With the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic still restricting travel around the world, we spoke with Australia SailGP Team members Sam Newton and Nina Curtis, about how they were dealing with compulsory hotel quarantine on their return to Australia.
You are both active people, what are you doing in isolation to keep physically fit but also mentally active?
Sam Newton: I was lucky enough to have a grinding machine delivered to the hotel room which has been a lifesaver. I also have a heap of bands and other toys to keep active. So there are no excuses. On the metal side, I have found it important to try write down some goals for each day and a bit of a schedule. Fourteen days isolated in a room without an opening window isn’t much fun, but it's the sacrifice we make to be racing for Australia in the coolest sailing league out there.
Nina Curtis: I am a personal trainer by trade, so it's been a great challenge for me creating hotel workouts. I am lucky that my fiancée sent me a care package with some fitness equipment. I try to do two or three smaller workouts during the day, mostly for my mental state. Exercise makes me happy. I am also studying the enormous F50 manual, rules book and data from the Bermuda event and trying to help as much as I can with my two businesses by remote. It's enough to keep me busy!
With a young family how do you cope with travel and quarantine?
Sam Newton: It's not easy. Time away from the family has always been hard, but with the current fourteen days return quarantine rules it is much harder. Not only does it double the time away, but it is mentally hard to be in your home city for two weeks and still not able to see the kids. I just remind myself it's going to be a relatively short term compromise.