If anyone is testimony to the saying, ‘Age is just a number,’ it’s Andy Simpson. This year, this extraordinary Dilworth Old Boy won two further NZ Master’s Swimming Titles for his age group, breaking the World Record for his 50-metre long course swim along the way. He finished in a time some four seconds faster than he swam whilst winning the senior champs at school in 1966!
For Andy, this came from years of relentless training and record-breaking, culminating in this huge achievement. He says he has broken 25-30 NZ Masters records over the years and currently holds five, and has been ranked as high as top three in the world over the past few years, each time thinking to himself, ‘How could I be better?’
Well, he’s done it; he’s broken (smashed) the World Record and this understated high achiever is rightly chuffed! Asked how he felt about his recent success, Andy replied, “Relieved, actually! The effort that goes in is huge. I’ve been breaking records for 30 years, and I’ve been a bit casual about it, but the World Record is more involved, and at another level.”
Andy’s preparation for this event involved an 18 month build-up with a final six-month push, which was intense. He trained at high intensity and across several disciplines 6-7 times a week—three times a week at the gym, plus biking, swimming, dry land and breathing exercises and, interestingly, reaction training and dive starts. He said he would often come home exhausted and is so pleased for his family that he has pulled this off. To be a good athlete can be tough all around, and Andy notes there is ‘No time for wasted conversation’—a testament to setting a goal like this one.
He offers simple advice to up-and-coming athletes: “Don’t aim for someone else’s target, such as a record; be the best you personally can be—a target will restrict you.” He also stresses the importance of mental application: “If you are strong-minded enough, you can do whatever you want to do.”
Andy was a Dilworth student from 1958 to 1966, and his commitment to his old school is strong. He served on the Council and the Old Boys trusts at various times, as President of the Dilworth Old Boys’ Association (DOBA), and is an elected Life Member. He says of his time at Dilworth, “In my era, you had to be strong. It was tough at Dilworth but better than I had anywhere else.” He said you learned to rely on yourself and find a way around things.
But most of all, he said his time at Dilworth taught him to realise that “He could do it, anything.” And Dilworth, he says, “Gave me chances.” He took them all and ran with them.
After Dilworth, Andy trained and qualified as a Quantity Surveyor but decided he wanted to make more money than that at the time, so he started a takeaway food business. He quickly turned it into a local feature, ‘Maison Andy’, which was hugely popular around Parnell back then. During this time, Andy said he “Worked his butt off”, sometimes putting in 120 hours a week. But after 18 months, it paid off; he could fund his first house in Remuera – he was on his way.
After that, Andy returned to using his Quantity Surveying skills, getting into Property Development and Management, working on commercial construction projects for others, and eventually building up his own successful property portfolio.
Over the years, Andy has continued to contribute to Dilworth’s community by coaching young swimmers. He is incredibly proud of Jami-Lee Ross and Jeffrey Aukuso, both from the Class of 2003. Some of the best swimmers Dilworth has ever produced who both performed well in age group competitions while representing Auckland and were two of a four-strong relay team, winning Dilworth an Auckland Schools title. This clearly means a lot to him.
Andy says he can finally relax. “I can do whatever I want now, enjoy my surf club at Waipu Cove, and embrace life at the beach with my wife, three daughters and five granddaughters.” But then he admits, “There will always be something else, trying out something different.”
You get the feeling this incredible man won’t be hanging up his swimming togs just yet!
His advice to Dilworth students of today is straightforward: “If you want to do something, set a goal and a pathway. Keep thinking about it, focus on it, and your life will gear itself around it. Believe it.”
Good advice from someone who has achieved so much in life in every way.