red Bull for a number of years, both in London and at their head office in Austria. Now I work for a sports marketing agency called Wasserman in London. I run creative and exciting projects for companies such as Rolls-Royce, Vodafone and Spotify all around the world. It’s can be demanding, but I love it.

As for the race, I was inspired by my mum taking part in the Clipper World Boat Race, sailing across the Atlantic. It dawned on me that I had never completed anything like this, so after a couple of beers I text James pitching the idea, and his answer was a short and sweet, ‘Yes, I’m in’.

We are training hard, as neither James or I have ever rowed in our lives. Learning to row is the biggest obstacle for sure, as well as getting strong and flexible in the gym. Our bodies will have to be in the best possible shape to handle the ordeal, and we will need to put on over a stone in weight before we set off. When we arrive in Antigua, we will have lost 20% of our entire body weight even though our intake of calories is 10,000 a day each.

We will face enormous storms, swells and sharks as well as the physical and mental battering that two months at sea will inevitably serve up.

We want to tell a story that normal people can do extraordinary things. We are not elite athletes, or rowers, or even adventurers. We are two mates who want to do something cool – it’s as simple as that.

My advice to current students, especially those who are about to graduate, is don’t rush into things, enjoy the freedom of sitting around with mates and having fun and pursue whatever you dream of.”

Find out more about his adventure here.